Finite Television

I'm glad to hear the news that Mad Men will last seven seasons not because of any affection for the number seven, but simply because I like the idea of attaching a finite number to the show well in advance. I think the big thing holding television back as an art form is the medium's habitual inability to do this kind of thing. Proper plotting requires you to know more or less where you're going to end, and that's something the conventional TV business model doesn't allow for.