Television Academy admitted that the TV spot starring Jimmy Fallon as Don Draper was aired too soon before the voting closes.
- Aug 13, 2010
AceShowbiz - Not more than 24 hours after the launch of "Mad Men" spoof created as means of drawing viewers to NBC when Primetime Emmy Awards airs, protests about favoritism erupted. Rivals of "Mad Men" in the Best Drama category reportedly saw the promo as a campaign for the AMC show because it aired before the voting is closed.
"Are they kidding?," a rep of a TV network said as quoted by THR. "They're running basically ads for 'Mad Men' in middle of the voting process. That's like having a presidential campaign and running an ad for one candidate. It's outrageous." The promo, which can still be seen here, sees Emmys host Jimmy Fallon dressing up like Don Draper and Christina Hendricks in her character Joan.
The TV spot has since been retracted from the broadcast as well as online. No more "Mad Men"-style TV spot will be aired until the ballot is gathered on August 17. "This promo was posted prematurely and the Television Academy appreciates NBC pulling the content until after the voting window closes," a TV Academy rep said. There are two other spots which are made in the similar style.
The 62nd Annual Academy Awards is held August 29 at Los Angeles' Nokia Theaters. "Mad Men" is in the Best Drama nomination along with "True Blood" (HBO), "Dexter" (Showtime), "Breaking Bad" (AMC), "The Good Wife" (CBS) and "Lost" (ABC).
