Not since “The Sopranos” took 21 months off between seasons has a series been gone this long — or been as ripe with possibilities.
Of course, I’m talking about “Mad Men,” which returns Sunday night after a 17-month hiatus. That’s a century in TV years.
In a world that changes so quickly that even Andy Warhol would have to revise his quote to, “In the future everyone will be famous for 1.5 minutes,” AMC lets its series creep along at their own paces.
READ MORE: WHERE WE LEFT OFF WITH ‘MAD MEN’
Remember “The Killing” It was so slow that it couldn’t even give us an ending in one season!
So is “Mad Men” worth the wait? You bet.
But it’s not just because of the gorgeously dressed people and their witty repartee, or their dilemmas. It’s the possibility of unlimited complications looming that make it so insanely riveting.
Sunday night’s two-hour premiere is so chock full of possible problems (none of which happen in the premiere) it will leave you anxiety-riddled.
For example, we find Don in a crazy-hot marriage to Megan who, by the way, has mysteriously gone from secretary to the creative team. Or at least that’s what they call her even though she just writes coupon copy.
The Megan/Don anticipation: Did she marry him for the career boost — or is she really in love with him?
And what about him? Is he really happy with her — or just sexually gratified until the next one comes along?
Megan anticipation #2: Will Megan become more of a creative force than golden boy Don? Or will she be tossed to the curb and just end up as a stripper somewhere? (Trust me.)
What about that darned Betty? She is so conspicuously absent in Sunday night’s episode — Don drops off the kids (even the baby) outside her house — that it makes us miss her and wonder about her even more.
The Betty anticipation: Is she still so crazy that she’ll pick up another gun or another man for anonymous bathroom sex? And what is going on in that house with her new/old husband?
Then there’s the glorious Joan. They let us see that motherhood isn’t the fulfillment of her life’s ambition.
The Joan anticipation: Will her absent Army doctor-husband figure out the baby isn’t his when its first words are some Roger-like wisecrack and his hair goes gray in nursery school?
And of course, that brings up the wonderfully awful Roger who is my personal favorite character since Tony Soprano.
Roger has become the fifth wheel at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce; neither the moving nor even the motivating force at the agency, although he’s still got the best lines in the whole episode.
But Pete’s got the heat.
The Roger/Pete anticipation: Will the horrible Pete Campbell, who sets Roger up Sunday night, do him in once and for all, corporate-style?
And then there’s the whole ’60s equality-issue anticipation to ponder as Roger asks, “Is it just me, or is the lobby full of Negroes?”
The possibilities are endless.