“Mad Men” wraps up its seven-season run on Sunday, and thanks to the show’s math-minded publicity department, I find myself immersed in numbers.
For example, did you know that Don Draper (Jon Hamm) has been to bed with 18 women? (It seemed like even more.) Or that 942 cigarettes were smoked on screen? That Betty (January Jones) wore a pearl necklace 47 times, that 14 punches were thrown and that 369 alcoholic beverages were poured in the office? (Obviously, the HR folks were asleep on the job.)
But I suppose the most important number when it comes to “Mad Men” is four. That’s how many outstanding drama Emmy Awards it captured on the way to establishing itself as the most acclaimed TV series in recent years.
Now fans are wondering how it all ends. Will Don make like his graphic likeness in the opening credits and leap from his office window? Let’s hope not. That would be a major bummer — and a big letdown.
Just don’t expect things to close in a tidy manner. That’s not how creator Matthew Weiner tends to do things, and Jones all but confirmed this in a recent TV Guide interview in which she said, “The audience will be surprised, and nothing will be tied up.”
Whatever happens, I’m not exactly mourning the end of “Mad Men.” Sure, I will miss all the mysteries, the secrets and the seductions, along with the vintage fashions and the music. I, too, will miss the wild benders, Don’s exquisite suits, Joan’s red hair, Pete’s obnoxiousness, Peggy’s ambitions and seeing what happens when someone tries to drive a tractor mower in the office.
But from the start, this saga had its narrative limits. As Weiner points out, he wanted to examine how much individuals actually change over the years. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen, they tend not to change all that much. Thus, the prospect of watching Don wallow in existential angst for years to come wasn’t all that enticing.
What I will mourn, instead, is the glaring absence of the kind of creative TV endeavor “Mad Men” represented. Here was a relatively quiet, introspective, sharply written show that didn’t adhere to any particular genre. Nor did it rely on gunplay and car chases to seize your attention.
Its reward for that distinctive brand of storytelling? Plenty of critical acclaim and lots of awards, if not big ratings.
“Mad Men” was the show that put AMC on the map, but AMC clearly has moved on, having discovered that it can grab many more viewers with drug lords and zombies. Instead of forging new ground as it did with “Mad Men,” the cable network — like most of its rivals — now seems much more interested in trying to replicate prior successes. Hence, spinoffs of “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead.”
Will we ever see a low-key, high-quality show like “Mad Men” again? Seems about as likely as the return of the three-martini work lunch.
THE KILLING SEASON: There’s always lots of drama in the broadcast TV world this time of year. While your favorite shows are capping off their seasons with crazy cliffhangers and wild plot twists, the networks already are looking ahead to September.
This week, NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS and The CW have been holding their “upfront” events, during which they unveil their fall lineups to advertisers. So we’re getting our first sneak peeks at the new shows coming our way. But we’re also forced to say goodbye to many established shows that failed to make the cut. As of this writing, the casualties included “Revenge,” “The Mindy Project” and “Hart of Dixie.”
For timely updates on all the upfront action, I encourage you to check out our online TV page at www.mercurynews.com/tv.
Meanwhile, the blizzard of season finales continues. There are eight on Thursday night alone, including “Grey’s Anatomy” (8 p.m., ABC), “The Vampire Diaries” (8 p.m., The CW), “The Blacklist” (9 p.m., NBC), “Scandal” (9 p.m., ABC) and “Elementary” (10 p.m., CBS).
FEELING ‘BLUE’: Monterey Bay apparently is ready for its close-up.
PBS has announced that it will air “Big Blue Live” this summer. It’s an ambitious three-night nature special (Aug. 31-Sept. 2) pegged to the exploration of marine life in Monterey Bay.
Thanks to conservation efforts, Monterey Bay is now a vital annual destination for migrating whales, sharks, dolphins, sea lions and other sea creatures. “Big Blue Live” will be looking to provide incredible footage of this “once-a-year confluence,” along with commentary from scientists, photographers, animal behaviorists and other experts.
Contact Chuck Barney at cbarney@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/chuckbarney and Facebook.com/bayareanewsgroup.chuckbarney.
‘mad men’
When: 10 p.m. Sunday
Where: AMC
