Mad or not, 'Men' is ending

PASADENA, Calif.—Don't get mad, but the end is nigh.

On April 5, Mad Men — the four-time Emmy winner that put AMC on the original series map — will launch its seven-episode final run. For one last time, we'll follow Jon Hamm's Don Draper as he tries to navigate the ad man life he created for himself out of whole cloth and his gift for story-telling.

So where is Don headed now? Surely, if you've followed Mad Men up to now, you know creator Matthew Weiner isn't going to tell you that. But if you'll settle for a vague overall theme, Elisabeth Moss offers this: "People do change, but in a lot of ways they don't unfortunately."

Weiner is willing to tell viewers that the seven episodes will focus tightly on the main characters, with no diversions — and each one will feel like a finale. And, he says, he's hoping fans will find the ending satisfying.

"I don't want them to walk away angry ... I've never met anyone who does our job, unless they're a performance artist, who wants to infuriate people."

That said, Weiner also thinks stories have their own integrity, which means a writer can't just give people everything they want just because they want it.

"You're trying to tell a story they don't know."

How does Jon Hamm feel about the show ending? "I'm thrilled. I'm looking forward to being unemployed. I'm so happy never to see any of these people again. I'm so glad it's all over. Hashtag, sarcasm."

Well, yes, he will be happy when the ending airs and people will stop asking him about what happens. But otherwise, he says he knows "he'll never have this again."

"This experience has been unequivocally wonderful, and I'll miss it."

Don't expect a spinoff, although if there were to be one, Hamm has an idea: "Better Call Pete!" And don't expect a lot of profit-driven cast reunions.

"I don't see the show participating in a Mad Men cruise," says Weiner.

As far as Weiner is concerned, these last seven episodes are as much Mad Men as you'll ever get: They complete the story. And he's proud of them.

"It's close to a decade in the lives of these characters, which was sort of the goal from the beginning … With no guns for the most part, not a murder, not a lot of chases, it's just been an incredible experience. I don't know about everybody else, but I can't wait for people to see this."