Amc

Ian McKellen could probably make Ashton Kutcher’s tweets sound like poetry. The British actor just about sings his lines of dialogue, using melody, dissonance, phrasing, and meter in service of his intentions. With his majestic delivery, he almost gives the existential blather of AMC’s “The Prisoner’’ a sense of profundity. For the duration of this six-hour miniseries, he adds a dignified, rhapsodic luster to throat-clearing bombast such as “The mind is capable of anything, because everything is in it.’’ Alas, McKellen isn’t alchemist enough to transform such a leaden piece of work into gold.

A Chinese conglomerate announced Monday it will buy a major U.S. cinema chain, AMC Entertainment Holdings, for $2.6 billion in China's biggest takeover of an American company to date. Dalian Wanda Group Co.'s purchase reflects the global ambitions of a wave of cash-rich Chinese companies that are using acquisitions to speed their expansion by obtaining foreign skills and brand names. Wanda said the deal will create the world's biggest movie theater operator. The Beijing-based company said it will invest an additional $500 million to fund AMC's development.

As every fan of "The Walking Dead" is well aware, this zombie-apocalypse drama will return for its much-awaited second season on Oct. 16. But AMC is announcing news that should bring delighted chills to any "Dead" devotee. For starters, the season premiere will not be just an hour, but 90 creepy minutes. The story resumes with the band of survivors fleeing zombie-overrun Atlanta and heading south for Fort Benning, Georgia, 125 miles (200 kilometers) away, where they hope to find refuge at the U.S. Army base.

Survivor: One World 8 p.m., Channel 4 The ladies run this. Pictured: Kimberly Spradlin. Next Food Network Star 9 p.m., Food Network De Laurentiis, Flay, and Brown: Who needs more cooks? The Simpsons 8 p.m., Channel 25 "Nedna" weds. Once Upon a Time 9 p.m., Channel 5 And they lived happily ever after? Mad Men 10 p.m., AMC Peggy starts a side business: Pizza House!

The Appalachian Mountain Club, a national leader in promoting outdoor recreation and conservation, is to name its first new chief executive in 23 years today. The Boston-based organization, which has more than 100,000 members and supporters, has hired John D. Judge, a seasoned nonprofit leader, as its next president and chief executive. Judge says his primary goal is getting more young people and their families exposed to the wonders of the natural world, at a time of increasing concerns about issues such as childhood obesity and living in a digital-media world.

THE WALKING DEAD Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Norman Reedus, Chandler Riggs On: AMC Time: Sunday night, 9-10:30 ‘The Walking Dead" has gained the reputation of a top-notch TV series, based on the six-episode first season. An Entertainment Weekly cover story last December labeled it "THE BEST NEW SHOW ON TV," it landed on a bunch of Top 10 lists, and it was nominated for both 2011 Writer's Guild and Golden Globe awards.

Here’s your first warning. Season 4 of “Breaking Bad” premieres on July 17 on AMC -- that's a week from this Sunday -- so it’s time to make sure you’ve caught up. Your TV critic wants you to do your homework. This is one of TV’s best shows -- if you like knockout acting, tense action, probing scripts, and awesome cinematography, that is. Seasons 1-3 are currently airing on AMC all this week in the very wee hours of the morning (use your DVR)

GCB 10 p.m, Channel 5 Sheryl Crow flies to town to help out with the church fund-raiser. Mad Men 10 p.m., AMC The curtain has gone down on the bean ballet and Peggy gets something new on her plate. Game of Thrones 9 p.m., HBO Here be dragons. The Killing 8 p.m., AMC No, they're not telling you who killed Rosie Larsen tonight. 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards 8 p.m., Channel 4 Nashville celebrates itself in...

I can't say AMC's new series "Hell on Wheels" is as good as "Deadwood" or any of the revisionist Westerns of recent decades. But still, after the first five episodes, I was hooked. Here's my review from the Globe .

THE KILLING Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Mireille Enos, Billy Campbell, Michelle Forbes, Brent Sexton On: AMC Time: Sunday night, 10-11 How well do you really know the people in your life? That has been one of the questions running through the first season of “The Killing,’’ adding an extra bit of existential ache to the ubiquitous cloud cover and the endless, endless rain. As the compelling Seattle drama has unfolded across 12 episodes so far, secrets have come tumbling out of almost every central character.

GCB 10 p.m, Channel 5 Sheryl Crow flies to town to help out with the church fund-raiser. Mad Men 10 p.m., AMC The curtain has gone down on the bean ballet and Peggy gets something new on her plate. Game of Thrones 9 p.m., HBO Here be dragons. The Killing 8 p.m., AMC No, they're not telling you who killed Rosie Larsen tonight. 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards 8 p.m., Channel 4 Nashville celebrates itself in...

Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates Jr. Sunday, 8 p.m., Channel 2 Building on his previous ancestral-exploration series like "African American Lives," the venerable Harvard prof sets his sights on pairs of famous folks whose roots crisscross in their family trees, often unbeknownst to them. Well-known actors, artists, politicians, musicians, and others dig for answers behind their notable names with the help of DNA experts, geneticists, and genealogists. Those game to look back include Harry Connick Jr., Branford Marsalis, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Barbara Walters,...

PASADENA, Calif. - If Kevin Smith is ever at a loss for words, it certainly wasn't evident when the writer-director-actor-stoner-orator ("Clerks," "Chasing Amy," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back") attended the Television Critics Association press tour last month to chat with reporters about his new reality series, "Comic Book Men. " Premiering Sunday on AMC at 10 p.m., the six-episode series will chronicle the happenings at Smith's comics shop, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, N.J. Some of the show's faces - including manager Walter Flanagan and former...

"Mad Men" last aired a new episode in October 2010. But relief is in sight, according to its star, Jon Hamm. Hamm revealed on a podcast last week that the premiere of the fifth season of the AMC network drama is March 25. Hamm also says he will direct that episode. He appeared on Friday's edition of the podcast "Doug Loves Movies," hosted by comedian Doug Benson. AMC declined to confirm the date. The return of the show follows protracted negotiations after the fourth season between Lionsgate, the studio that produces it, and its creator-executive producer, Matthew...

The Appalachian Mountain Club, a national leader in promoting outdoor recreation and conservation, is to name its first new chief executive in 23 years today. The Boston-based organization, which has more than 100,000 members and supporters, has hired John D. Judge, a seasoned nonprofit leader, as its next president and chief executive. Judge says his primary goal is getting more young people and their families exposed to the wonders of the natural world, at a time of increasing concerns about issues such as childhood obesity and living in a digital-media world.

Globe TV critic Matthew Gilbert chatted with readers last Thursday on Boston.com. Here are excerpts. Q. Right now what's the one weekly show you don't want to miss? A. "Homeland," for sure. Over the summer, it was "Breaking Bad. " "Homeland" is a great mixture of character drama and spy-CIA suspense. Each hour has been riveting. Plus, the acting is A+, from Claire Danes and, especially, from Damian Lewis. Q. The most recent episode of "Homeland" veered too far off the plausibility scale for my tastes.

"Mad Men" last aired a new episode in October 2010. But relief is in sight, according to its star, Jon Hamm. Hamm revealed on a podcast last week that the premiere of the fifth season of the AMC network drama is March 25. Hamm also says he will direct that episode. He appeared on Friday's edition of the podcast "Doug Loves Movies," hosted by comedian Doug Benson. AMC declined to confirm the date. The return of the show follows protracted negotiations after the fourth season between Lionsgate, the studio that produces it, and its creator-executive producer, Matthew Weiner (WY'-nur)

20/20 10 p.m., Channel 5 Cher (above) has been promoting her new movie, “Burlesque,’’ like crazy. She looks exactly the same in all the magazine photos, too, smiling — but always with her mouth closed. What’s up with that? Anyhow, tonight she talks to Cynthia McFadden about dating, money, her Las Vegas show, and, of course, her feelings about Chaz. The Walking Dead 10 p.m., AMC AMC is re-airing each Sunday episode of “The Walking Dead’’ on Fridays at 10. In tonight’s episode, you can really see how the horror-movie premise will work as a series.

I can't say AMC's new series "Hell on Wheels" is as good as "Deadwood" or any of the revisionist Westerns of recent decades. But still, after the first five episodes, I was hooked. Here's my review from the Globe .