Screen Junkies » Matthew Weiner

Watch Matthew Weiner Go On And On For Like Six Hours

Joseph Gibson — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:38:41 +0000

The Archive of American Television is not messing around. They’ve released a 6-hour interview with Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner, in which he goes into great detail about the show, his life, his philosophy on art, etc. I’m guessing he also has time to talk about whether he’s a boxers or a briefs man, who killed JFK, abortion, and which of the Herculoids are his favorites.

Anyway, I did watch a couple random bits of this, and it does seem kind of interesting. Maybe if I ever have a couple weeks free I’ll watch the whole thing. The video here is just the first hour, and you can watch the rest here. There’s some interesting stuff about the development of “Mad Men,” like the hilarious revelation that January Jones (who plays Don Draper’s wife Betty) auditioned for the role of Peggy. If you’ve never seen “Mad Men,” trust me, that’s interesting.

‘Mad Men’ Creator On Board For Fifth, Sixth, And Possibly Seventh Season

Penn Collins — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:59:34 +0000

Well, it appears that creator Matthew Weiner isn’t going anywhere for the next two to three years. AMC and Lionsgate have just announced that they have locked him down for seasons five and six (and possibly seven). Sooooo, we’ll be watching”Mad Men” until the characters are driving DeLoreans and listening to “Safety Dance.” Yay!

This news comes off the heels of the announcement this morning that Lionsgate signed Tyler Perry up for two more Madea movies, which puts Lionsgate’s net goodwill accumulation today at “breakeven” or “slightly down.”

While it was granted that Mad Men would resume production in 2011 for airing in 2012, Weiner’s involvement was unknown as he was rumored to have objected to some of AMC’s stipulations, including one more commercial break per episode, the elimination of some recurring characters, and product placement. It’s unknown how those issues shook out, but knowing how well Hollywood keeps a secret, we should have that information in the next 15-20 minutes.

AMC Officially OKs Fifth Season Of ‘Mad Men’

Joseph Gibson — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:15:14 +0000

Negotiations have been tense between cable channel AMC and television super-genius Matt Weiner, creator of”Mad Men,” over the show’s fifth season. So tense, in fact, that some were speculating that we wouldn’t even get to see the fifth season at all, which would have had “Mad Men” going down in history as having one of the all-time least satisfying conclusions in TV history. Here’s the full statement from the American MadMen Channel:

“AMC has officially authorized production of season 5 of Mad Men, triggering our option with Lionsgate. 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.”

While this is good news for fans, it seems like the previously reported issues Weiner had during negotiations – AMC wants to cut 2 minutes from each episode, devote more time to product placement, and let go of two cast members – have not been resolved. They could kill two of those birds with one stone if they made the Maytag repairman a regular character. Ideas! They’re in the air! (via Deadline)

UPDATED: AMC Wants To See Less Of Their Hit Show ‘Mad Men’

Wookie Johnson — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 12:31:46 +0000

UPDATE: AMC has picked up a 5th season of the show.

We were this close to a fifth season of”Mad Men,” but now the negotiations have hit a wall. Though he’s poised to rake in $30 million over the next two seasons, show creator Matthew Weiner isn’t happy with the terms set by AMC. Nor should he be.

The cable channel wants to increase product placement (ugh), trim the run-time of episodes (ugh again), and get rid of two cast members (AW HELL NAH). I know. That’s shocking news. How would Don Draper react?

An insider says, “This is their storied franchise, and they want it shorter and cheaper, with fewer actors and more product integration. The negotiations are about to collapse as a result.” Though reps say that the talks between the camps are continuing, it’s doubtful that the fifth season will be picked up in time for AMC’s April upfronts. Though the network will likely cave, it’s probably a pretty scary time to be the actor who plays Little Bobby. (Deadline)

Fifth Season Of ‘Mad Men’ Still Not Guaranteed

Joseph Gibson — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:18:56 +0000

“Mad Men” has been a favorite of both critics and viewers of quality television for four solid seasons. And up to now, it’s been all but assumed that we’d be seeing at least a fifth season that could also serve as a “final season,” wrapping up all of the show’s disparate plotlines and thematic elements in a way that would surely satisfy all the fans of the show (except the ones on the internet). But now, show creator Matthew Weiner is telling Entertainment Weekly that he hasn’t begun working on the show’s fifth season while contract negotiations between AMC, the home of “Mad Men,” and Lionsgate, the production company take place. It looks like Weiner wants to continue working on the show, but is having to wait while financial issues between all the parties involved get worked out. Here’s Weiner on his vision for the show:

“I have every intention of making the show when they decide to work out their business with Lionsgate. I can’t wait to come back to work. I have said over and over in public that I want the show to go on and on and on until it has worn out its welcome with viewers and we can’t think of anything more for the characters to do.”

Weiner then took a contemplative sip of his Old Fashioned, stared off into the distance with a mixture of regret and longing, and sexually harassed his secretary.