Staff Writer
Fans of Mad Men can either gripe or rejoice over the decision made by AMC to split the seventh and final season of the show into two seven-episode parts, to be spanned over the next two years. It means a year of waiting as the first half of the season, to be named ‘The Beginning’, will air in spring 2014 with the second half, to be called ‘The End of an Era’, airing in spring 2015.
While fans will be getting that extra episode for the final season, the decision to split the season in two and spread it out over two years can be a tad frustrating for the more impatient viewer. For whom the move may seem like a very commercially inclined one. Especially when networks like Netflix have entire seasons of shows released at once to be watched at the audiences’ leisure.
Of course AMC President, Charlie Collier, has defended the move referring to other network successes. “This approach has worked well for many programs across multiple networks, and, most recently for us with Breaking Bad which attracted nearly double the number of viewers to its second-half premiere than had watched any previous episode,” stating the AMC’s determination to bring Mad Men a similar showcase.
HBO’s mega shows Sex in the City and The Sopranos both profited from the splitting final seasons in two, Sex and the City’s final season consisting of 20 episodes split over years 2003-2004 and The Sopranos’ sixth season of 21 episodes, with 12 in 2006 and nine in 2007. Following AMC’s recent success with Breaking Bad’s final season, no doubt Mad Men will follow suit. This is an interesting idea especially for a show with a plotline so multifaceted and character-rich. There is no doubt fans will tune in to catch Don’s final unraveling, Peggy’s continued growth, and Stirling Cooper & Partners’ continued success.
The show has been critically killing it since its inception in 2007, series creator and showrunner, Matthew Weiner, has expressed his excitement over the way Mad Men’s final season will benefit creatively from the split. “We plan to take advantage of this chance to have a more elaborate story told in two parts, which can resonate a little bit longer in the minds of our audience,” Weiner explained, stating that the season will be better for it in terms of the overarching plot. As someone who’s been patiently waiting for Donald Draper’s past to finally catch up to him, I for one can’t wait.
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