'Mad Men' Gone Until 2012; Creator Matthew Weiner May Leave

By AOL TV Editors Posted Mar 29th 2011 02:08PM

'Mad Men' won't return to AMC until 2012.

"AMC has officially authorized production of season five of 'Mad Men,' triggering our option with Lionsgate ['Mad Men's' production company]," the network said in a statement Monday. "While we are getting a later start than in years past due to ongoing, key non-cast negotiations, 'Mad Men' will be back for a fifth season in early 2012."

Those key negotiations involve creator Matthew Weiner. His 'Mad Men' contract ran out at the end of season four, and he has been in talks with AMC and Lionsgate for several months.

Will Weiner oversee the fifth season of the critically acclaimed drama? According to Deadline, negotiations have hit a particularly rough patch in recent days.

Update: Matthew Weiner Says "I Am Fighting for the Show"

Weiner's paycheck isn't the issue; his compensation demands have been met. The terms of his new deal, assuming it goes through, will make him the highest-paid show-runner in basic cable history. He'll rake in close to $30 million within three years.

The network and Lionsgate, however, want more product placement, a shorter running time for the show and a smaller cast in order to save money. Many 'Mad Men' episodes clock in around 47 minutes, and the network wants to trim two minutes from that running time.

An insider says, "The cast is returning." If anything were to happen in that arena, it would affect minor characters on the show.

As far as the difficult negotiations go, we've been here before. There were thorny issues to be worked out the last time Weiner's contract ran out, and eventually those issues (some of them quite similar to the ones on the table now) were resolved, and the show went forward. Let's hope that happens again here, or 'Mad Men' fans may just have to hit the bottle as hard as Don Draper did last season.

It'll certainly be odd not to look forward to the show's return in late summer, which is when the period drama usually comes back. But AMC has many dramas in the hopper for the rest of the year, including the excellent drama 'The Killing,' which premieres Sunday, season four of 'Breaking Bad,' which comes back in the summer, as well as season two of 'The Walking Dead' and the new drama 'Hell on Wheels,' both of which arrive in the fall.

Written by Maureen Ryan at TV Squad.

Watch Team PopEater read the best quotes from Roger Sterling's 'Mad Men' memoir:

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Tags: AMC, Mad Men, matthew weiner

Comments

(24)

Tuesday 29 March

By vajimj

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Wow: Smaller cast, shorter show (for more ads), more "product placement" (i.e., more ads during the show itself), and the creator leaving. Sounds like another network killing off another good show. Oh well, cable needs more cheap white trash reality shows.

Wednesday 30 March

By lweil2

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

An insider says, "The cast is returning." If anything were to happen in that arena, it would affect minor characters on the show.I love reading this , So does My boyfriend .he is almost 11year older than me .i met him via agelessc'upid.c'om a nice place for seeking age le ss love.which gives you a chance to make your life better and open opportunities for you to meet the attractive young girls and treat you like a king. Maybe you wanna check it out or tell your friends..

By Lily

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Advertising funds television. No advertisers, no show. So what if they add a few more product placements? They are there already. That won't kill the show; it actually might enhance it.

Cutting the cast would destroy it. The minor characters are really a HUGE part of the show.

Saturday 02 April

By Mad Woman

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

By carl rondeau

I can see a break in the routine might alienate loyal viewers also the greed aspect of the negotiations is such a dirty shame we know the show has gone into product values like dvd's dolls and merch like the brooks brothers vintage styled suit, it's just a shame and weiner is the blood and guts of the script it's as if it was all conceived so intricately in his mind it's a loss on their part if Matt Weiner goes, will Glenn still be played by his kid?

By Mac

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Say it isn't so!

I loves me some Mad Men.

By billscaf

The writers obviously have very limited imaginations. The "seasons" are about 7 shows long!! The need 2 years to thinks of more scripts! Does anyone remember when a television season 20 weeks long?

By mary

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While I'm a huge Mad Men fan, I don't think my attention span will last until 2012...I'm sure I'll be on to another show. Also, the way Jon Hamm and John Slattery's careers have taken off, I'm sure they'll find a way out of their contracts. Mad Men is no more.

By MrsKiwi

You'd be in the minority Mary.

By joe

What kind of product placement? The show is set in the 50's. Tis is 2011. Product placement means having currently available products on display and maybe talked about. What can they possibly show that was available then and has a life now and would fit the motif? I don't get it.

Umm, seriously? Coke, Pepsi, Tide, pretty much any household cleaning product still used today. Or how about Gerber or Life Cereal or Welch's? Mobil or Texaco. Just to name a few.

Just give the man what he wants and BRING BACK THE SHOW! We've waited long enough already!!!!

By Kathy

Mary is not in the minority. Plenty of shows have tanked because the network plays around with when the shows air. People are creatures of habit. They like to know when their favorite show is on and when they disappear for long stretches the viewers lose interest.

By MJ

What???? 2012?? Well that's a first!! Sounds like greed and the recession have hit Mad Men (just like several countries and the NFL). It's one of the best shows on tv...work the problem, people (i.e., Lionsgate).

By MaryAnn

Well, guess what. That will be the end of one of the best series on TV. TV audiences have very short attention spans and are very fickle. Too sad.

By michael

Once The Sopranos left,
there's no point in watching
anything but the news.

By Jenn

2012 is only 9 months away. Watch some of the new shows and be patient. I do agree however that most people have a very short attention span and will probably forget about Mad Men. But I'm sure the network will find a way to keep them in your mind.

By Claudia

I also agree that delaying a show for a longer than the normal hiatus is taking a risk. I got disgusted with the extremely long breaks the Sopranos took and just quit watching. The network and creators/actors are either in or out...on schedule.
Also, after last year, Mad Men needs a good season.
The need to go back to more ensemble work and less of the "Don Show".

By ro

WHY WHY WHY tHEY FINALLY HAVE A GREAT SHOW AND THEY ARE DELAYING IT. iTS BAD ENOUGH ITS ONLY ON FOR A FEW WEEKS IN THE SUMMER BUT NOW HOLDING IT OFF TO 2012. WHAT THE HELLS THE MATTER WITH THEM???? I THINK ITS AWFUL

By RO

WHAT WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE. A GOOD SHOW LIKE THAT AND WHEN IT WAS ON IT WAS ONLY ON FOR A FEW WEEKS - NOW 2012. U MIGHT AS WELL PACK IT IN.

By nekie7

Maybe the next big account is for 8-Track players

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