Yes, NYC, we'd all love 39 episodes (or even 29) but Mad Men has always gone for quality over quantity, unfortunately for us Maddicts.

We'll take what we can get (esp. since we have no choice!)....but, oooohhhh the wait between seasons is so excrutiating......sigh

13 episodes is the (only???) way to insure quality? I think NOT!

Seinfeld, MASH, Friends, and the like, all did 22-episodes per year, and maintained a quality and show integrity for at least the first 6 seasons.

No...... the 13 episodes is more a reflection on AMC playing it cheap. All the awards, and still, only about 2,000,000 viewers....

You're complaining about this NOW . . . when the 3rd season had just ended? All three seasons have contained 13 episodes. This is normal for cable television. Where have you been?

It's true that 13 does leave us wanting, but it's also true that many other quality cable shows run short. True Blood is a pretty short season as well. *Sigh*

Gunsmoke are you serious. This show ended in like 1975, Mad Men started in 2007. What you haven’t watched TV in 32 years. Every high quality cable show on these days last far less 39 episodes. Most last less than 20 anymore, do I need to name them or can you look the line ups of AMC, Showtime, HBO, Fox, FX and on and on.
Oh and if you can’t remember from year to year, there’s the DVDs, wikipedia, Youtube, marathons, and oh yeah amctv.com.

Anthonasio -
Seinfeld, MASH, Friends, were all half-hour sitcoms. 22 episodes, makes 11 hours in a year against Mad Men's 13.

Twenty-two minutes per episode, makes forty-four per hour vs. Mad Men's forty-six and Mad Men is far more tightly scripted than any of the above sitcoms.

Way back in the mists of time most programs ran 30 minutes (minus commercials, closer to 20) and shows were created with 39 weeks of episodes that ran from September through June with 13 weeks of summer shows, sometimes "re-runs" other times variety specials, movie fill-ins, or short series.

Gradually, due to increasing cost and decreasing attention spans, shows were optioned for 26 weeks, or maybe 20. Networks were less anxious to invest millions in a concept that worked great on paper but flopped on air. The occasional special mini-series which might run several nights a week turned up in place of hour-long dramas. My favorite variation was the "wheel" invented, I think, by NBC (?) for their mystery series (MacMillan and Wife, Colombo, and McCloud).

13 episodes is very nearly standard these days. Some series have been signed for as few as 6 episodes (limited series.) It all comes down to $$$.

Yep, AA, I remember that guy walking toward the camera with his flashlight and we'd always hope it was Columbo....I just watched that opening over on YouTube...the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie opening theme....makes me think back and remember watching it and being glad my Monday morning homework was done....

I remember those old "summer replacement" shows, too! I think Sonny & Cher's show was one, also Glen Campbell's Goodtime Hour (or some such title) and also, weren't Hee Haw (oh gawd, the "Gloom Despair and Agony on Me" song!) and the original Prisoner series and even The Avengers all summer replacement shows?

Sometimes the replacements were a lot better than the "main" shows!

Gunsmoke are you serious. This show ended in like 1975, Mad Men started in 2007. What you haven’t watched TV in 32 years

Yes. I agree. I love the show but felt ripped off that there were only 13 episodes. I hope the writers care enough about their viewers than to do this again next season. I looked forward to the beginning of this series all year and then it was over just when the characters started getting interesting. I heard Matthew Weiner say that he never expected for the series to go this long-- so maybe he has no more ideas.
Please make the season longer next year!

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