Thursday, March 31, 2011

Mad Men: Best show on planet signs on for at least 2 more seasons

The creator of Mad Men, Matthew Weiner, has signed a long-term deal with AMC and Lionsgate for 2 more seasons, and an option for a third. However, fans of the best television show on the planet are unlikely to see a new show before early 2012.

“I want to thank all of our wonderful fans for their support.” said Weiner in a press release. “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.”

The deal was said to be worth $30 million, one of the biggest payouts of its kind in television history. The future of the show was in doubt when the fourth season ended and Weiner’s contract expired. Weiner said that AMC was insisting on cuts to the cast and length of each episode in favor of more ad time. Under the new deal, shorter episodes are possible, although the first and last episodes of each season will remain 47 minutes.

In case you're counting, “Mad Men” has made television history as the only cable series to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama and the Golden Globe for Best Television Series-Drama for three consecutive years.

If there's a better show on television, I don't know what it is.

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