The end of Mad Men is looming closer, and while the fact that one of the best TV shows in history is nearly over is upsetting, the upside is that we’re about to get some really fascinating retrospective pieces in anticipation of the finale. The last 7 episodes of the final season begin airing on AMC April 5th, and right on cue, today a lengthy retrospective profile on the series popped up over at THR.
While the full profile is a fascinating (though too brief) look at the history of the series, an interesting revelation is hidden within. When discussing the long break between seasons four and five, the period during which creator/showrunner Matthew Weiner was up for renegotiation and AMC wanted him to make the episodes shorter and cut his cast by 30%, Lionsgate COO Sandra Stern revealed that AMC also wanted to broach the idea of Mad Men spinoffs:
“When we first started negotiating with AMC, one of the things they wanted was a spinoff. We talked about doing a contemporary one. Given the fact that [Mad Men] ends nearly 50 years ago, most of the characters would be dead. Sally was the one character young enough that you could see her 30 or 40 years later. There was a time we wanted a Peggy spinoff, too, and, a la Better Call Saul, a minor character going off to L.A. Matt wasn't comfortable committing to a spinoff.”
While obviously these two spinoff series never came to be, in the wake of the success of Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul—and given AMC’s somewhat desperate programming moves as of late—one has to wonder if they might revisit this idea in the near future, once Mad Men ends.
With both Breaking Bad and Mad Men off the air, it’s no secret that AMC has lost its two flagship prestige series. They still have the incredibly popular (and lucrative) The Walking Dead, but a network can’t survive with just one hit show. All of their attempts to recreate the prestige success of Mad Men and Breaking Bad have failed (remember Low Winter Sun? Anyone?), and while new dramas Halt and Catch Fire and Turn have their fans, they’re nowhere near the level of quality as AMC’s first two dramas. Tellingly, though, the network ordered second seasons of both shows, partly because they didn't have anything else in the drama pipeline that could fill up the schedule if they were to be canceled.
Better Call Saul has been both a ratings and critical success and AMC has The Walking Dead spinoff debuting this summer, so I’ll be curious to see if the network also tries to extend the Mad Men brand with a Peggy or Sally spinoff. I think a Sally spinoff makes more sense, but rather than move her into a contemporary setting, I’d personally love to see Kiernan Shipka continue on with the character as we follow her into the 1970s and 80s, separating from her parents but still living with the damage of having someone like Don Draper as her father. Of course this all likely depends on Weiner’s feelings about a Mad Men spinoff, and since he’s been rightfully protective of Mad Men throughout its run, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him remain opposed to any sort of spinoff series.
For now, we’ve got the last 7 episodes of this brilliant, groundbreaking drama to look forward to, and that’s something to celebrate. But what do you think about the idea of Mad Men spinoffs, readers? Would you tune in for the continued adventures of Sally or Peggy, or are the characters better off left alone once Mad Men ends? Sound off in the comments below.
