From KCRW in Santa Monica, this is The Treatment.

Welcome to The Treatment. I'm Elvis Mitchell. You can also hear the show at KCRW.com.

In just three seasons, the show Mad Men has become a real pop culture sensation. It's

creator, Matthew Weiner's here. We've been trying to get them forever. Matt, thanks so much

for coming to do this show. Thrill to be here. You've probably heard this question a bunch of

times, but when I remember seeing the first episode, I thought about that speech that Tony Soprano

makes in the first episode of Sopranos, wishing for return to the strong silent hype.

Everything about that show influenced me. I wrote this simultaneously, and all I thought was,

if Tony Soprano strangles people, I think it's okay if this guy sells cigarettes. But I also

thought, when you see a piece of art like that and its commercial success had not even been

proved yet, I mean, that was even more gratifying that you could make something like that and its commercial success had not even been proved yet. I mean, that

was even more gratifying that you could make something like that and that people, there was a

market for it because they always say, you know, the good things don't make any money and you

see something like that and it's this juggernaut. And it's, it was art. I was very much

encouraged and I felt very much, I feel when I see great entertainment like that, I feel less alone.

The college episode was really where I was just intractably connected to that show.

I thought, I turned to my wife, I was like, do you know what he's doing here?

Do you understand that the hero of the show is being true to his character?

That there's no lie here.

That was mind-blowing, in addition to all the other artistry of the show is being true to his character, that there's no lie here. That was mind-blowing,

in addition to all the other artistry of the great acting

and great writing and humor and violence altogether.

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