‘Mad Men’ season 6: Matthew Weiner on difficulty of killing characters

Even when you have a very successful series, and often the Emmys serve as validation that your decision-making process is traditionally right, there are still some choices that you struggle with more than others. When it comes to “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner, one of the biggest struggles comes in trying to figure out just when is the right time to kill off your characters … even some of the ones that you love.

So what makes these moments for him? It’s really all about the investment; while we see these people on the small screen once a week for 12-13 weeks a year, Weiner spends the vast majority of the year with them, plotting and trying to figure out how these 1960s ad executives and those close to them are going to move to the next phase of their careers.

So what does the showrunner have to say about the move to say goodbye to his characters? Speaking in a new interview with the Wall Street Journal on the subject, he first detailed just how difficult of a thing this is to do:

“It’s a commitment to your audience. But it’s hard to do. And when the time comes, I have to be dragged kicking and screaming.”

Weiner then went on to say that one of the specifically tough moments was having to say goodbye to Jared Harris’ character of Lane, who hanged himself in his office during a late episode in season 5:

“That was tough … On the other hand, it gave us a chance to focus on a supporting character we wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Who do you think is the most at risk on “Mad Men” season 6? Be sure to share some of your thoughts below, and you can also visit the link here in order to read some more scoop on Don and Peggy moving forward.

Photo: AMC