AMC’s done it again. After splitting the final season of Breaking Bad into two parts in order reep the rewards of high viewership for two more years rather than one, AMC announced Tuesday that it will be splitting its other iconic drama, Mad Men, into two seasons as well. In order to accomodate the split, Mad Men‘s seventh season will consist of 14 episodes, rather than 13.
“This approach has worked well for many programs across multiple networks, and, most recently for us with Breaking Bad which attracted nearly double the number of viewers to its second half premiere than had watched any previous episode,” Charlie Collier, AMC president, told Deadline Hollywood. “We are determined to bring Mad Men a similar showcase.” The channel hopes to honor Mad Men, which launched the AMC original brand back in 2007.
Mad Men creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner says this is good news for fans. “We plan to take advantage of this chance to have a more elaborate story told in two parts, which can resonate a little bit longer in the minds of our audience.” The first half of the final season of Mad Men will premiere on AMC this spring.