As an early Christmas present to loyal TV Squad Podcast listeners, we will be having Rich Sommer on to talk about the fantastic third season of Mad Men. Sommer plays media analyst Harry Crane, and at the end of season three, he somehow managed to get his character in a very good place.
But you never know what's in Matthew Weiner's head for season four: Will we advance in time? Will everyone be working where they did at the end of season three? Who's coming back? Who isn't?
We'll have some fun with Rich as we make our guesses about it (he likely doesn't know any more than we do), and we'll talk to him about some of his other roles (like when he almost broke up Pam and Jim on The Office a couple of years ago).
Have questions for Rich, about Mad Men or anything else? Leave them in the comments and we'll relay them to Sommer during the podcast. We'll even give you credit for any question we use. So, ask away below. Any question we get in before we record the podcast on Tuesday at around 2 PM ET will be eligible.
You've read Allison's review and Joel's take on the Mad Men season finale, and I'd just like to add that I think it was the best episode of any TV series I've seen in years. Brilliant, dramatic, funny, even exhilarating. Here's a behind the scenes look at the episode, including interviews with Matthew Weiner and the cast.
That was some Mad Men finale, wasn't it? If you haven't seen it yet, please stop reading now, because there was just too much going on for me not to just launch into some discussion.
OK, I'll wait until after the jump to really get into things. But, suffice to say, the end of season three left some characters going down a pretty well-determined path, but others have entered a sort of limbo state, where we don't quite know what their roles will be in season four.
One of the things I love (out of many, many things) about Mad Men is the advertising, business, and social history that serves as a background to much of what goes on in the lives of the characters on the show. For example, Conrad Hilton has been a character on the show this season, hiring Don and Sterling Cooper as an ad agency. I assumed that Matt Weiner and his writers approached the Hilton family and/or the Hilton chain about using him on the show. But that's not what happened.
I continue to be amazed by Mad Men. I don't mean the overall quality of the writing, the acting, the direction, the production. It's easy to be amazed by all that. I'm talking about where Matthew Weiner and his writing staff are taking us.
I think we can all agree that, beyond the bigger picture of how the 1960s changed America, the big story on the show has been "Who is Don Draper?" It's the big secret that he's been keeping since episode one and it has really been the driving force of the show. But last night Weiner and Co. blew the show wide open by having Betty confront Don about the box in the drawer. And when she did, Don actually told the truth! And this wasn't even the season finale!
Week two of the revival of TV Squad's APB podcast has arrived! In this episode, Bob Sassone and Danny Gallagher join me to talk about TV's doings this week:
The cancellation of Southland and the role of The Jay Leno Show in that cancellation,
Are you shocked? Apparently, the industry press is. Gordon had risen from personal assistant to writer's assistant to member of the writing staff. After the Emmy, you would think that she was in like Flynn.
However, something must have gone awry or why has she been given her walking papers? And if you think it's not a dismissal, listen to this announcement from the show:
It's hard to say that a show that's already won a small U-Haul's worth of Emmys and other awards can be having a breakout season, but that seems to be what's happening with Mad Men during its third season. The buzz around the show has been as loud as we've heard since The Sopranos went to black, and that's not a coincidence; the man who created the early-1960s world of Sterling Cooper, Matt Weiner, was a writer on the landmark HBO drama.
Weiner just completed shooting season three, and he took time out of his post-production process to sit down with me on Monday and talk about how the season has been going so far. I tried to get him to talk about what seems to be the show's inevitable roll towards the cataclysmic event of 1963, the Kennedy assassination, but Weiner was tight-lipped as usual. However, his observations on how he approaches events like that is an interesting read. Oh, and we also touch upon how he came up with the idea to run over a British ad exec's foot with a lawn mower, which is a good story by itself...
This should come as no surprise to even the most casual of TV Squad readers. Mad Men has been picked up for a fourth season, assuring that Matthew Weiner's engrossing and demanding tale of Don Draper and the people at Sterling Cooper will be played out for at least another year.
When a show like Mad Men comes along, not unlike The Sopranos in quality and pop culture appeal, the question usually isn't whether the network will stand behind it for the duration, but whether or not the creative team envisions a long run.
Earlier today, Joel gave you an early look at season three of Mad Men. We're not sure what exactly to expect from the new season, but we know what happened in season two. If you haven't seen season two for some reason, or just need a quick refresher before Sunday's season premiere, here's a recap of the entire season in four minutes.
When I was in LA a couple of weeks ago, I was among a number of critics who were able to get a look at the first episode of Mad Men's third season, and I have to tell you, I liked it a lot.
Here's the problem: What do I say about it?
In the various conversations the other critics and I had with Matt Weiner, Jon Hamm and the rest of the cast during the TCAs, we were very politely asked not to reveal anything about the show, especially when it comes to when the first episode takes place. Remember that there was a two-year jump between seasons one and two, and I guess Weiner wants to keep the timeframe a secret this time around.
"You're going to get to see stuff before the audience does," said Weiner about me and my fellow critics. "Let them have the same experience you had."
Fair enough. But without the timeframe and a couple of other tidbits, it's tough to talk much about season three. But I'm gonna try. If I spoil anything, it'll be after the jump.
AMC is starting to post more and more videos at their Mad Men site in anticipation of this Sunday's third season premiere. Below are two videos from the Mad Men premiere party that was held recently.
I like the life lesson that Alison Brie (Trudy Campbell) thinks the Sesame StreetMad Men parody will try to instill in kids.
For all you Sterling-Cooper fanatics that missed this one, you better hurry because there's only one week left.
Beginning back on July 21st, Banana Republic gave entry codes for the chance to win a Mad Men walk-on role. The catch? Well, first you have to actually go to a Banana Republic store to get one of the codes (can't get 'em online) and then you have to play dress-up -- as in, throw on the most Mad Men-ish clothes you got and snap some photos. Then submit the photos along with your code and wait patiently. Part of the contest is judged by the public, but Matthew Weiner makes the ultimate decision based on the semi-finalists.
Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner hates spoilers and is really careful about not giving too much away, so I don't know if we really find out anything from this interview at GQ.
He does say that Don and Roger have issues to work out because Don feels betrayed, and he says that time has passed on the show but won't say how much time (I have to disagree with GQ when they guess two years, at least according to this). He also talks about fighting AMC over cutting two minutes of the show.
After the jump, a bonus video: Jon Hamm and John Slattery answer questions from fans.
As an early Christmas present to loyal TV Squad Podcast listeners, we will be having Rich Sommer on to talk about the fantastic third season of Mad Men. Sommer plays media analyst Harry Crane, and at the end of season three, he somehow managed to get his character in a very good place. 
Week two of the revival of TV Squad's APB podcast has arrived! In this episode, 
Last month, 
It's hard to say that a show that's already won a small U-Haul's worth of Emmys and other awards can be having a breakout season, but that seems to be what's happening with 
This should come as no surprise to even the most casual of TV Squad readers. 
Hey, did you hear Mad Men's third season debuts tonight at 10 on AMC? Actually, when the show is this good, I don't mind the hype.
For all you Sterling-Cooper fanatics that missed this one, you better hurry because there's only one week left.
Have any questions for Rich Sommer of Mad Men? Ask them here!
Syfy's Alice -- An early look
The TV Squad Podcast: Surprising shows, decade-end lists, and the Commenter of the Week!
