AMC Renews Kevin Smith’s ‘Comic Book Men’ for Season Two

Kevin Smith’s reality show “Comic Book Men” may not have generated a great deal of critical affection — Indiewire’s own Matt Singer found it a requiem for the “Clerks” era — but AMC likes it well enough to have renewed it for a second season.

The network announced today that it was bringing back both “Comic Book Men” and “Talking Dead,” the Chris Hardwick-hosted live discussion show that followed the premiere of each new episode of the hugely successful zombie series “The Walking Dead.”

Both series will have 16 half-hour episodes in their new seasons, which represents a significant format shift for Smith’s show, the first season of which consisted of six hour-long installments. What remains to be seen is whether the show will stick with its “Pawn Stars”-style structure when looking at the goings-on at Smith’s New Jersey comic shop, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash.

“Pinch my fat ass, ’cause I must be dreaming!” Smith said in the announcement. “A thousand thank yous wouldn’t cover the gratitude I’m feeling right now. And as you might imagine, everyone at SModcast Pictures is in love with everyone at AMC today! Rest assured, Walt, Bry, Mike, Ming and I are suited up and ready to hit the ice for our second season with Team AMC.”