Rejoice, my fans of advertising, hairwax, and 1960s lingo. After what felt like a very long time, it has been confirmed that “Mad Men” will be back!
As the deal goes, the show won’t return until early 2012 (March, according to various reports), but when it does, executive producer Matthew Weiner will be show-runner for its fifth and sixth seasons, as well as a possible seventh season. (As noted here, his deal calls for a payment of almost $30 million during the next three years, though Weiner disputed that figure in a recent interview with Basket of Kisses).
In a statement issued by AMC, Weiner says:
“I want to thank all of our wonderful fans for their support…I also want to thank AMC and Lionsgate for agreeing to support the artistic freedom of myself, the cast and the crew so that we can continue to make the show exactly as we have from the beginning. I’m excited to get started on the next chapter of our story.”
Hitfix critic Alan Sepinwall breaks down the compromises, saying there won’t be budget cuts for season five, but there will be trims for seasons beyond that, and Weiner can choose how to implement those. He’ll also be allowed to deliver 47-minute cuts of the show, but aside from the season premiere and season finale, 45-minute episodes will air on AMC (the longer cuts of episodes 2-12 will be available via other platforms).
Let us toast to the return of “Mad Men” in its truest form! (Even if it takes a while…)