Is AMC determined to shed its image as the second-best old movie channel -- number one id TCM -- to become a serious rival in series TV? It seems that the great success of Mad Men and the nearly as great success of Breaking Bad has emboldened AMC and they are itching for more. AMC has ordered a political thriller pilot from executive producer Jason Horwitch.

The plot involves two potential fascinating elements: a secret society that has political power around the world and uses it to manipulate countries, and also an analyst working in a think tank who discovers that the people with whom he works are not who they seem to be. That last part sounds like a very Hitchcockian idea, especially if he's wrongly accused of something that happens on the job and has to go on the run or go undercover to suss out the bad guys. We'll see...

"This is a world you have not seen on television before -- it's not your typical spy thriller." That's what AMC is saying about the show, and if they can catch an All The President's Men or Parallax View paranoia vibe, they might be right.