AMC Network Developing Comedy About Fast Food in the 1940s

Bob's Burgers might soon have company in the illustrious "fast-food television comedy" space: The Hollywood Reporter exclusively brings word that AMC — the network behind critically acclaimed shows like Mad Men, The Walking Dead, and Breaking Bad — is developing a "fast-food period comedy" tentatively called Fast Boys. Per THR, "relative newcomer" Anthony Pucillo will write and produce the first half-hour episode, which will chronicle how the fast-food industry emerged in San Bernardino, California after World War II. (Although the initial report does not explicitly name McDonald's as Pucillo's inspiration, the fast-food giant was born in San Bernardino in 1948.) And unlike a more traditional sitcom, Fast Boys might flaunt some darker humor — both director Tim Burton and Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood are cited as influences.

Oddly, the development of Fast Boys signals that a race to fictionalize the McDonald's story is officially on: In late 2014, Hollywood started buzzing about The Founder, a film about McD's mastermind Ray Kroc. (John Lee Hancock is attached as director, with Michael Keaton rumored to play Kroc.) That film has no firm release date, and Fast Boys' fate will be unknown until pilot season comes around.