Christina Hendricks & John Slattery reunite on Matthew Weiner’s new series

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Mad Men came to an end over two years ago (I still need to finish the series) and audiences have been eager to see what sort of project series creator Matthew Weiner would tackle next, after all, following up a show like Mad Men would be no easy task. It was later revealed that Weiner would follow up the critical darling with The Romanoffs, an anthology series which was being set up at Amazon.

In regards to casting, Matthew Weiner wasn't ruling out appearances from his Mad Men cast, and it seems that Christina Hendricks and John Slattery will be the first to reunite with their former boss on the series. No word on who they may be playing, or if they'll even be appearing together, as each episode of the series will tell a standalone story with no recurring plot elements or actors. The Romanoffs will consist of eight hour-long episodes which "will tell the stories of people in contemporary times who believe they are descendants of the imperial family that ruled Russia from 1613 until the Bolsheviks seized power in 1917." Also appearing on the series will be Isabelle Huppert (ELLE), Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire), Amanda Peet (Togetherness), and Marthe Keller (MARATHON MAN). Matthew Weiner will be directing all eight episodes and The Romanoffs will debut on Amazon Prime next year.

The choice to make each episode of the series into a standalone stemmed from wanting to be able to tell a story "that really commits." Not that Weiner wasn't able to do that on Mad Men, but he explains that "when the characters are not coming back the next week you have a chance to tell it in a different way — to resolve it. Black Mirror is a different genre, but if you enjoy the idea of seeing a new story every week, that will be part of it." He also wanted to be able to tackle some very modern issues, saying that "the reason that I picked the Romanovs is that in an era where we have social media and so much theoretical connection to each other it really seems like we’re further apart than ever. And I love this idea that these characters believe themselves to be, whether they are or not, descendants of this last autocratic family who are part of one of the great true crime stories of all time." The series won't just be set in the U.S., as Weiner says that he plans on shooting at least half of the episodes abroad.

It’s interesting because without a standing cast or standing set, it can be financially freeing in a way. So, of the eight, we’re planning to do as many as four in the U.S. — I don’t know how many of those will be in Los Angeles — and four abroad. And then shooting them abroad, too. They’ll most likely be shot all in English but with the ability either to tell stories about Americans abroad and, of course, actors from those countries here, too.

What are your thoughts on The Romanoffs so far? Does it sound like it has the potential to equal or rival Mad Men?