Mad Men star Jon Hamm recently spoke to the BBC about the end of the hit AMC show, and how the delay in the production of season 5 can't be blamed on one person. Hamm also spoke about his late blossoming career and why this means so much to him.
Matthew Weiner has stated in the past that Mad Men isn't a show that will continue long in to the future and he told The Hollywood Reporter in March this year, that "seven seasons seems like the right length for the life of the show." This is the amount of seasons that Matthew Weiner has signed on to do after those protracted contract negotiations that have led to the delay in filming season 5. Jon Hamm has now echoed his boss in saying that 7 seasons is when Mad Men will finish, saying that "I think it should end. Everything should end. I was a big fan of The Office [UK version] because it ended". One problem can be that when a show is a big success that there is a willingness to let it continue until it runs itself in to the ground (I'm sure we can all think of an example) and it ends up finishing not on a high note but on a low and miserable one. It is with this previous experience of shows going beyond their prime that I am glad to see that Mad Men will not go down this path and will end on the terms of the creative team.
Hamm talks about how the success of the show led to these recent contract negotiations that have meant that season 5 will not air this summer but will now be ready for next spring. He knows that because the show is worth a lot more money now both in the US and globally, that the studio has a larger investment in this product. This is partly what led to these longer negotiations and in true diplomatic fashion he doesn't lay the blame at either the studio or Weiner's feet:
"It was nobody's fault really, it was the network and the studio. When billionaires fight it tends to take a lot longer than when normal people do."
In regards to season 5 Hamm does know is that he will be directing the first episode of season 5, but at the time of the interview he was yet to see a script for the premiere. What he does have though is faith in Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner who's writing process is very organic. Hamm is also very grateful for this late success in his career as an actor which he jokingly refers to himself as being "a million in Hollywood years." This late success is something that he has discussed in the past and how when he was auditioning for roles in his 20s his 'old before his years' look really hampered his chances, when speaking to Elle magazine a couple of years ago he said:
"I came in the Dawson’s Creek era; it was all about tiny guys who looked like teenagers, and I haven’t looked like a teenager ever. So I was, like, auditioning to be their dads. At 25."
Jon Hamm certainly doesn't have to worry about looking too old now and he is humble when it comes to the success that Mad Men has given him, calling himself "a very, very lucky human being." This success has thankfully led to roles on the big screen and you can still catch him in Bridesmaids which has now taken the staggering and brilliant amount of $124 million in the US and remains in the box office top 10. There may not be any Jon Hamm on TV this summer (unless you count those Mad Men DVDs) but at least we have three more seasons worth of Don Draper to look forward to.
Is 7 seasons enough Mad Men for you? Are you a fan of shows setting their own end dates? Let us know in the comments below.
No way it's not enough!! I could watch this show forever. sooooo in love with Don Drapper! Can't get enough!
Well if the rest of the series is going to be as bad as season 4, it should end sooner.