According to Deadline, AMC has given a straight-to-series order for Lodge 49, created by Jim Gavin, Peter Ocko, and executive produced by Paul Giamatti. The drama tells the story of Dud, an aimless but affable “ex-surfer” from Long Beach, who joins a fraternal order following the death of his father. “Lodge 49 is a show that defies easy categorization,” explained Joel Stillerman, President of Original Programming and Development for AMC . “It is, at once, a show about a lovable loser, the idea that life can be magical if you look at it from the right angle, what it means to be on the fringe, and the importance of community. It’s also incredibly funny, poignant and truly entertaining.”
Presumably, the members of Lodge 49 will learn something from Dud’s casual, ex-surfing lifestyle, while Dud will steep himself in the camaraderie and peculiar milieu of men’s clubs–including terribly embroidered nylon bomber jackets, fez fashion trends, charity fundraising, trade union collusion, and renting out function halls for wedding receptions. The show was originally pitched and workshopped by a writer’s room back in 2015, but failed to advance to a straight-to-series order. AMC found enough promise in Lodge 49’s premise to open a new writer’s room, and the reworked project is now advancing to 10 episodes of production. Gavin, Ocko, and Giamatti will retain their roles as showrunners and producers, respectively. While we wait to spy the byzantine inner workings of Lodge 49 for ourselves, AMC will be rolling out the family-business dynasty drama, The Son, and the horror anthology series The Terror sometime next year.