Memories of the Golden Smile: AMC Renews "Mad Men" for Fourth Season
Pour yourself a scotch; there's some good news for the gang at Sterling Cooper.Cabler AMC has announced this morning that it has renewed period drama Mad Men for a fourth season. The series, created by Matthew Weiner, is currently nominated for no less than sixteen Emmy Awards.
The news doesn't come as a surprise as the third season of Mad Men, which launched three weeks ago, scored a record 4.5 million viewers overall, so a fourth season renewal was seen as pretty much a dead cert.
"We always saw the potential for Mad Men, and believed in and supported the series because of our strategy of developing cinematic television that complements our library of the most entertaining movies, from every genre, on television," said AMC president/general manager Charlie Collier in a statement. "It’s been extremely gratifying to see the show develop in to such a pop-cultural phenomenon with such a passionate fan base. With this early fourth season renewal, we’re excited to let our audience know the captivating world of Sterling Cooper will be back on AMC again next year."
The full press release from AMC, announcing the renewal, can be found below.
FOR A FOURTH SEASON
New York, NY – September 1, 2009 – AMC announced today it has renewed “Mad Men” for a fourth season. The news comes on the heels of the premiere of the series’ third season, which debuted Sunday, August 16 to unprecedented critical acclaim and attention, and garnered a record 4.5 million viewers. The series has also recently received 16 Emmy nominations – the most for any drama series – including Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama (Jon Hamm), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama (John Slattery), and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama (Elisabeth Moss). Creator, writer and executive producer Matthew Weiner has received four out of the five nominations in the Outstanding Writing for a Drama series category. Lionsgate, the leading next generation studio, produces the series in association with AMC.
“We always saw the potential for ‘Mad Men’, and believed in and supported the series because of our strategy of developing cinematic television that complements our library of the most entertaining movies, from every genre, on television. It’s been extremely gratifying to see the show develop in to such a pop-cultural phenomenon with such a passionate fan base,” said Charlie Collier, president and general manager of AMC. “With this early fourth season renewal, we’re excited to let our audience know the captivating world of Sterling Cooper will be back on AMC again next year.”
Last season, over 30 million viewers watched ‘Mad Men’ on-air, on video-on-demand as well as on iTunes. The series continues to deliver the strongest concentration of upscale adults 25-54, more than any other original drama series on basic cable. “Mad Men” has consistently ranked at the top of the iTunes TV charts, and now in its third season it continues to hold the number one spot with its premiere episode.
“’Mad Men’ continues to surpass all expectations with each new season and the series has become a signature show for Lionsgate around the world,” said Kevin Beggs, Lionsgate’s president of television programming and production. “We’re gratified by this early fourth season pick-up and salute the brilliant work of Matt Weiner, the cast, the entire creative team and our partners at AMC, who share our commitment to bringing viewers distinctive original programming of the highest quality.”
“Mad Men” burst onto the scene when it debuted on AMC in July 2007 and quickly became one of the most talked about series on television. Set in 1960s New York, “Mad Men” is a sexy and provocative original drama that follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising. The series has made history as the first basic cable series ever to win the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, and back-to-back Golden Globes® for Best Television Series – Drama. The award-winning ensemble includes: Golden Globe-winner Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, and John Slattery and guest stars legendary stage and screen actor Robert Morse.