After an extended hiatus, everyone’s favorite philanderer, Don Draper (John Hamm) will be back on the air as AMC’s hit show Mad Men returns with a 2-hour season premier on March 25.
The show has been off the air for an extended period of time due to creative differences between creator Matthew Weiner, AMC and Lionsgate.
AMC wanted to integrate product placement into the series, cut 2 minutes per episode to run more commercials and eliminate two regular cast members to cut down on budget – all of which Weiner objected to.
AMC has been teasing fans with promo videos for the show’s top two stars, Don Draper and Roger Sterling.
The two-hour premiere also marks a directorial debut for Hamm, who followed in the footsteps of co-star John Slattery (Roger Sterling).
While some fans have expressed concern that the two-hour premiere would view simply as two back-to-back episodes, Weiner told The Hollywood Reporter, “I don’t think anyone’s going to think it’s two episodes spliced together. There is a story that starts in the middle of it . . . it’s one story. The beginning and the end are related to each other,”
So what can we expect this season?
Weiner wouldn’t to comment on how the relationship between Draper and his fiancé will work out, but hinted that there might not be much of one.
“He never wears a wedding ring,” teased Weiner.
Draper might also develop an interesting relationship with Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks).
“The Don/Joan dynamic is something that we do explore, and don’t take this the wrong way, but we do explore as the show goes on,” said Hamm “They have worked together for a long time, they know one another very well and I’ll leave it at that.”
So what will really happen this season? Watch the two-hour Season 5 premiere of “Mad Men” on AMC on March 25 at 10 p.m. EST.
