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Mad Men 5 delayed

Mad Men fans look set for a long wait for the fifth season of the acclaimed drama.

Mad Men fans look set for a long wait for the fifth season of the acclaimed drama.

Production would normally start around this time for the next season but cable network AMC has not announced a new deal with the studio that makes the show, Lionsgate, nor has that studio announced a new deal with creator Matthew Weiner.

Weiner has said he wants the show to continue, and AMC has pledged that it will definitely return, so the delay is largely due to a disagreement about money.

Weiner told Entertainment Weekly in January, apparently referring to AMC and Lionsgate, “They are fighting over a very lucrative property, and who is going to pay for it to get made; it’s one of the biggest perils of success — everyone wants a piece of it now, and they are fighting over who is gonna get the biggest chunk.”

It is understood that AMC has the rights to Mad Men through Season 5 but that it wants to renew the show through at least Season 6.

Weiner, whose contract ended after Season 4, has previously said 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.”

Actor John Slattery has said in interviews that Lionsgate has green-lighted the contracts of the cast for another season. But first scripts need to be written, and there is no indication that writing is under way.

AMC and Lionsgate each declined to answer specific questions about the situation to the New York Times.

AMC may also not have room on its schedule for Mad Men until the end of 2011 or early 2012, given that it currently schedules original shows only on Sunday nights.

Source: NY Times

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