After nearly two years off the air, Mad Men starts up again on Sunday. Can’t wait.

Obviously, I’ve been bitching a lot about the new season of Game of Thrones because I can’t watch it (legally) for a year since I don’t have cable. But the same isn’t true of Mad Men — I already bought the season pass through iTunes. I have to wait a day longer than those with cable (well, technically until midnight most of the time), but I’m fine with that.

Amazon also emailed this morning to say they have a season pass option for the new season of Mad Men through Amazon Instant Video. Also cool. One problem: I can’t for the life of me find a price anywhere. And there are about 17 possible buttons to click. This entire design really needs to be re-thought. 

Anyway, good on AMC for giving me options to give them money for their great content.

Title says it all.

Appropriate since it will have been an astounding 525 days since the season 4 finale. 

Oh and Don Draper himself, Jon Hamm, directs the first episode.

I can’t fully argue this because I’ve only seen a handful of episodes of The Sopranos — shocking, I know. But I do agree with the basic premise that Sopranos, Mad Men, The Wire, and Breaking Bad are the four shows that most consider to be the “four horsemen” of this generation of television.

Removing The Sopranos for now, I’d personally rank them:

1) Mad Men

2) The Wire

3) Breaking Bad

I’d argue that Mad Men has seen a small amount of backlash in this discussion because it is the most mainstream-friendly of the shows. As Klosterman notes, it’s the only one what doesn’t regularly feature threats of death and/or violence. This may make it seem “soft”, though I’d argue that the subtlety in many episodes outweighs this. But, as the word implies, most overlook it. 

Also worth noting that Klosterman has argued that Lost is the best show on television before, but he rules it out here because it’s a network show, so in a different category. The others in this category that I think you could make an argument for are Deadwood and the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica (the re-imagined SciFi version, obviously). 

All four seasons. Season 5 starts in early 2012.

You’re welcome.

[via Webomatica]

Jon Hamm has finalized a three-year deal with Lionsgate/AMC to ensure he’ll be back for the fifth, six, and seventh seasons of Mad Men.

No word on if his “Honeybaked” nickname was brought up in negotiations. 

Well, it won’t be back until 2012 — but it will be back. And for at least two more seasons, and very likely three more. 

Not surprisingly, AMC/Lionsgate caved. 

Apparently season five has been pushed to early 2012 (at the earliest) because AMC and Lionsgate are arguing with Weiner over cost-cutting measures. Specifically, they’re said to want each episode to be two minutes shorter (so they can run more ads) and they want to eliminate two regular cast members to save costs.

Such bullshit.

Sure, maybe this is Weiner leaking stuff to the press to get support for his side, but it doesn’t matter — if that’s what AMC wants, it’s bullshit. The show is a cash cow for them and has taken the network from nothing into a player.

I’m wondering if it would be worth it from a monetary perspective for Netflix to put up the money to back the show? I bet it would.

In reality, AMC and Lionsgate would never let that happen. But still. If they’re being cheap bastards, they don’t deserve it.