Mad Men Invades Your Closet

Willa Paskin argues that we learn to accept our TV family, flaws and all

(NEWSER) - Mad Men is one of TV's best shows, even though January Jones isn't a very good actress. Stana Katic is roughly as bad as the romantic lead on Castle, yet that show's fine, too. "Television is very kind to bad actors," observes Willa Paskin of Salon . "My point here is not to rag on Jones and Katic, so much as marvel at how little their failings have mattered to the shows they work on." Whereas movie actors must dazzle us in two hours, TV stars are in our homes every week—and that's lucky for the mediocre ones. More»

Critics just happy Don Draper is back

(NEWSER) - Critics eager for the return of Mad Men weren't blown away by the first episode of the fifth season—but that doesn't mean the show has lost its magic. What they're saying:

• "I'm glad to have Mad Men back, but 'A Little Kiss' was not a great episode," writes James Poniewozik in Time . "There were moments that seemed tonally off" and "almost sitcom-like," but it's forgivable: With this show, return episodes "take their time and do a lot of table-setting."

Creator Matthew Weiner signs contract for 3 more seasons

(NEWSER) - Mad Men will be back with creator Matthew Weiner at the helm for two more seasons and possibly a third. After tough negotiations, Weiner has signed a deal with AMC and Lionsgate believed to be worth around $30 million, reports the New York Times . The cable hit's fifth season will begin in early 2012. The deal ensures a sixth season and has an option for a seventh, which Weiner says he expects will be the last. "That’s how long the show is," he says. "I'm just thrilled I get to finish it." More»

Negotiations with Matthew Weiner force delay

(NEWSER) - Shut the door and have a seat, Mad Men fans, because we’ve got some bad news: Thanks to tense negotiations between AMC and show creator Matthew Weiner, Season 5 will be pushed back from this summer to early 2012. AMC today announced that it had exercised its option with series producer Lionsgate to officially greenlight a new season, but that it would be delayed by “key non-cast negotiations.” More»

In some ways, you're more oppressed today

(NEWSER) - Modern women may watch Mad Men and laugh at the cinched waists, gloved arms, and missile-like bras, no doubt relieved they got a pass on the seemingly oppressive fashion era. Hold that thought, writes Meghan Daum. "For all the ways those clothes remind us how far women have come, they also shed light on how fast we hit another wall, one that may be even more constricting than everyday girdles and pointy bras," she writes at the Los Angeles Times . More»