The Perfectionist: Matthew Weiner Turns the World Mad

TV Guide — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:05:00 -0500

Long before he was an awards show darling at the helm of one of the most obsessively consumed shows on television, Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner was a bitter hater. "I think expressing myself changed [that], and realizing that it was all my problem, and that if I wanted my life to be different, it was up to me," Weiner says. His expression has become a smoke-filled, whiskey-soaked drama about capitalism, consumption, and careerism at their highest and lowest. It's an incisive look at American history, a titillating tale of sex and power, and a heartbreaking story of a doomed marriage. We chatted with Weiner, one of the influential television industry players interviewed for TVGuide.com's Best of the Decade section, about the enormous success of his show, what tips he took from his stint on The Sopranos, and TV becoming more powerful than movies.

TV Guide: Matthew Weiner

The Perfectionist: Matthew Weiner Turns the World Mad