AMC reach 'Mad Men' agreement

AMC, Lionsgate, and Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner have reached an agreement on the future of the show. Weiner has signed a deal to stay with the series for season 5 and season 6, with the option to return for season 7, which is likely to be the last. He'll be given $10m per year for his services.

Weiner's bowed to pressure to cut episodes by two-minutes (down to 45-minutes), although premieres and finales can still be the regular 47-minutes long. It's also an option that episodes streamed online, available via iTunes, or on DVD, will include the extra two-minutes that was filmed but never broadcast. A sort of "Mad Men Uncut."

It's not known if Sky Atlantic will broadcast the unabridged versions in the UK, if that's what Weiner decides to do.

The entire cast are signed on for two more seasons, with nobody losing their job to save the network money. The issue of more product placement appears to have been dropped entirely.

Matthew Weiner, writer/creator:

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. I’m excited to get started on the next chapter of our story.

Charlie Collier, President of AMC:

AMC's original programming began with a mission to create bold storytelling of the highest quality, and Mad Men was the perfect expression of that commitment. We've been proud to support this show from the day we read Matt's ground-breaking pilot script and have loved building it with Matt and Lionsgate into the cultural phenomenon it has become. For everyone involved in the show and its passionate fans, we are thrilled to announce that the series will continue on AMC under the exceptional vision of Matt Weiner.

Mad Men will return in 2012 for season 5, possibly March.

READ MORE - AMC reach 'Mad Men' agreement

AMC's 'Mad Men' returning in 2012

AMC have confirmed that Mad Men will return for a fifth season in early-2012. It's believed the delay in production this year has stemmed from AMC's intention to make the series more profitable by:

• Including product placement in episodes.
• Shaving 2-minutes off each episode, for extra advertising.
• Axing two regular characters, to save money.

It's believed that creator Matthew Weiner has been in a standoff with AMC over these proposed changes. It's not yet know if he's been successful in opposing them, or a compromise has been reached with the network. Whatever's happened, Mad Men will return next year -- hopefully with Weiner still attached, despite the fact his contract expired after season 4, so AMC could replace him. But they'd be very foolish to continue making the show without Weiner, as he's written/co-written the vast majority of episodes. Mad Men is entirely Weiner's vision, so I doubt a Weiner-less version would sustain the quality. Kind of like when Aaron Sorkin left The West Wing.

AMC, on plans for the fifth season:

"AMC has officially authorised production of season five 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."

Personally, I don't think AMC's demands are too unreasonable. Mad Men may be a critical darling that wins prestigious awards, but it's never been a ratings winner on either side of the Atlantic. Would fans really care if episode were a few shorter, and some characters (like Harry Crane?) became semi-regular? Probably not. The intention to involve product placement just confuses me, because I thought Mad Men already contained product placement in the ad campaigns its characters tackled...

What do you make of this news? Would you watch Mad Men if Matthew Weiner wasn't the showrunner? If so, do you think it could work? And do you think AMC's demands are justified, or do you agree that Weiner should fight to keep the status quo?

READ MORE - AMC's 'Mad Men' returning in 2012