AceShowbiz -

AMC gave a straight-to-series order to Robert Redford's docu-drama "The West", the cable network announced on Friday, July 31 at the Television Critics Assn. press tour. "The Making of the Mob" has also been renewed for a second season.

AMC has ordered eight one-hour episodes for "The West". The series will air alongside the seven final episodes of similarly themed Western drama "Hell on Wheels" in summer 2016. Production will begin in August.

Robert's Sundance Productions and Stephen David Entertainment will produce "The West" while he, David and Laura Michalchyshyn of Sundance Prods will serve as executive producers. Robert said, "We are pleased to partner with Stephen David and AMC for the production of 'The West', which will transport audiences back to the days of the Wild West to meet the famous outlaws and lawmen that shaped American history and culture. This series is an opportunity to revisit an era of memorable events that were part of making the United States what it is today."

Spanning from 1865 to 1890, the series will be a mix of dramatic scenes, documentary footage, visual effects and explore the world of cowboys, Indians, outlaws and law men. It will also chronicle the little-known stories of Western legends like Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull.

The second season of "The Making of the Mob", meanwhile, will consist of eight episodes and explore organized crime in Middle America through the rise and the fall of Al Capone. It will premiere in 2016.

Executive producer Stephen David said, "We've had an amazing experience with AMC on 'The Making of the Mob: New York' and to get to explore a second season focusing on Al Capone and Chicago is a dream. In addition, we are extremely excited to get a chance to partner with AMC, Laura Michalchyshyn and Robert Redford on 'The West'. It's a 25-year period after the Civil War that's filled with iconic names, all connected through a larger story that's never been told before in this way."