Mad Men's Fifth Season Will Return in 2012

There's good news and there's bad news for Mad Menfans.
AMC has officially given the green light to a fifth season of the adman drama, the network announced Tuesday. But ongoing negotiations with series creator Matthew Weiner will push the show's return to early 2012.

Check out photos of the Mad Men cast

AMC made the announcement as a Deadline.com report surfaced about Weiner's prolonged renegotiations with Lionsgate, which produces Mad Men. The latest sticking points in the proposed contract — which a source tells TVGuide.com would pay Weiner roughly $30 million over three years, making him the highest-paid showrunner on basic cable — involve cost-cutting measures and an increase in advertising during the show's running time.According to Deadline, AMC and Lionsgate have asked Weiner to integrate product placement into the show and to cut two minutes from the show's running time to accommodate more commercials. (The latter was also an issue during Weiner's renegotiations two years ago.)Further, Weiner has been asked to trim the members of the cast to save money, according to Deadline. (A source tells TVGuide.com that all the principal cast members will return; any casting changes will involve some actors appearing in fewer episodes.)

AMC and Lionsgate close to deal for Mad Men's Season 5

Weiner told the New York Timesthat accepting the proposed changes would make Mad Men a "different show." "I don't understand why, with all of the success of the show, they suddenly need to change it," Weiner said. "All I want to do is continue to make my show, and make it in the way I want to, with the people I want to make it with. ... I love the show; I have every intention of it working out. This has been the most creatively satisfyingly experience of my life. I've come through it with the cast and with the audience, making the show that I make."Mad Men's typical episode runs about 48 minutes, considerably longer than a typical network drama and a couple minutes more than most basic-cable dramas.AMC had no comment beyond the announced renewal. Despite the lack of Mad Men, AMC has a busy year planned. The network premieres its new murder mystery drama The Killing Sunday, Breaking Badreturns in July and zombie drama The Walking Deadis shooting for a fall return. The network has yet to schedule Hell on Wheels, a post-Civil War drama that it ordered in December.Are you bummed that you have to wait at least six more months for more sad Don?