Vitals
- Products: Mad Men
- Genres: Drama
- Network: AMC
- Cast Members: Christina Hendricks, Elisabeth Moss, January Jones, John Slattery, Jon Hamm, Vincent Kartheiser
- Notable Characters: Don Draper
- Associated Luminaries: Matthew Weiner
The second season finale of Mad Men aired last night to some big ratings for a basic cable program. Its first broadcast brought in 1.75 million, and subsequent airings bumped that up to 2.9. The 1.75 million number is especially impressive when you consider that it's almost 90% more viewers than the first season finale got. Critical acclaim backed up with big Emmy wins no doubt played a big part in the increase, along with series star Jon Hamm's hosting stint on last weekend's Saturday Night Live. And I hear that the finale itself was pretty amazing (I couldn't say for sure -- I'm not one of the 2.9 million ... yet). Despite this, the third season remains a bit up in the air, as none of the cast nor creator Matthew Weiner have contracts. If they're holding out for more money, last night's numbers should work very well in their favor during negotiations. And while Weiner has said he wants to stay with the show, Hamm might decide to go for a movie career no matter how much money he's offered. Will 2.9 million people tune into a Don Draper-less third season? Hopefully, Hamm will re-sign and we won't have to find out.
