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AMC's Mad Men: It's Television Worth Living For

With the season two unveiling of Mad Men on Sunday, July 27, Executive producer/creator Matt Weiner cements his reputation as one of the smartest, most imaginative creatives working in television.

There is no Sophomore slump for this show set in a Madison Avenue ad agency - a stylish and multi-layered immersion in the early 1960's, just when the culture teeters on the cusp of upheaval.

Mad Men topped my 2007 list of television's best, followed by Dexter (a close second). In 2008, Mad Men still holds fast to the top spot so far.

Season two of Mad Men opens on perfect moment, perhaps the peak of the Camelot fantasy, pre-dating the Cuban Missile Crisis - Valentine's Day, 1962. It just happens to be the day when "three out of four television viewers tuned to CBS or NBC to watch a "A Tour of the White House" with Mrs. John F. Kennedy...."

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AMC’s Breaking Bad: Gutsy, Fresh Television

A meek, depressed high school chemistry teacher, Walter White, revivifies and mans-up by cooking and selling methamphetamine.

Premiering January 20 at 10p.m., Breaking Bad is another daring series from AMC, the network responsible for Mad Men (my pick for best 2007 drama).

In a media universe of the moth-eaten, the warmed-over, the formulaic, Breaking Bad is gutsy, groundbreaking, fresh television. With Breaking Bad and an upcoming second season of >Mad Men, AMC (along with Showtime) is poised to wrest the gold standard of scripted drama from the hands of venerable HBO.

CLICK HERE FOR AN EARLY LOOK AT BREAKING BAD!

2007's BEST TELEVISION SERIES: AMC's MAD MEN Tops The List; Runners-Up: Dexter, Ugly Betty, Californication, Pushing Daisies, Brotherhood

Two shows this year stand out as pure appointment tv. These series required no DVR’ing; the air time was burned in my brain - Showtime’s Dexter and AMC’s Mad Men.

Because of the rich setting, superb ensemble cast, and feature film production values, Mad Men edged out Dexter as my pick for the best scripted series of 2007. 42 year-old creator Matt Weiner (the Emmy-winning executive producer of The Sopranos) is channeling an intimate period piece, set circa 1960 in a Manhattan ad agency.

The Mad Men season finale contains one of the most memorable scenes in the history of television. Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the maestro of the Sterling Cooper agency, pitches Kodak on an ad campaign, using photos of his own beautiful wife and children as models.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE on Mad Men, Dexter, Californication, Pushing Daisies, Brotherhood, and Ugly Betty. with clips!

'Mad Men' Creator Matt Weiner on Love, Sartre and Why Men Behave Badly

The season one finale of Mad Men, one of the most compelling shows to hit the small screen in years, airs this Thursday at 10p.m. Several weeks ago, AMC re-upped the critically acclaimed drama.

(photo: copyright/Mary McNamara & Multichannel News)

The series, set circa 1960 in a Manhattan ad agency, teeters on the cusp of a cultural shift. The tension is palpable. Controlled, perfect lives feel held together by chicken wire, ready to fly apart.

Leading up to the series premiere last July at the TCA press tour, Mad Men's Emmy-winning [for The Sopranos] creator Matt Weiner sat down for an extended stream of consciousness chat about love vs. desire, Sartre, tacky period movies, why men behave badly, and how such a nice mensch like himself makes a living by fearlessly divulging his forbidden thoughts.

CLICK HERE FOR THE EIGHT PART INTERVIEW AND FOR A PIC OF MATT'S RAINBOW SOCKS.

WOO-HOO! MAD MEN RENEWED! Kudos to AMC

Mad Men has been renewed for a second season, according to our very own Linda Moss.

It's morning here on the West Coast but I'm pouring the bubbly - maybe an organic Mimosa. Can I just say- woo! hoo! And kudos to AMC for their commitment to this series. The ratings have not been spectacular but AMC says (per Linda's report) the numbers are on the rise - with 31% growth in household ratings.

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE STORY ON MY MULTICHANNEL BLOG

HOLIDAY COUCH POTATO GUIDE: Starz Does The '80's; Current at Burning Man; We Are All New Orleans

Here in the Bay Area, we're trapped in our neighborhoods this Labor Day. The Bay Bridge is undergoing some serious earthquake retrofitting. The only direct route from the east bay into San Francisco is closed - yes, closed! - for the duration of the holiday.

Traffic is being funneled instead through Marin onto the Golden Gate Bridge. CHP just announced that they're on the prowl with their new, super-fancy laser detectors (in lieu of the old radar detectors) and. .Let's just say Marin's 101 freeway roads won't exactly be user-friendly this weekend.

So we're staying home.

But this is Marin, so vegging at home is a pretty wonderful thing. We're picking up some local organics at Farmer's Market, kicking' back with a bottle of Holdredge Pinot Noir, and booting up the 42 in. plasma.

If you're similarly cribbin', here's a guide to what's airing on cable over the weekend.

Love Shack Baaaaaay-beeeee! It's 80's weekend on Starz. Back by popular demand Starz Encore's third annual big 80's marathon returns, beginning at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on Friday, Aug. 31.

Hosted by one of the original MTV VJs, Alan Hunter, "Big 80s Weekend" will feature 48 '80s movies, a look at classic '80s pop culture with trivia, news, movie videos, and more - including interviews with '80s rockers Ted Nugent, Bret Michaels, and others.

Sci Fi Channel will run the six most popular Stargate SG-1 episodes based on their Internet polling. The "Viewer's Choice Marathon" airs Friday, August 31, beginning at 4p ET. A ten episode Dead Like Me marathon begins Monday, September 3 starting at 8a.m. ET

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AMC's Mad Men Debuts to Critical Kudos

AMC's Mad Men -- a series set in a Manhattan ad agency circa 1960 -- launches tonight at 10 p.m. The critical buzz appears to be almost entirely positive.

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CLICK TO HEAR JEFF GOLDBLUM'S BAND PLAY A JAZZY VERSION OF THE BONANZA THEME (from the AMC/Television Critics Assocation launch party for Mad Men, held at the Friar's Club).

Download goldblumbonanza.wav (12609.0K)

Will Mad Men Catapult AMC into the Buzzsphere?

It's not that AMC hasn't enjoyed success lately with their originals. Last year's Broken Trail mini starring Robert Duvall was cable's second most-watched movie since 1995 and the network's ratings leader with a 7.7 household mark and total viewership of 9.7 million.

The fourth season of Hustle, a BBC co-production featuring the iconic Robert Vaughn, got underway last April.

In spite of the impressive successes, the network so far lacks a breakout original series (a la Nip/Tuck) that anchors its identity in the minds of viewers and critics. (According to Multichannel's Mike Reynolds, the network is in the midst of a rebranding initiative.)

The sizzle of AMC's initiative will be evident on Thursday, July 19 at 10p when AMC's new original series, Mad Men, is set to launch. This is a show that could catapult the network into the buzzsphere.

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