This is crazy. AMC needs to step up to the plate for a hit show like this. The advertising has been very poor and I know they have had to cut corners to make this an authentic show like making the train sequence in a room instead of a train and cutting budgets to show us the finest looking/acted/written/costumed/make-upped/best lit/best crewed show there is and finest on regular tv. I go back to regular tv and "Gossip Girl" gets lots of donated dresses and their sets are great. Their advertising is awesome. What's the difference there?? I can't beleive this. This is Weiner's baby.
S**T!

Everybody has to send a email to AMC and tell them to suck it up and just pay Weiner the money - he's totally worth it! Scroll down to the bottom of this page and go to Contact AMC.

"We don't REALLY know what's going on, you know that."

....Yeah.....

NO. No disrespect to Mr. Sorkin, but NO NO NO.

This sounds like a bad deal from the beginning - one with fewer future options because of the circumstances.

I can't help but feel that, if AMC had done more agressive "hype" advertising about this series from the beginning, the viewership shortage, and the accompanying diminished advertising dollars by which to pay Matt and his crew, would not be such an issue.

Is that not how it works?

I have no interest in seeing this project through anyone else's eyes except Matt Weiner and his team. This is his "child," and no one else can "raise" it.

I am sure I am not alone.

MW asking for 10mm then Lionsgate looking around for a replacement.....sounds like negotiating stances to me.

AMC and MW need each other. AMC now has the respect of Hollywood and the attention of critics. MW has the recognition that he has craved. Where would they be without each other ? MM is Weiner's baby.

Don't worry the deal will get done.

Everybody take a deep breath:

Is Matthew Weiner Being Replaced?
10/29/08 at 9:45 AM

Probably not! Last night, Vulture buddy Nikki Finke ran a post claiming that during negotiations for Mad Men's upcoming third season, Lionsgate was blindsided by creator Matthew Weiner's asking price ($10 million a year), so they called around, inquiring about the availability of other big-name showrunners (Aaron Sorkin's name allegedly came up) that could possibly serve as his replacement. Since Nikki Finke is generally correct about all things, we don't doubt that these phone calls took place. But shortly after Finke's item went live, Defamer rebutted the whole thing citing "an insider" who claims Lionsgate is totally not looking to replace Weiner. Then, not much later, Defamer removed the post (Update: It's back up!), which we've managed to preserve through the magic of RSS technology. See it after the jump! [not included - AA]

A rumor that Lionsgate is approaching various agencies in search of a Mad Men showrunner to replace a too-rich-for-their-blood Matthew Weiner was shot down by an insider, who told Defamer the negotiations had just begun, and that while he asked high, they were absolutely "not looking to replace him. He IS the show." Fret not, Mad Men fans still in mourning over the end of Season 2 and sweating the fate of Season 3: the studio is confident the deal will close before Christmas. (And without the celebrity dancing competition Jon Hamm promised in his SNL monologue.)

Did they get bad info? Or did their source freak out and demand the item pulled? And, most important, would Lionsgate and AMC really put their Emmy-winning BEST SHOW EVER at risk by turning the fate of Don Draper over to some other random dude? We don't know, we don't know, and we doubt it. Surely Matthew Weiner will be back for another season — he's as big a part of Mad Men as the photocopier!

"You get what you pay for!"

Matt Weiner has clearly showed that he and his staff are the best that money can buy. They delivered on a limited budget. He and his staff deserve to get more. They will be able to deliver an even better product with support.

I also like that Weiner will have control over ads and promotion. If AMC wants to play with the big boys (for which they totally show potential to do), they need to stay with the right people and give them support.

Look at networks like NBC that are trying to just put anybody in a series and have them phone in a performance over a carcass of a show (like ER), as well as rehash concepts from the 80s like Knight Rider. Nobody wants to watch that garbage! Advertisers certainly don't want to pay for that kind of time either.

AMC/ Lion's Gate, pay Weiner and his staff the right money and you will be rewarded in the long run. You will attract other top-line talent and eventually the advertisers will recognize that you're where it's at.

One of the best ad campaigns I have ever seen was one done for Bell Helmets (back in the 70's, all they made were motorcycle helmets). No pictures just the Bell logo in the lower right hand corner on a black background with bold white letters, it said "Got a $10 head? Buy a $10 helmet."

Step up AMC and do what's right. Sometimes you do get what you pay for.

No, you are not alone, Dry. Weiner is the soul of the show and there's no replacement for that.

I googled some viewer numbers and they're not very good (though the season finale had 1.75 million viewers which is way above the usual). They moved AMC out of basic cable here to the higher-priced digital tier-people watch that network junk instead because it's free. AMC viewers are probably still expecting only old movies. The time slot isn't best for Monday early risers. They don't advertise the show enough. They should repeat episodes more during the hiatus to create interest.

What can we do besides letting AMC know we're here and we want Weiner? Let their advertisers know we're here? I feel like Weiner will return but how long will the show go on without more viewers?