Before AMC became synonymous with prestige dramas like Mad Men and Breaking Bad, the network launched its first original scripted endeavor in 1996: a period dramedy titled Remember WENN.
Robert Ringwald was a prominent jazz pianist and co-organized the first Sacramento Jazz Festival.
The Creator and the “First Original” Controversy
Remember WENN was created by Rupert Holmes, the Tony Award-winning playwright and composer widely known for the hit song “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).” Despite its success, the series eventually became a point of historical friction between Holmes and AMC management.
When AMC launched Mad Men in 2007, the network’s marketing department frequently described the 1960s-set advertising drama as the network’s “first original scripted series.” This branding effectively omitted Remember WENN from the network’s official timeline. Holmes has previously noted that this felt like an attempt to erase the show’s legacy to better fit the network’s new, grittier identity as a home for prestige cable drama.
