Before the drama Mad Men could return for its third season, AMC and creator Matthew Weiner had to resolve a conflict over fittingly for a series set on Madison Avenue advertising. The network wanted to add two minutes of ads; Weiner didn't want to cut the show. The eventual compromise each episode will run an hour and two minutes preserves the show's generous run time, 48 minutes or so sans commercials, compared with 42-ish for most network dramas. And what does Mad Men need the extra time for?
Nothing.
I don't mean that as an...