All of AMC's non-AMC Networks --@BBCAMERICA, @SundanceTV, @IFC, @WEtv-- will go dark during the #MadMenFinale Sunday (1/2)
— Joe Adalian (@TVMoJoe) May 12, 2015Instead, those nets will air a message paying "homage" to Mad Men. (2/2)
— Joe Adalian (@TVMoJoe) May 12, 2015
WTF? So stupid.
ReplyDeleteSheesh,it wasn't THAT good to warrant going dark.
ReplyDeleteSo how does going dark paying a tribute/homage to this series?
ReplyDeleteNo competition, for one thing. Wouldn't it be smarter to just air the Mad Men finale on all the networks at once?
ReplyDeleteAre the advertisers okay with that? It's not like this show can pull TWD ratings.
ReplyDeleteBest drama series of all time, as far as I'm concerned (or tied with The Sopranos, but it's hard to say). I don't see the point of the other networks going dark though. The people who want to watch will watch no matter what.
ReplyDeleteNo, but its final episode will get a bit of a boost. I don't know.
ReplyDeleteSnobbery.
ReplyDeleteFor sure but this is saying 'we'd rather none of our networks compete with the final episode of Mad Men to the point that we'd rather air absolutely nothing than have less than zero people tune into anything else that night'. They're probably right as like Mad Men doesn't get big numbers but for its final episode, anything else on a smaller cable network is going to be totally skipped next Sunday night. So they seem to be sacrificing everything in that hour in order to help event-ize the last episode of Mad Men.
ReplyDeleteIt's not much different than when other networks air reruns to get out of the way of competive season or series finales.
ReplyDeleteWrong. It is THAT good.
ReplyDeleteYeah, agreed. If it were any other show, it'd be really stupid but at least it's Mad Men.
ReplyDeleteI guess, but it seems unnecessary as it already has its own audience.
ReplyDeleteThat's more about scheduling though.
ReplyDeleteIt does but final episodes are weird fish. People who haven't tuned in since the third episode of the first season are going to suddenly come out of the water and comment on what they think of Pete Campbell's ending. It's not going to get big numbers but it's going to get bigger numbers than it has gotten and it's an important thing for AMC to like tout how culturally significant the show is. AMC's most critically acclaimed show as of 10:05pm next Sunday night is Better Call Saul, which is awesome but it's only been on for a season and doesn't yet have the Breaking Bad-Mad Men level of pedigree. My parents and I are the only people left in America still watching TURN and there are six or seven more viewers for Halt & Catch Fire. The Walking Dead is the money but once Mad Men's gone, they don't have a signature, stylish critical darling anymore. Can't really blame them for milking it for all its worth.
ReplyDeleteI view this as a self important, publicity stunt. Different than airing reruns.
ReplyDeleteSo is this. AMC Networks didn't do this for the final episode of Breaking Bad because the ratings for Breaking Bad went up and up and up as the show went on. Mad Men doesn't have the same thing so taking off the air everything else that might be watched by the same target audience on networks that AMC owns/controls is a form of scheduling around the season finale of Mad Men, marketed to look like bowing down to the great end of an era.
ReplyDeleteIt's for sure a publicity stunt. Absolutely. But it's also a stealth scheduling move. They don't even want to air reruns. No competing programming at all is a scheduling strategy as much as it is a publicity stunt. BBCAmerica and Sundance (particularly BBCAmerica) are networks which compete with AMC while being owned by AMC, so this publicity stunt solves the problem of AMC being partially responsible for sinking its own ship with competitive programming during the finale. (For sure, AMC reaches a lot more households than any other of the AMC Networks but the target audience for Mad Men is the same target audience as people watching Sundance & BBCAmerica. You notice they didn't do this for Breaking Bad, which everyone on the planet was watching in its final season.)
ReplyDeleteIs it self-serving? Sure. But how much more self-serving and self-important is it than The Talking Dead? Saying 'our show is so important we need a panel to analyze and discuss it afterwards'? The Talking Dead is a tool to extend the high ratings of TWD another hour for the network. It's all whatever looks to be the best way to make the most amount of money.
If this is even remotely warranted, O will be satisfied because the last several series enders were failures.
ReplyDeleteBCS still has time, it's just only started, but yes, they'll be at a loss with both BB and MM gone.
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be more about doing something for the show itself instead of actually scheduling.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely is an end of an era with the end of both BB and MM though.
Odd but oh well I never understood the appeal of Mad Men.
ReplyDeleteThen I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too
ReplyDeleteSo I stayed in the darkness with you
I will miss you forever, Mad Men.
Thank you, Matthew.
They're mad... men.
ReplyDeleteYou can say whatever you want, but the end of Mad Men will really be the end of an era. Best drama series ever.
ReplyDeleteAMC's siste networks aren't exactly ratings monsters... SundanceTV, for example, usually pulls in audiences only in the tens of thousands.
ReplyDeleteThat's the dumbest thing.
ReplyDeleteJust do what they did with the Orphan Black premiere a few weeks back: air it on all their networks simultaneously.
That way, you both void competition, and maybe add on a few extra viewers (not that We, IFC, Sundance, and BBC America pull in a whole lot of viewers).
Well I think Mad Men is good, but for me it remains to be seen HOW good, depending on how it ends. It's one of those series where the end is going to make it or break for me. Like if it would end with Don and Betty talking about life and death at the kitchen table, I think I might throw out my TV! LOL!
ReplyDeleteIt's not even the best drama series in the history of the network let alone of all time.
ReplyDeleteIt's not even the best drama series ever on its own network
ReplyDeleteThat's just stupid. I like Mad Men but 3 of those channels are suppose to be airing Goodfellas, Top Gun and The Princess Bride. I'd rather watch any of those instead of watching Mad Men live.
ReplyDeleteSons of Anarchy and Justified had phenomenal endings.
ReplyDeleteWhat competition? 3 of those networks are airing movies made over 25 years ago. How will those draw viewers away from Mad Men?
ReplyDeleteDid you really need to comment that on two posts? Lol its all opinion. I loved Breaking Bad, but it's not even close to Mad Men for me.
ReplyDeletenever watched those when they aired. Mostly refering true blood,HIMYM,Two and and half men and dexter.
ReplyDeleteYeah why not. In my opinion Mad Men went considerably downhill after season 4 so it's not even close for me either. Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Justified, Lost and The Wire are 5 shows off the top of my head that are head and shoulders above Mad Men.
ReplyDeleteI will agree about True Blood and Dexter. I never watched those comedies though.
ReplyDeleteI do think it's not one of the best moves but I'd totally like this for Grey's when it ends.
ReplyDeleteYou reaaally lost me at Sons lol. There can be great arguments made for Breaking Bad, The Wire, Justified. In terms of quality (for me) The Sopranos is the only show that sustained such as strong quality throughout.. The Wire had a weak final season, Sons really lost its way as it went along, particularly its final season. Mad Men's writing is still incredible; Sons was never in its league, even at its peaks. Again, it's all opinion, I'm not looking to argue.
ReplyDeleteIs this and odd way to try increasing what have been very disappointing ratings so far in the final season?
ReplyDeleteWhat about Breaking Bad or The Wire?
ReplyDeleteMad Men is in the pantheon, but it's not close to the top.
All a matter of opinion. Mad Men is in my top 3 personal favorites, I don't really have an order. I just think everything about it always came together so perfectly, and the fact that its wrapping up so beautifully (in my opinion) is the icing on the cake. We'll see what happens with the finale.
ReplyDeleteOverkill. I like the show and have watched almost all of it but dude overkill. Just because you air it on your network doesn't mean every viewer of your channels watches it. I'm going to say it and prepare for critics but you know what the show is good but it's not that phenomenal it needs to black out other programs from airing. It's just a show.
ReplyDeleteThe final 4 episodes of SoA were phenomenal. Those alone made the final season one of the best final seasons of all time.
ReplyDeleteWe share a difference of opinion and everyone is entitled to it. But you don't go around and say i'm wrong just because my opinion differs than yours.
ReplyDeleteLol I was a HUGE Sons fan but the last season was brutal. I loved the 2nd-to-last episode but really disliked the finale. Much of the season suffered from lazy writing, giant gaps in logic, strange character decisions. There was greatness, but it was easily the worst season of the series for me (tied with 3). I know the majority of fans had a lot of problems with the final season.
ReplyDeleteYep.Mad Men was very good but i can think of a few other other that belong right up there with mad Men where the lights didn't go dark.
ReplyDeleteThe most they could do for Grey's is black out ABCF, Disney Channel is so far from being competition it would be unlikely. ESPN also, I suppose I could understand if they did it with A&E and Lifetime, maybe. And unless I'm forgetting some I believe that's as many networks as Disney/ABC would have any say over.
ReplyDeleteseems like a stupid move as for the show never watched it cant judge it
ReplyDeleteI totly agree with you on the best two.. 2 and 4 were amazing. I loved 5, too, though. Even though Opie's death was crushing it was so amazingly well executed. I thought 6 was great, so the last one really let me down. It's funny cause in your opinion Mad Men went downhill after season 4, and 5 is one of my personal favorite seasons (though I HATE Megan and always did.) S6 was shakey in places but 7 has been amazing.
ReplyDeleteWrong again. It's multiple awards is proof that this is about substance. Not opinion.
ReplyDeleteI def think going dark is an overkill.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! But someone thinks i'm 'Wrong' again!
ReplyDeleteThe joys of the internet...
ReplyDeleteLoL! Its what makes the world go round!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing this will do is tick off the people who tune into those other stations. If someone pulled my show to advertise something playing on another channel, I would be that much less likely to ever try the show being advertised. Way to tick off viewers, AMC and for a show that never got superior ratings in the first place.
ReplyDeleteMultiple awards are proof that critics love it. Poor ratings are proof that not everyone agrees with critics.
ReplyDeleteCount me in for TURN as well.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely one of the best and most complex shows of all time.
ReplyDeleteYep, Grey's syndicated in Lifetime, so it could work there too. Anyway, I think the event for Mad Men's kind of stupid but I were a fan, I'd love it-
ReplyDeleteOpie was my favorite character so that was a tough one to get through. I recently rewatched the series earlier this year and that was the first time rewatching that episode. The episode with his wake and funeral was even tougher to get through.
ReplyDeleteBut like I said on another post what's playing on those other channels are 3 movies that are over 25 years old Goodfellas, Top Gun and The Princess Bride and on the other one a repeat of one of the CSI shows. I'm pretty sure everyone who wants to see those already has.
ReplyDeleteYou can never have enough Princess Bride.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree. I'd rather watch Goodfellas outta the 3 though. That's one of those movies that I'll watch every single time it's on TV like The Exorcist or The Shining just about any Quentin Tarantino film.
ReplyDeleteSo those networks will air just the message the whole Sunday?
ReplyDeleteNo just from 10pm till 11:15pm
ReplyDeletethey better show my "Naked & Afraid" on the Discovery channel on Sunday at 10pm, lol ...☺...
ReplyDeleteYes,it was very good and i wasn't debating that,i just don't think it warrants going dark.
ReplyDelete