'Mad Men' Pulls A Breaking Bad With Split Final Season

AMC's signature drama Mad Men is following the trend set by Breaking Bad and will split its final season into two chunks. The network announced on Tuesday (September 17, 2013) that instead of a final season originally planned for next Spring, Mad Men would be divided into two - pushing back the finale for another year.

As is usually case with split series, Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner will shoot all the episodes in one production cycle, so AMC is essentially saving seven episodes for a year.

The decision appears to underline the network's concern at losing two of its original blockbuster hits in the space of a year. Breaking Bad - which most critics agree is one of the finest television dramas of all time - ends in two weeks.

In the original plan, AMC would be left with only The Walking Dead as a true hit, with Hell on Wheels and Low Winter Sun in support. The network cancelled The Killing for the second time earlier this month.

The Mad Men split season is just one measure AMC executives are taking to regroup. Earlier this month, it announced plans for the Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul, focusing on the criminal lawyer Saul Goodman portrayed by Bob Odenkirk.

A Walking Dead spin-off has also been given the green-light, though details remain under wraps.