March 29, 2011

AMC is exercising its option with Lionsgate TV and officially proceeding with a fifth season of Mad Men. This despite not yet having a deal in place with show Creator and Executive Producer Matthew Weiner.

Because of the lengthy ongoing negotiation process, the premiere of Mad Men Season 5 has been pushed back to early 2012. Apparently there have been some stumbling blocks in the discussions with Weiner stemming from disagreements related to product placement in the series, shortening its runtime by two minutes, and cutting back on the cast to save money.

When the dust eventually settles, Matthew Weiner will likely become basic cable's highest paid showrunner ever - earning close to $30 million over a period of two years.

(Source: Deadline)