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Mad Men Deal Saves Cast, Kills Minutes

draperholloway0411.jpg While Mad Men may not be returning this year, we can all finally exhale knowing that we'll be reunited with the chainsmoking gang in March of 2012. Last night the show's creator, Matthew Weiner, struck a deal with AMC and Lionsgate for two more seasons, with the option of a third (which sources say is likely). According to the Wall Street Journal, the agreement has Weiner receiving $30 million in compensation for the three years.

In turn, he'll be breaking down to certain network demands, like shaving two minutes off the show to make way for more commercials. Sponsors will also have the right to speak publicly about product integration on the show... something only Don Draper himself could have sold. And in the end, the shaved two minutes will be made available in a “final cut” version via iTunes.

In a statement he released last night, Weiner said, “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.” Turns out he didn't have to budge on cast cuts, the studio allegedly backed off; he told the Post, "The cast decisions are creative decisions, not financial decisions."

So what do Mad Men fans do for their mid-century drama fix while the show is off the air? Maybe Netflix can give it their Instant Watch treatment (Season 4 was just released on DVD—NPR revisited their interview with Jon Hamm in celebration). And there's always the newly optioned Playboy drama coming to NBC later this year.

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Comments [rss]

  • Do Matthew Weiner and AMC not realize that a delay this long, means losing a substantial number of viewers who will lose interest in the show after waiting for more than a year?

  • Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Mad Men, and I'm deeply bummed about the delay...but what is the damn need for an "extended cut" of the show featuring a whopping 2 minutes of footage? Surely the editors can trim a minute of Don Draper looking like he smelled something bad and perhaps another minute of someone hanging up a phone and looking forlornly into the distance - right??

  • JarekAF

    F--- them!

    Seriously!

    I hate it when a popular show, decides to use that popularity, to piss all over their fans. And yes, that's what they're doing by making us wait 18 fricking months between seasons for a show that only has 13 frickin episodes per season. And why the delay? Money. That's it.

    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.”

    Thank us, by making us wait a year and a half. I mean really. They should be punished for this shit.

  • Rich Sommer tweeted that much of this was all an elaborate April Fools ruse to begin with.

  • torchTheMall

    two words

    breaking bad

  • Guest

    mad men, schmad men...just wake me up when Christina Hendricks poses nude.

  • Thank god! I was about to die there...

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