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Of course, big and even little TV stars get to direct episodes of their successful series on an almost routine basis. But when it’s Jon Hamm, and the series is Mad Men, then that’s newsworthy as far as I’m concerned. Deadline’s sibling site TVLine is reporting that Hamm will direct the Season 5 premiere, following in the footsteps of castmate John Slattery who directed two episodes last season. Hamm told the site he’s looking forward to his first directing gig “with a mixture of utter fear and excitement”. Unfortunately, we have to wait until March 2012 to see it on AMC.
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I’d watch him direct a one man show of him reading a phone book
Seriously.
Please just tell me when the next new episode will be on??????
I really don’t understand why actors feel the need to direct episodes. Makes them feel special I guess.
Look at a movie or a series like Mad Men as an airplane – the director is the pilot and the actors are the flight crew. I can see why some members of the flight crew would like to fly the plane. Jon Hamm is a good actor, but his creativity is leading him to a higher level. He’ll make a good pilot.
JS actually directed TWO episodes last season, although he was only originally scheduled to direct one. Both were terrific.
Can’t believe we’ll have to wait just under a year to see it though. I’m sure it will be wonderful, but a lot can change in a year. Will all the new period and fantasy shows on TV fill the void left by a long Mad Men hiatus or will America be itching for it’s fix of Don Draper and his cronies?
Hamm is a god. But to me he dilutes his brand when he tries to be funny, like on 30 Rock. Being funny is for dorks. Hamm is not a dork. Look at the guy. Congrats on the directing gig!
Absolutely. He should do that serious actor thing every time we see him and keep that brand of his pure. It scares me when people change.
I spent the afternoon with Hamm on Monday. He is a bit of a dork. A sexy sly dork. Kinda like Clooney. He likes his humor and is always reaching for the joke….
Jon Hamm, not just a pretty face. Awesome news.
This is a great move by John Hamm. It seems he has had fun playing up his good looks on 30Rock and now in Bridesmaids for comedy, while balancing his dramatic parts in films such as The Town and The A Team. Directing Madmen is a wise next move.
I realize calling his part in the A Team dramatic is a stretch.
This is very exciting! He has a real timing in front of the camera and it will be interesting to see behind the camera.
WTF MARCH!?!? We can’t wait that long. That’s more than one and a half years between seasons. Matt Weiner, you arrogant bastard, don’t toy with us like that.
At least Breaking Bad starts in a few months.
Don’t forget that Matt Weiner comes from the Sopranos productions with David Chase. He learned that great shows can keep the fans waiting over a year and half like that…and get away with it. Madmen is a great show and it’s cool that John Hamm is directing the season opener. Don (or Dick) is in the directors chair. This is the episode where Betty Draper’s car goes off the cliff and she meets someone less boring her. Not Henry but some dude who tries to save her. Then decides to not bother and she perishes in some dry desert gulch.
people do know that celebrities don’t really ‘direct’ these things right? It’s a lot of people at video village smiling and nodding while most of the below the line crew clean up the mess.
I like it when people are all jaded, sarcastic and cynical and stuff.
This whole season delay thing seems intentional on Weiner’s part. Doesn’t he want to make the show all about the slightly annoying daughter? Doesn’t she need to actually resemble a teenager to enact real sixties teen drama? Sometimes show creators love something that the rest of us are “meh” about.
I must disagree with “Larry Draper’s” comment re Jon Hamm. If anyone ever heard his commentary on the Mad Men DVD’s it was obvious that he knows something about filmmaking. This man was born to direct!
Yes, LARRY, there are good looking actors who know something about filmmaking. Sorry to burst your bubble.
Yes….and a great D.P. ( Chris Manley) helps too, folks !
Each succeeding season of this show has been inferior to the one(s) preceding it. I doubt this season will be any different.
hey larry “i’m a director without a job” draper- actors directing actors is sometimes a good thing because they actually pay attention to more than just moving the cameras around. and there are many “tv directors” who can thank their lucky stars that the video village people are there for them.
AGREED! The Slattery episodes last season were great! He did a great job!
Can’t wait to see what Hamm delivers.
I am on board this move. I love the Hamm and I really enjoyed John Slattery’s directed episodes (though Season 4 had incredible writing).
Directing TV episodes is a way for actors to have a career after their acting career dies. Several actors have moved behind the camera and been good directors. god forbid, look at Ben Afleck.
Because acting is frequently one of the best ways to get into directing, and because directing and producing can make you a lot more money than just acting.
Really, if you seriously don’t know, then you shouldn’t just open your yap via keyboard to let us all know how non-savvy you are, especially while being sarcastic about it.
And for everyone posting below about “Matt Weiner is deliberately making us wait until March 2012″…don’t any of you remember that he and AMC only came to an agreement about a month ago? And that AMC was threatening to cut him out of the show HE created?
What a bunch of tools. You claim to be fans, but then you act like spoiled six year-olds…
I am anxious to see Pete Campbell. I’m a pro Pete, as I know there are many Antis.
On -11-26-11 Jon Hamm announced on Jimmy Pardo’s pardcast-a-thon that 1) Mad Men will return on March 25. 2012 and 2) He directed the first episode that was SHOT for season 5. but it is Not the first episode of season 5.