TV Newsline: Mad Men set to return in 2012, but what about Matthew Weiner?

As the continuing negotiations around AMC's hottest show keep going for what feels like forever, the show's creative future seems in danger.

As reported by the AV Club, though their still seem to be some contractual disputes, AMC has gone ahead and renewed the show for it's fifth season, meant to air sometime next year. (As for when next year, that's still up in the air, though given that the next work keeps greenlighting new series, it could be just about anytime at this point.)

The issue here is not Weiner's financial issues - he has already singed a contract for $30 millions over the next three years - but he seems to be fighting AMC's insistence that he cut secondary members of the cast, and that he increase the amount of screen time is allocated to product placement by 2 extra minutes.  Given that Matthew Weiner writes or co-writes just about ever episode of the show, there's major doubt as to whether the show can continue with the same quality that it has produced over the past four seasons. (The current status of the other writers has yet to be discussed.) Of course, there's still the option that cast loyalty could halt production until Weiner returns, though we can't be sure of how much  loyalty actually exists amongst this crew.

I'll be sure to stay on this story and provide updates as it develops.