Mad Men scribe Kater Gordon, who won a writing Emmy for the show on Sept. 20, was fired from the AMC series, according to Deadline Hollywood’s Nikki Finke.
According to an insider, Gordon started as a personal assistant to Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner before being promoted to a writer’s assistant and then full-time writer, even helping to pen the season finale with Weiner.
Though Weiner lobbied for Gordon and other first-timers to get more opportunities, he reportedly decided to part ways with Gordon because he felt she had fulfilled her potential.
Gordon could not be reached immediately for comment.
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There has to be more to this story, it’s an alarmingly quick drop from “Emmy winner with huge influence” to “release because of fulfilled potential”…
really! that stinks big time!
If your quality of work is Emmy worthy, there is no way you get fired. She probably asked for raise & they didn’t want to give her one. Everyone is replacable, or at least that what Weiner thinks. Only the future will tell.
As someone who worked in writers’ rooms, I can tell you, that just because your name is on an Emmy-winning script, it doesn’t mean you co-wrote every word. Also the climb from assistant to writer is hardly ever without bumps in the road.
I agree. Emmy winning writers do not get dumped like this. It stinks of a personal agenda.
clearly we haven’t been told the full story
This is how it starts. You take a strong, thought provoking series, fire one or more of the writers that helped maked the show a success, and the show suffers. I love Mad Men. I hope it continues to be as great now that it’s missing an Emmy Award winning writer. How dumb was that decision?
Weiner has fired about four writer’s every year and the show is exactly the same. And I still think that’s less firings than the sopranos. I would expect to see little change.
It seems like Mad Men is still doing well but it is true that many shows have jumped the shark because of too many changes to the writing staff.
I lost interest in Mad Men after the first season. Watching Mad Men is like watching paint dry–it’s that slooooow. I have no idea why it’s so popular. I’ll take more thought-provoking and action-packed TV series like Lost, Chuck and FlashForward over Mad Men.
If FlashForward and Chuck are what pass for quality in your world, it’s no wonder you don’t like Mad Men.
Take jabs at ‘FlashForward’ all you want but leave ‘Chuck’ out of it – brilliant programme. I would love to hear the whole story about Kater Gordon but I doubt it will fundamentally effect the quality of ‘Mad Men’; hope she does well for herself.
Chuck is actually a very HIGH quality show. I enjoy Mad Men, but it can be kind of cold and slow. Chuck is a lot of fun, the acting’s great, and it’s able to flit from drama to romance to comedy to action quickly and ably. Go Chuck! NBC better not be idiots and cancel it!
I agree. Leave Chuck out of it. Chuck is a great show. so is Mad men.
Just because Mad Men is quality doesn’t mean Chuck is not. Chuck is one of the best shows on!
Don’t hate on Chuck. It’s an awesome show that’s well acted, written, and shot. Chuck deserves all the praise it gets.
If Gordon has written most of this season’s episodes, I’m happy about the change. Season 3 has been very underwhelming. Perhaps it’s because Season 2 was really good, but wow, there’s been times I’ve nearly fallen asleep this season.
Same here, and my husband has been getting up and taking out the trash half way through the show every week. There is just NOTHING going on. Nothing worth having a series about, anyway. It feels terribly disjointed — the episodes don’t gel from week to week. Very disappointing this year.
You know, I’m with you guys. I really wanted to like Season 3, kept on making excuses for it, and got waaaay too excited when anything remotely entertaining (tractor/foot) happened. But last night I was just too damn tired to stay up until 10:00 (I know, pathetic) and ended up DVR’ing the episode. Now it’s Monday morning,and I can’t say I feel like I’m missing anything. I’ll catch up with this season eventually, but it’s not “must see TV” the way it was the first two seasons.
hope the series doesnt start to suffer….usually does when this happens….
That’s what you get for writing slightly above mediocore episodes, Kate (unlike the drivel that I write)!
I agree there must be more to the story, and that this sometimes spells disaster for shows, but not always. “Roseanne” was a tumultuous place for writers, and they were going in and out between seasons at a ridiculous pace from the second season on, and that show got better and better for several seasons to come (until we all know when). So it’s not all bad news…except for writers.
It’s seems clear her termination had little to do with the quality of her work. We know about 10% of this story.
Kater is such a dumb name. I wonder why she was really fired…
ahaha
really? kater is a dumb name? that’s your comment? get a life.
Don’t be a Kater hater.
Maybe she tried to pull a Stephanie Burkitt.
Considering how self indulgent and boring season 3 has been, I think this can only be good news.
I also think firing a few people in a writing staff is not as tumultuous some have suggeste. Rather, it will keep the show fresh and exciting.
agreed. mm used to be stellar, but this season is lacking and too slow paced. at least the costumes and set design are still piquing my interest!
I wonder if–after the Letterman debacle–Weiner took a closer look at his company’s sexual harrassment policy. Hmmm… just wild speculation…
BS….I know Kater and this is hurtful and untrue.