I haven't watched all five hours of this Archive on American Television interview from Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner but it is proving to be riveting stuff so far. From his family background, to his education, to the show itself, this series of interview deserves to be archived and will be valuable to television historians, makers and fans for generations to come.
Weiner is an interesting one: I remember an online interview in which he alluded to all mothers being like Betty and reading commenting, "like, well, uh, no..." It was clear that Betty was based on his mother. His mother, he explains, was a lawyer who couldn't find work because she had children and no firm would hire her. This turned her into a very unhappy and frustrated woman. As far as Don goes, he is also apparently based on Weiner's father, a prominent doctor with better lineage than his fictional counterpart.
Matthew Weiner was a writer for The Sopranos along with showrunner David Chase, the heart and soul of The Sopranos who based Tony's mother, Livia was also based on Chase's mother. Ouch. Apparently we should thank evil mothers for contributing in giving us the best television of all time. You can find a couple of hour long interviews with David Chase on Charlie Rose's website, but for Mad Men people, I recommend you put time aside to sit back and watch these fascinating Weiner interviews below:
Part one:
Part two:
Part three:
Part four:
Part five:
Part six:
Part seven:
