Don’t expect to see a new season of Mad Men on AMC this summer.
Lionsgate and “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner may be close to a new deal, but it won’t be soon enough to get the Emmy-winning show back on the schedule for its traditional summer premiere.
“Mad Men” usually begins shooting in late April or early May. And while sources say Weiner is close to a lucrative new pact with Lionsgate, they will need at least several weeks to ramp up.
Two years ago, when Weiner’s negotiations with Lionsgate dragged into January, “Mad Men” did not bow until August.
In announcing a fifth season pickup for “Mad Men” at last January’s Television Critics Association press tour, Joel Stillerman, AMC’s senior vice president of original programing said: “‘Mad Men’ is definitely coming back for Season 5, but don’t ask me when, because we’re not sure yet.”
