Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner thinks his cast deserve to have won Emmys.
The 49-year-old writer and executive producer said as much to reporters at the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Luncheon on Monday. Although Mad Men stars Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss and more have been nominated for awards, no cast member has ever won an Emmy.
"Since we're here at an Emmy organization, it is one of my great frustrations that they haven't been recognized a little bit more," Weiner confessed. "I think they are the gold standard, and in a weird way, I don't think people know -- but they'll know soon -- how much they're acting, because Mad Men is its own private world."
Weiner acknowledged his actors are admired and nominated, but said "there's always a story on why someone else deserves to win." He later clarified to The Hollywood Reporter he didn't specifically attempt to create Emmy-seeking material in the upcoming final season.
"We did not do this for the awards, we did it for the story," he asserted. "For the rest, probably, of Jon Hamm's lifetime, he will be the measure of a leading man on TV ... It's a significant impact, and the idea that he wasn't recognized is gonna be part of that story -- unless he does eventually get recognized, which would be great!"
Mad Men debuted on AMC in July 2007, and will return for a final season in 2015. Moss asserted she isn't upset by the Emmy snubs in August, and said filming the show's final episodes was an emotional experience.