The fifth season of ad drama Mad Men has been delayed until 2012 while viewers scour the existing 52 episodes for signs of a plot.
The lack of a discernible story has caused friction between series creator Matthew Weiner and commissioning network AMC.
AMC are said to be insisting that Weiner adds at least two minutes of plot to each episode.
And they are also asking the producer – who is fiercely defensive of his creative independence – to save $1.5m per series in costs. That would effectively mean axing two cast members, or Christina Hendricks’ chest.
But Weiner insists the show is as perfectly formed as January Jones’ mouth, until she starts talking with it.
“In Mad Men, character is plot,” he said.
“By which I mean there is no plot.”
As soon as a viewer identifies a thread of plotline which could be developed in season five filming can begin.
The series was a staple in the UK. Every week over 250 people tuned in, making Mad Men BBC Four’s highest-rated show.
Series five of the Emmy Award winner is due to air first on Sky Atlantic in-between looped repeats of the Dustin Hoffman trailer for the new channel
