MAD MEN Gutted AMC Says SOA Boss; Impact Of Budget Cuts On Serialized TV

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Has AMC‘s lucrative deal with Matt Weiner‘s Mad Men resulted in budget cuts for the network’s other serialized darlings, namely Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead?

Both shows have been in the spotlight recently over rumored budget cuts and shortened seasons, fueling questions as to whether Mad Men‘s keep is having  an adverse knock-on effect for other serials at AMC. Sons Of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter weighed in with his view.

Sutter issued his opinion via twitter. He said:

I don’t know [Matt Weiner], got no beef with him. just hate that [Frank] Darabont is being demonized. No one has the balls to tell the truth. [Mad Men] gutted AMC.

And he might not be too far off when you look at the situation. Mad Men certainly took a sizeable slice out of the AMC coffers, and with the upcoming season of The Walking Dead reportedly cut by $650,000 per episode (with showrunner Frank Darabont fired), and Breaking Bad initially offered just 6-8 episodes for a proposed final season, the squeeze is working its way to their other shows.

For fans of serialized TV, the concern will surely be that AMC’s other serials will suffer because the network is looking to address the Mad Men outlay in other areas. There are other potential reasons for the cuts, as laid down in this THR piece, but it’s going to be very interesting to see just what The Walking Dead looks like when it returns this fall.

I mean, great-looking trailer, but can they really deliver the kind of visual experience needed to level up from season 1? Let’s hope so.

UPDATE: An AMC spokeswoman has since responded to Sutter’s claims, saying:

“Nothing could be further from the truth. We respect Kurt as a writer, but not as our CFO.”

I’m not sure that response changes much, since you’d expect them to defend their corner. But there are always two sides to every story.

What do you think — did Mad Men ‘gut’ AMC?

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Tagged as: amc, Breaking Bad, kurt sutter, mad men, matt weiner, The Walking Dead