Matthew Weiner

In his eight-hour interview, Matthew Weiner talks about writing on TV shows including Becker and The Sopranos, and his creation of the series Mad Men. He details the writers' room on The Sopranos and working with David Chase, as well as pivotal episodes from the series including The Sopranos' finale. He talks in-depth about the concept behind his series, Mad Men, pitching it to AMC, and the attention paid to the style of the show, which is set in the 1960s. He discusses casting the show, specific storylines and the concepts behind them, and the then-future of the series. Weiner talks about the gap between seasons 4 and 5 of Mad Men, and describes his contract negotiations with AMC during that time. He recalls the various themes and storylines of seasons 5 and 6, including "Joan Holloway" becoming a partner, the suicide of "Lane Pryce," and the disintegration of the marriage of "Don Draper" and "Megan Draper." He outlines various technical aspects of the show, including updating the wardrobe to match the styles of the times, and making the switch from shooting Mad Men on film to video starting with season 5. He speaks of plotting out the end of Mad Men for seasons 7a and 7b, including "Don Draper's" downward spiral, the deaths of "Bert Cooper" and "Betty Francis," and his decision to use Coca-Cola's iconic "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" commercial as the finale of the show. He recounts his feelings about the end of Mad Men, and talks about his then-current activities. Karen Herman conducted parts one and two of the interview on October 11, 2010 and November 12, 2010 in North Hollywood, CA. Adrienne Faillace conducted part three of the interview on June 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, CA.