The first couple weeks of May each year can be a stressful time for television fans, but also quite informative.

This is when the networks make many of their final decisions about which shows will get to stay on the air, which shows are canceled, and which TV pilots are ordered to series.

It all culminates at the week of Broadcast TV Upfronts in which each network is given roughly two hours (and usually a party that afternoon) at a fancy New York City venue to convince advertising representatives to buy commercial time on the network.

The networks trot out their high-level executives, biggest stars, and most eye-catching video presentations in order to pimp their upcoming fall schedule for the first time.

It's also a great time to get a sense of where the TV networks stand business-wise. Are they faltering at a certain genre? Is there a difficult patch ahead? Is it time for an about face with its programming or is it all about keeping the status quo?

Here are five things that we learned about the TV networks this week:

1.) NBC is in a comedy rut.

The network canceled every comedy on its schedule, but one. "Undateable" was given a last minute reprieve when its producers agreed to a season of live shows. The test, of course, was last week's live finale episode. Yet, the live show saw only a slight increase in ratings and total viewership compared to the previous week's episode. But, a live comedy does fit in with NBC's push for event programming, which has included live airings of musicals like "Sound of Music" and "Peter Pan," as well as the upcoming live staging of "The Wiz."

In the fall, it's only airing one hour of comedies with "Undateable" followed by new Mark-Paul Gosselaar show "People Are Talking," about young married couples with children airing on the notoriously tough Friday nights.

It's a sad predicament for the network that represented a golden age of comedies with "Friends,""Will & Grace" and "Seinfeld."

2.) CBS really doesn’t want to be known as the old geezer network anymore.

Although CBS is the most-watched network in total viewers, the network steers way older than the advertiser-coveted 18 to 49-year-old audience. Well, CBS is actively trying to change that with slicker shows that appeal to younger viewers like last season's "Scorpion."

Next season, it's the home of "Supergirl," which stars "Glee" alum Melissa Benoist as Superman's 24-year-old cousin. And it has ordered "Life in Pieces," a zany single-camera family comedy. Single-camera comedies appeal to younger audiences who have become accustom to shows without laugh tracks like "The Office,""Parks and Recreation," and "Modern Family." During CBS's upfront presentation this week, CBS Corp. president Les Moonves said the network was just 124,000 viewers away from overtaking NBC in the 18-49 category – and they'll probably do it with the help of the Super Bowl in January.

3.) Something is working at The CW.

It must get very tiring for CW's executives to be continually asked by reporters if the network is making money for its owners, CBS and Warner Bros. The assumption comes from comparing the network's 18-49 ratings and total viewers to that of the other networks – always an unfair comparison. CW has always skewed younger than the other networks and has long embraced a holistic way of looking at total viewership that includes On Demand, online and streaming numbers – way before the other networks – as well as international sales.

Despite the fact that CBS has said that The CW is profitable, the proof is really in the pudding. This year, it renewed pretty much its entire lineup of shows and ordered just three more that fit into its mix of comics-inspired, female-centric and genre-leaning slate.

4.) ABC is sitting pretty. Thanks, Shonda Rhimes.

While NBC can claim the No. 1 overall spot among the broadcast networks, that includes a lot of help from sports and the Super Bowl this past year. ABC can claim the No. 1 spot for entertainment (that's without the help of sports). That can be attributed to an entire night of hits for Shonda Rhimes-produced shows "Grey's Anatomy,""Scandal," and "How to Get Away With Murder." And it will have one more coming this year with "The Catch."

That allows the network to continue leading the charge for diversity in TV with "Black-ish" and "Fresh Off the Boat" earning solid ratings. Sure, "Cristela" had to go, but ABC still gets credit for trying and forging ahead on its diversity quest. The upcoming season will include the TV series adaptation of movie "Uncle Buck" with a black cast; "Dr. Ken," headed by "Community" alum and "Hangover" star Ken Jeong, and "The Real O'Neals," about a traditional Irish-Catholic family with a gay son.

5.) Fox is ripe for reinvention, but it's playing it safe.

As the No. 4 network on TV in the 18-49 demo, Fox has an opportunity to reinvent itself – much like ABC had a year ago when it was in the same position. In many ways, that could be liberating and experimental.

This will be the first full season under new CEOs and chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman. Even Fox's big hit "Empire" was an order under the previous Fox chief Kevin Reilly. But, it does give the new heads some steam going into this season.

They're saying tough goodbyes to ratings-challenged, yet previously sacred cows like "American Idol," "The Mindy Project," and "The Following." But instead of experimenting, they're taking a safe route with easily marketable shows, such as comedies headed by known stars like John Stamos, Rob Lowe and Fred Savage, a TV adaptation of blockbuster movie "Minority Report," an "X-Files" return and "Scream Queens" from hit-maker Ryan Murphy, whose musical series "Glee" just ended on the network. We'll see if that works out for them.

SEE ALSO: TV networks just released their fall schedules — here's where to watch what

MORE: 45 new TV shows that just got picked up by networks

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Erin Lee Carr, the director of HBO's latest documentary "Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop," has been following the trial of Gilberto Valle since November 2013.

When Carr first started visiting him in January 2014, he was behind bars on a charge of kidnapping conspiracy and illegal use of federal databases. In July 2014, his case was overturned.

Now, Valle might have to stand trial again.

According to the New York Times, a prosecutor requested to reinstate the kidnapping conspiracy conviction against Valle, a former New York police officer. He was accused of plotting online to "abduct, torture, kill and eat women." 

HBO's documentary "Thought Crimes" takes a sort of ambiguous stance on the case. Valle is allowed to speak for himself, and he asserts that all of his conversations were fantasies. However, he also illegally used police databases to research women that he possibly planned to victimize.

In reality, Carr takes a more certain stance on the case happening now. 

"Judge [Paul] Gardephe threw out the acquittal in July 2014 and right now we're hearing oral arguments of the prosecution to reinstate that conviction. I hope that does not happen." Carr told Business Insider.

"Judge Gardephe's decision was well researched and thought out and ultimately, the truth and I would be deeply uncomfortable if the conviction was reinstated or if he had to get a new trial," she added.

Valle might stay out of prison, as two of the three judges looking into the new conviction are not on board with putting him back in prison. One of the judges said his cannibalistic fantasies should be treated the same as "hypothetical drug dealers caught on a wiretap talking about delivering cocaine 'from the moon by leprechauns.'"

Though Carr is still deeply invested in the case, she tell us she doesn't plan to do any follow-up projects with Valle.

"I will always personally follow the case, but no, I do not think that I will continue working on that story. My part is done." Carr said.

SEE ALSO: This new HBO documentary will make you want to delete your search history

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It's raining Rob Lowe.

Both Fox and NBC have greenlit series starring the popular actor, which led some to wonder how he could carry off both shows.

First on Sunday, NBC announced that it had greenlit "You, Me, and the End of the World." The one-hour comedic drama is a co-production with UK's Working Title Television. It features Lowe as a rebellious priest who crosses paths with an eclectic group of people on their way to an underground bunker as a comet is about to collide with Earth.

And then on Monday, Fox revealed that it had greenlit "The Grinder," on which Lowe plays an actor whose legal series was just canceled, but then tries to parlay the skills he learned on the show into actually practicing law in his hometown.

"The Grinder" is set to air Tuesdays this fall, while NBC has yet to name a premiere date for its Lowe show, which will also air in Europe, though no premiere date is set there as well.

A reporter asked about the possible conflict during an executive press call with Fox on Monday. The answer is actually very simple.

"[NBC's] show has wrapped production," Fox's co-CEO and co-chairman Dana Walden cleared up. "I believe it's a limited series event and he's done his obligation. He's in first position to 'The Grinder.'"

In this case, both networks get off scot-free. But it isn't always such a clean exchange when an actor stars on two or more projects during pilot season. In those cases, the actor indicates one project in first position and then another in second. In the case that both projects move forward, the actor is contractually obligated to stick with the project in first position.

We saw this conflict go down with Damon Wayans Jr. when he appeared on Fox's "New Girl" pilot and then ABC renewed "Happy Endings." He had to leave "New Girl," because it was in second position.

NBC and Fox were able to escape losing Rob Lowe, but it's currently in another casting conflict. Apparently, "Being Human" star Meaghan Rath appears on NBC's newly ordered comedy pilot "People Are Talking," but she also appears on Fox's new comedy "The Guide to Surviving Life.""Guide" is in first position for the actress, which means that NBC will most likely have to recast Ruth's role.

SEE ALSO: There's more '24' in the works at Fox

MORE: Here's how Fox's 'X-Files' revival plans to please diehard fans

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On Monday, Fox announced that the coming 15th season of "American Idol" would be its last.

The show's host, Ryan Seacrest, said after the news that "American Idol" had "been a big part of my life for so long, it's frankly hard to imagine it without it."

But while Seacrest has been a part of the show for its entire run, his season one cohost, Brian Dunkleman, wasn't as lucky.

Dunkleman left the show after its initial season in 2002 to pursue stand-up comedy and acting. Meanwhile, "Idol" went on to become one of the most successful TV shows of all time and made Seacrest a millionaire many times over.

After news of the show's cancelation on Monday, Dunkleman sarcastically tweeted to his nearly 3,000 followers:

The internet was thrilled with Dunkleman's sense of humor about the situation, and he received quite the response:

In his Twitter bio, Dunkleman refers to himself as a "Television history footnote."

Dunkleman, now 43, acknowledged during a 2011 interview on the "Joy Behar Show" that leaving "Idol" may not have been his smartest move. "Listen, I'd like to say I was just young and stupid, but the truth is, I really wasn't that young," he said. "I mean listen, I was a comedian and an actor … What I wanted to do with my life is be an actor and that's going great," he joked while giving the thumbs-up.

Since "Idol," Dunkleman has appeared in bit roles on TV and in movies, participated in "Celebrity Fit Club," and performs stand-up comedy in Los Angeles, where he lives with his family.

In Fox's press call announcing the cancelation on Monday, network execs promised the show's final season would be full of "surprises we can have for the fans to make it feel special."

What kinds of surprises? Fox is still in discussions, but co-chairman and co-CEO Dana Walden said former show judges had already expressed interest in making appearances during the final season. When Dunkleman was suggested by a reporter on the call, Walden responded: "Yes! Where's Brian nowadays? If you give me his number, I will call and invite him."

Dunkleman regularly jokes on Twitter about his time on "Idol":

SEE ALSO: 18 TV shows that have just been canceled

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NOW WATCH: The Muppets are getting their own TV show on ABC — here's the hilarious trailer

On Friday, Netflix premiered“Granite Flats,” a TV series set in 1960s Colorado during the Cold War where not everyone in town is who they seem. The news here isn’t that the streaming service acquired an existing show to make available for its subscribers, it’s where it came from.

“Granite Flats” is the first scripted drama series from the thriving cable network BYUtv, operated and funded by Brigham Young University. The channel has been in existence since 2000 and is available on Dish Network, DirecTV, and 900 cable providers. But now being tapped by the most prominent streaming service, the network suddenly has many more eyes looking at it.

“I would love to say this was in our master plan, but we just got lucky,” Derek Marquis, BYUtv’s managing director told Business Insider.

The first season of “Granite Flats” aired on BYUtv in 2013 and quickly found an audience with its family-friendly values mixed with edgy subjects like the town’s chief of police on the trail of a KGB spy and the local VA hospital experimenting with mind control as a way to defeat the Soviets. They then upped the ante by bringing on veteran characters actors like Christopher Lloyd (“Back to the Future” films) and Parker Posey (“You’ve Got Mail”) the following seasons.

“We found ‘Granite Flats’ spreads across demographics,” said Marquis. “We don’t refer to it as family-friendly television because for some reason people think that’s sappy. It’s really co-viewing.”

Showrunner Scott Swofford, who is also BYUtv’s director of content, described the show’s draw as: “We wanted to create something where parents and children could share an experience. They are going to watch and then sit down and talk about it.”

When BYUtv was putting the final touches on the third season, talks with Netflix began to pick up.

In April, the deal was announced that Netflix would not just exclusively premiere season three of "Granite Flats" but also carry the first two seasons — making "Granite Flats" the first show that’s currently on the air on another network to debut a new season on Netflix.

Season three of “Granite Flats” will air on BYUtv in October.

Marquis wouldn’t go into specifics on who courted who, but he will say the deal was a no brainer for BYUtv. Reports out of Salt Lake City suggest Netflix were the ones who came calling.

“People want to watch shows when they want to watch it, where they want to watch it,” said Marquis. “And if you make them wait you’ll lose some percentage of them. This seemed like the natural next step for us.”

Brigham Young University — a private university based out of Provo, Utah, owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — has been in the media business since the 1940s when it started its own radio station (which is still on the air). To date, it operates six television stations, a station on Sirius radio, as well as TV stations in Latin America.

But in 2000, BYUtv was created with the mission of exporting the BYU experience to their alumni. Soon, according to Marquis, the network started to gain attention from people who didn’t have BYU ties.

“We were not out their knocking on cable system doors,” he said. “Dish Network launched us first and literally within weeks we were getting calls from cable operators outside of Utah [wanting to carry us].”

The network has their own “Saturday Night Live”-like sketch comedy show, “Studio C,” and reality TV shows like “American Ride,” which follows the travels of a motorcycle-riding history teacher around the US. It also airs BYU Division I sporting events, which includes a deal to air exclusively with ESPN.

BYUtv is currently manned by 120 full-time staff, and many contract workers from Hollywood who come on as crew on the shows. It also works with the university to help students gain real-world experience.

And in doing so, led to the network’s most successful show to date.

In 2010, senior James Shores was accepted to the university’s class “Writer’s Block,” in which students write and produce a 30-minute short film that then airs on BYU’s public access channel. Shores came up with “Heaven Under A Table,” which follows a young boy who paints art under his school desk.

“LDS (Latter-day Saints) people, like any religious group, can be a tad easy to get offended sometimes, but there are fringes everywhere,” said Shores. “So I pictured the story in the '60s. You have cool costumes, we’re trying to get to the moon, and the way people talked was a little more conservative back then.”

After Shores graduated, Swofford came across “Heaven Under A Table.” Along with some other ideas Shores had pitched BYUtv, the networked asked him to create a pitch for a show that combined them all.

And “Granite Flats” was born.

Shores has creator credit on the show and wrote episodes for the first season. He’s no longer actively on the show and is currently working on getting another project off the ground.

“Granite Flats” is made for about a quarter of what Hollywood does per episode, according to Marquis, because it’s done entirely out of Utah — including an abandoned 1960s-preserved town just outside of Salt Lake City that’s used for many exteriors. They also have a 100,000 square-foot production studio and distribution facility on campus.

The number of subscribers BYUtv has and how large the “Granite Flats” viewership is are kept under wraps. And though Marquis said a fourth season of the show hasn’t been confirmed yet, he feels if there is one it would likely also premiere on Netflix.

"We are not driven by advertisers or ratings,” said Marquis, “so we have flexibility to experiment and be pretty aggressive with the stuff we do.”

Watch all episodes of "Granite Flats" now on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: This is what will save TV, according to Netflix

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Warning: Spoilers ahead (if you’re not caught up on season 7)

After seven seasons on the air, this Sunday marks the final episode of AMC's hit show "Mad Men."

If you haven't been keeping up with the current season, here's the key points you need to know before watching the finale.

1. Sterling Cooper & Partners is no more.

The advertising agency that housed the talented and very sought-after creative director Don Draper was finally absorbed by its parent company, McCann Erickson, a few episodes ago. When the partners revealed the news to the SC&P staff, Draper announced “this is just the beginning.”

But everyone could see that things would never be the same, and soon Don would too. 

2. Joan has left McCann Erickson after being sexually harassed. 

Out of all the SC&P partners, Joan Holloway had the hardest transition moving to McCann Erickson. In fact, she quickly learned that her status at SC&P didn’t mean squat. First, she was talked down to by a male junior member on her team. Then she was hit on by one of the executives at the company.

But Joan finally realized where she stood in the company when her chat with McCann Erickson’s head honcho, Jim Hobart, ended with her threatening to get the ACLU involved for sexism in the work place. When it was all said and done, she never reported the company and agreed to leave with only half the money it owed her.  

3. Peggy has turned over a new leaf.

As Joan was fighting the boys club at McCann Erickson, Peggy Olson was just trying to get in the door. At first the company thought she was a secretary. But Peggy stood her ground and stayed in the SC&P offices until she finally was told that McCann Erickson had an office for her. But in those final hours at SC&P she had a heart-to-heart with Roger Sterling. And through that she realized that going to McCann Erickson can be a new chapter in her career. A place where no one knows her past and she can create an edgy, no-nonsense persona. 

4. Peter and Trudy are staring over.

On last week’s episode, Pete Campbell stumbles into a job opportunity at Learjet. This makes him think about the future, which would mean leaving New York. When he gets a serious offer, he decides to profess to his ex-wife Trudy that he still has feelings for her and wants her and their daughter to come with him to Wichita if he accepts the job. Following an emotional pre-dawn heart-to-heart, the two decide to give it another shot. 

5. Betty has cancer.

One of the most shocking developments from these final episodes is the reveal that Betty has lung cancer. She learned about it after injuring herself falling on stairs at the school where she’s taking psychology classes. The diagnosis is not good. The cancer is terminal and the doctor believes she has a year left to live, at the most. But Betty is staying strong about the news. She refuses to undergo treatment, and plans to continue taking classes and living her final months to the fullest. 

6. Don is on the road.

What will more than likely be the main focus of the final episode is the journey Don is currently on. He quickly realized McCann Erickson wasn’t for him after sitting in on a pitch meeting for Miller Beer with a table full of the McCann Erickson creative team. Seeing he was just a fish in a large pond, he walked out of the meeting and has been driving across the country ever since. He first tried to track down the waitress he’d been sleeping with for the last half of the season. When he couldn’t track her down, he began driving west. He’s even told people that he “used to be in advertising.” Last we saw him, he gave up his car to a kid he recently met and sat alone at the side of the road.

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NOW WATCH: How the stars of AMC's blockbuster 'Mad Men' have changed over the years

How can Fox build on the momentum of TV's biggest hit in years? The network executives spoke for the first time on Monday about its plan for "Empire's" return and how it hopes to grow the show's already huge viewership.

Despite reports that "Empire" wouldn't return until the midseason, Fox isn't letting that much time pass before capitalizing on its success. The drama from creator Lee Daniels ("The Butler") and Danny Strong ("The Hunger Games") will return this fall. It will also air in the very same time slot it held during the spring.

"Fans made 'Empire' an appointment on Wednesday nights all season long. We'd be crazy to move it and we want to thank and reward our fans by keeping it in that time period," Fox's co-CEO and co-chairman Gary Newman said on a press call Monday.

It will also expand to 18 episodes, split into fall and spring seasons with no repeats. Season 1 had just 12 episodes. 

"The stories we've heard for Season 2 already is just going to blow away the audience," Newman promised.

Of course, many shows have breakout first seasons and then lost their audiences during the wait for their return. Fox knows this all too well with Kevin Bacon drama "The Following," which it just canceled.

That's one reason Fox executives admitted that they started working on "a bridge plan" while the first season was still airing and it saw the audience grow, but knew there could be a long gap between seasons.

"The requests for this cast are so numerous, we're trying to make it so that they can be out there and still get a little bit of rest prior to an enormous production season with all new music," co-CEO and co-chairman Dana Walden said. 

So, how is Fox trying to keep "Empire" thriving during the wait for Season 2?

1. All 12 episodes available On-Demand, Hulu and other platforms, so that new audiences can "catch up." Fox chief operating office Joe Earley said they're already seeing record numbers for viewing on these platforms, but the network is not planning to air repeats.

2. The cast is making appearances. The show's young stars Jussie Smollett and Bryshere Y. Gray, who play Jamal and Hakeem respectively, have been touring and performing music from the show. Breakout star Taraji P. Henson, who plays mother Cookie, hosted "Saturday Night Live" in April and will appear with co-star Terrence Howard, who plays patriarch Lucious, on Spike TV hit "Lip Sync Battle."

3. Season 2 has "amazing guest stars" who Fox hopes will help to bring in new viewers. Fox has already booked comedian Chris Rock and singers Alicia Keys and Lenny Kravitz. Season 1 guest stars included Jennifer Hudson, Rita Ora, Patti LaBelle, Raven Symone, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Estelle.

4. Fox hopes Rapper Ne-Yo, who has joined the next season as a music producer on Timbaland's team, will bring in new viewers. Ne-Yo will write new original music for the series. 

At the same time, Fox is not looking a gift horse in the mouth. "Empire" is the only show in TV's recent history to improve on its ratings each week. The first season averaged a 5.09 with Adults aged 18-49, the demographic advertisers most covet, and 13 million viewers.

"We don't want to be greedy," Walden added. "If we came back with the audience that we left off with, we would be thrilled. Based on the creative that we saw from producers the week before last, I don’t think that's going to be a problem."

SEE ALSO: Fox to cancel 'American Idol' after one more season

MORE: Why everyone is watching Fox's new hit show 'Empire'

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NOW WATCH: Guys, Here's How You Can Avoid Looking Like A Hot Mess On Television

The "Mad Men" series finale aired Sunday evening on AMC.

If you tried to watch any of AMC's sister networks at the same time, they advised fans to do the same.

In honor of the "Mad Men" finale, the network's four sister channels BBC America, IFC, Sundance, and WE decided to black out.

Here's how the networks look:

Curiously, WE was airing other programming during the "Mad Men" finale though the channel claimed it was airing the same content as the former three.

SEE ALSO: Here's the Coca-Cola ad that played during the "Mad Men" finale

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NOW WATCH: How the stars of AMC's blockbuster 'Mad Men' have changed over the years

Warning: There are spoilers ahead if you are not caught up with "Game of Thrones."

It's no secret "Game of Thrones" deviated many times from the text in season five. We've seen this with Sansa's character and the expansion of a fan favorite on screen. But there's one change from the text which has increasingly confused fans of the beloved book series this season.

Ser Loras Tyrell, the brother of Margaery and a popular side character in "Game of Thrones," has been increasingly reduced to a caricature of homosexuality — and no one is sure why.

Loras was very subtly alluded to as being gay in the book series, but it was so quietly done that George R.R. Martin had to confirm the speculation. On the HBO adaptation, Loras' homosexuality is his most obvious trait.

In season five episode four, we saw the Faith Militant, a military branch of the Faith of the Seven, exercise their recently granted power by aggressively stamping out “sinful” behavior. They concluded their raid on King’s Landing with the arrest of Ser Loras, on charges of “perversion” in the form of homosexuality. 

Let’s go back to see how Loras landed in a jail cell.

Loras was introduced back in season one during a jousting tournament, where he beat Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane (an impressive and rare feat). Afterward, it was quickly made apparent that he was not just a skilled fighter, but also Renly Baratheon’s lover.

The series took a lot of liberty almost immediately with Renly and Loras’ relationship. In the book series, each chapter is told from the point-of-view of a character, and Renly and Loras never have POV chapters. This means their relationship is only ever conveyed through the impressions that main characters have of it. There are no sex scenes between the two, or overt acknowledgments of either characters’ sexual orientation made in the books.

George R.R. Martin’s subtle references to Renly and Loras being gay were so minute that many overlooked it. He is referred to in the text once as "Renly's little rose" and the "Knight of Pansies," but this could be interpreted as rumor mongering.

The most obvious quip came from a scene between Jaime Lannister and Loras in the third book, A Storm of Swords. Jaime is frustrated with Loras, and snaps "Now sheath your bloody sword, or I'll take it from you and shove it up some place even Renly never found." This definitely implies a gay relationship between Renly and Loras, but it still could be chalked up to rumors. And among the thousands of pages of text, it was an easy inference to miss.

Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss decided to do away with the ambiguity, and take advantage of HBO’s allowance of nudity and adult material. Renly and Loras were immediately established as a gay couple in season one.

This is all fine and dandy for the first two seasons of “Game of Thrones” where we saw Loras do more than just dote on Renly. Loras had a great fight scene with Brienne of Tarth in season two, and was shown conspiring with his sister Margaery to keep Renly in power. He was one of the heroes at the Battle of Blackwater, saving King’s Landing from Stannis Baratheon’s attack.

But from season three onward, his role on the show became far less complex and his character development came to a grinding halt. After Renly’s death, it seemed every time Loras was shown on screen it was either in a sex scene with Olyvar or him complaining to Margaery about being in King’s Landing. 

There haven't been any more signs of him serving as a noble knight or crucial warrior the way he is in the books. Instead, his sexual orientation has become Loras’ defining characteristic.

Now, the show has created a narrative where Loras is arrested for being gay — a plot that does not exist in the written series. 

This is equally disappointing and confusing on several levels.

It seems anti-progressive to have a gay character who is overtly defined by the fact he is gay. One online user pointed out this difference by explaining that on HBO, Loras is “a gay character,” whereas in the book series Loras is “a knight and a son of House Tyrell, who happens to be gay.” There have been many outcries online about this treatment of Loras, especially in recent episodes where Loras is now being persecuted by the Faith for his sexual orientation.

One of George R.R. Martin’s book editors, Jane Johnson, has been very vocal on Twitter recently, referring to show-Loras as a "gay cartoon."

There was also a recent post on the "A Song of Ice and Fire" subreddit, where a user explained the many ways in which this is an abominable adaptation of Loras. The user points out that the Faith in the books does not seem to dictate that homosexuality is a sin. It seems to be more of an Ancient Greek-inspired social rule, where the norm is heterosexuality but gay relationships are tolerated among men as well.

The user, a self-identified gay man, stated: “When I watch my favorite series about a fantasy world, why the hell do I need to see guys being accosted for being gay...At best I feel pandered to in some sort of weird pity, at worst I'm outright offended.” 

The purpose for adding this storyline is unclear. The Faith Militant do exist in the books, but they are more concerned with closing the gap between the elite and the common folk, as well as clearing out corruption from inside the castle. In fact, it is Margaery that is arrested at the behest of Cersei, under charges of adultery and treason.

Showrunners have opted to put both of the Tyrell siblings behind bars, with Margaery taking the fall for knowing about Loras. But they could also be trying to make some larger commentary on the nature of religion and homophobia.

Are Weiss and Benioff attempting to equate the Faith Militant with the persecutions carried out by religions of the real world? If so, how is this going to play out?

Olyvar, Loras' lover on the series, works for Littlefinger, so by providing testimony against both Margaery and Loras he is choosing to destroy the alliance he built with the Tyrells. But that doesn’t make much sense. The Tyrells have proven to be strong players in the game of thrones, with more financial resources than many of the main houses and a cunning matriarch, Olenna. Did Littlefinger really instruct Olyvar to testify? 

The worst outcome (that Loras is tried and executed) would provide the Tyrells with motivation for revenge, and perhaps another coup. But that scenario would just cement the Faith as being an extreme brand of fanatics, which is also a one-dimensional take on religion and its practices.

We’ll have to wait and see how this new plot progresses, but fans are not optimistic it will get any better. Of all the side characters, Loras has been doled the weakest writing, and it’s a true shame.

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NOW WATCH: This hidden subplot of 'Game of Thrones' spells out the real trouble for the Lannisters

Warning: If you haven't watched the "Mad Men" series finale, there are spoilers ahead.

"I'd like to build the world a home and furnish it with love ... grow apple trees and honey bees, and snow white turtle doves. I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. I'd like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company."

The series finale of "Mad Men" closed with the famous 1971 Coca-Cola ad "I'd like to Buy the World a Coke."

McCann Erickson advertising executive Bill Backer came up with the concept for the ad, which eventually cost over $250,000 to make.

Check it out below:

The idea for the ad, originally known as the Hilltop ad, came after a plane flying Backer was forced to land in Ireland. You can read more on the making of the ad on Coca-Cola's site, here.

SEE ALSO: AMC's sister networks have gone black in honor of the "Mad Men" finale

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Warning: There are spoilers ahead.

The series finale of "Mad Men" ended on the popular 1971 Coca-Cola ad, "I'd like to Buy the World a Coke."

While the ending may have left some wondering why that was the ad "Mad Men" ended on, diehard fans of the series will know the famous commercial was alluded to way back in season one.

In episode 9, "Shoot," Don Draper (Jon Hamm) takes then-wife Betty (January Jones) to the theater to see a show. During intermission, Betty speaks with Jim Hobart, the head of McCann Erickson. 

While making small talk, Hobart mentions he's working on an international campaign for Coca-Cola and invites Betty to try out as a potential model given her resemblance to Grace Kelly.

Interested by the idea of returning to modeling, Betty takes Hobart up on his offer, trying out for the ad campaign. 

However, Hobart's main interest in Betty is to try and steal Don away from Sterling-Cooper. Hobart sends over the images of Betty to Don, but the ad man isn't having any of it. 

As a result, Betty doesn't end up on the Coca-Cola account. 

Hobart shows up again in season 7, episode 2, "A Day's Work," trying to court Draper another time (not particularly for a Coca-Cola campaign).

The "Mad Men" finale brings the Coke storyline full circle. 

At the end of the episode, the 1971 ad that plays was made by McCann Erickson, the agency Hobart worked for in season one.

Funny enough, the ad even ended up with two prominent blonde haired young women, similar in appearance to a young Betty Draper.

You can watch the ad below:

SEE ALSO: Here's the 1971 Coca-Cola ad that played during the "Mad Men" finale

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Warning: There are spoilers ahead if you're not caught up with "Game of Thrones."

"Game of Thrones" fans will probably be waking up Monday morning hoping that the end of Sunday’s episode was just a bad dream.

Unfortunately, the nightmare was real.

In the episode, Sansa (Sophie Turner) goes through with her wedding to Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon). While it goes off without a hitch — unlike mostweddings on the series so far — things quickly unravel as Bolton violently rapes his wife as a hysterical Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) is forced to watch.

The kicker? It wasn’t even as bad as it should have been. The book version of this scene was much, much worse.

First, let’s remember that Sansa should not even be in Winterfell with the Boltons, let alone marrying Ramsay. This was a big divergence from the book canon, and fans of the written series were immediately concerned for Sansa’s future. They knew what happened to Ramsay’s book-bride, and hoped the same fate wouldn’t befall the Stark daughter.

Their hopes were dashed on Sunday the moment Ramsay uttered those awful words — “Take off your clothes.”

Ramsay then instructed Theon to stay and witness Sansa lose her virginity. Unimpressed with Sansa’s slow disrobing, Ramsay ripped her gown and bends her down over the bed.

From there, the showrunners opted to only zoom in on Sansa’s horrified, tearful face as it’s pressed into the bed. The shot switches to Theon, who is in emotional anguish as he watches Ramsay defile Sansa. The episode faded to black with no nudity or explicit rape visual, but it’s clear what is happening.

The scene was among the worst we’ve seen yet on the series, and sadly there have been plenty. Last season, there was a tense sexual encounter between Cersei and Jaime, when he assaulted her right next to Joffrey's dead body. This caused quite a bit of uproar among viewers.

Sansa's scene, however, was toned down a lot from the source material. Here’s how the worst possible scenario would have played out.

In the books, Ramsay marries a young girl who is being posed as a fake Arya Stark. The wedding takes place in the Godswood, where Reek/Theon gives her away in the Godswood. Ramsay orders Reek/Theon to bring “Arya” up to his bedchambers, and then to stay in the room.

So far, this is all exactly how it happens in the show.

When Reek/Theon asks why he is supposed to stay, Ramsay makes him cut both her dress and undergarments away. The girl stands there, naked, and almost moves to cover herself. Theon mouths “no” to her, as a warning, and she stops. Ramsay grins, and asks Theon (using highly explicit language) if he'd like to have his way with the bride first.

Clearly HBO felt that nude humiliation and crude language weren't needed to convey this atrocity. It was bad enough already.

Next, Ramsay instructs his new bride to get on the bed. He soon slaps and chastises her for not being aroused.

“I was told that you’d know how to please a man. Was that a lie?”

“N-no, my lord. I was t-trained.”

By trained, she means sexually assaulted and raped repeatedly in order to prepare her for the wedding night. George R.R. Martin held nothing back in explaining the awfulness of this girl's experience.

Ramsay rose, the firelight shining on his face. “Reek, get over here. Get her ready for me.”

Since Theon’s gentleman parts were flayed and cut off a while back, an impatient Ramsay instructs him to use his mouth instead. Terrified of the consequences if he refuses, Theon moves to the bed and begins the sexual assault on the girl who has already been beaten and raped repeatedly, in order to prep her for a sadistic and psychotic new husband.

The scene ends before we can see what damage Ramsay inflicts.

You can see why book fans were so worried for Sansa, and why they breathed a small sigh of relief at the conclusion of the show’s adaptation. It was difficult to watch the television version of the scene, which was stunningly acted and full of skin-crawling moments. Fans were immediately flipping out about the atrociousness of yet another rape scene.

But it was better than the darker alternative, and for that everyone should be grateful — even if we were left feeling exactly like Theon, faces smushed in anguish at the sight of Sansa being brutalized.

Entertainment Weekly spoke with the writer of this episode, Brian Cogman, and asked him if he thought the scene should have matched the book’s sadism. “Cogman looked somewhat horrified at that idea. ‘No!’ he said. ‘Lord no. No-no-no-no-no. No. It’s still a shared form of abuse that they have to endure, Sansa and Theon. But it’s not the extreme torture and humiliation that scene in the book is.’”

Thank goodness for Brian Cogman.

Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa on the show, also spoke with EW about this scene. Surprisingly, she admitted that she “kind of loved it.” But this isn't the first time that Turner has explained her love for acting out a good, old-fashioned trauma. The actress hinted at this scene last December during a brief interview at the British Film Awards.

"There was one scene which I did do which is super, super traumatic, and I love doing those scenes," she said. "It was just really kind of horrible for everyone to be on set and watch but, those kinds of scenes are what feed me. That’s why I started acting, to do all the crappy horrible stuff."

SEE ALSO: Loras has been reduced to a caricature of homosexuality on 'Game of Thrones' and no one is sure why

AND: What the grayscale talk on "Game of Thrones" means for the rest of the season

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NOW WATCH: The religion that's changing everything on 'Game of Thrones' right now

Warning: This article contains spoilers for season one of "Mad Men."

Even a character as iconic as Don Draper started on a scrap piece of paper.

Before Matthew Weiner began work on AMC's "Mad Men," his Emmy Award winning drama partially began as a failed screenplay called "The Horseshoe." 

The screenplay was intended to be 85 pages long, but the version that exists now clocks in at around 77 pages. Weiner first started working on the script in 1992, but abandoned it five years before writing the pilot for "Mad Men."

According to a plaque at the Museum of the Moving Image, where pages from "The Horseshoe" can be seen in an extensive "Mad Men" exhibit, the script "features a character named Peter who is born to a prostitute in the 1930s, is raised in a brothel, adopts a dead man's identity, and achieves success and respectability as an adult in the 1960s." This eventually formed the backstory of Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the creative director of a New York advertising agency who is haunted by his dark past. 

While we might never get to see a full film about Don Draper, at least "The Horseshoe" could inspire this character and provide for two of the best twists in "Mad Men" history.

Excerpts from the script, as well as Weiner's original notes for it, provide some fascinating insights into what eventually became of Draper and the show itself.

While "The Horseshoe" didn't directly inspire "Mad Men," it did lay the groundwork for Don Draper, as well as several other characters on the series. The pieces of the script we saw formed Don's flashback to the Korean War in the season one episode "Nixon vs. Kennedy." 

In the script pages below, a character named Peter is brought to the hospital after he survives an explosion which kills his lieutenant, Dick. Peter eventually steals his lieutenant's identity.

The "Peter" mentioned eventually became Don Draper on "Mad Men."

In the show, Dick Whitman (Jon Hamm) steals Lieutenant Don Draper's (Troy Ruptash) identity. The page below from Weiner's "Horseshoe" script describes Dick's death.

From the script:

Dick strikes a match against his shoe.

The spark of the match sets off the gas from the latrine. The whole thing EXPLODES into a million pieces.

EXT. CAMP  —  LATER

Peter lies on his face bleeding badly. He groggily tries to stand but falls back again with his face in the mud.

He looks over to Dick. Dick is dead -- his body cut in half by a wooden toilet seat.

Peter crawls to him. He touches his neck for a pulse. There is nothing. His fingers catch under Dick's gold cross.

Summoning all his strength, Peter undoes Dick's dog tags and cross and replaces them with his own.

Exhausted, he drops his face back into the dirt. He closes his eyes, unconscious.

This is the exact same way Donald Draper met his fate during the "Nixon vs. Kennedy" flashback.

The pages below later became the scene in which "Dick's" body is delivered to his family, when, in actuality, it's Donald Draper's body in the coffin.

Dick (Hamm), who has now taken the identity of his lieutenant, sneaks away on a train.

Just like on "Mad Men," Dick's younger brother Adam (also named Adam in "The Horseshoe"), spots his real brother on the train, though nobody believed him at the time.

Going through some of the script pages, "Mad Men" fans will notice some of the names in "The Horseshoe" also look familiar.

Weiner later used the name Peggy for the character of Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss). Meanwhile, Peter became Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser).

On "Mad Men," Peggy and Pete are two of the younger members of Sterling Cooper. In season one, Pete and Peggy have an affair. In "The Horseshoe," Peggy is the name of Peter's mother. 

Also interesting among the notes and scribblings which accompany "The Horseshoe" is this index card:

The card reads: "Ossining- Comes off train; Solder gets out of the way to reveal him in Business suit + Hat. Wife + Boy + Girl."

The first and last scenes of "The Horseshoe" were supposed to be set in Ossining, New York, which eventually became the setting for the Draper family home. Unfortunately, this page was not on display, and was possibly never written. 

However, the show's first episode, entitled "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," ends with Don getting off a train from New York City to Ossining where it's revealed the adulterous Draper is actually a family man.

The "Mad Men" exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image will be open until June 14.

SEE ALSO: 10 early roles of 'Mad Men' actors before they were stars

AND: Here's the 1971 Coca-Cola ad that played during the "Mad Men" finale

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NOW WATCH: The trailer for the final season of 'Mad Men' is here

Warning: Spoilers ahead

Seven years of AMC’s “Mad Men” came to a close on Sunday night and (thankfully) a lot happened.

Here are the highlights.

1. Don racing cars at the famous Bonneville Salt Flats.

We left Don at the end of last week’s episode sitting alone on the side of the road after giving his car away to a kid he had just met. To open the series finale we find him racing down the Bonneville Salt Flats testing out a car that may vie for the land speed record. After driving the car, he talks to the car’s owners about what needs to be tweaked on it before they run the car again. One owner responds: “You know a lot about cars for someone who doesn’t own one.”

2. Joan decides to go into business on her own.

If you’re a fan of “Mad Men,” it’s no surprise that Joan would one day decide to go into business on her own. Meeting with Ken Cosgrove, Joan learns that Dow Chemical is in need of a producer for a short film the company is making. With Joan’s connections, she decides to take on the role. She tried to get Peggy to leave McCann Erickson and partner with her, but we soon learn Peggy will have other things on her mind.

3. Don learns that Betty has cancer.

It seems the only person Don has been keeping in contact with during his road trip across America is his daughter, Sally. During a conversation in the finale with the two over the phone, Sally finally reveals to Don that Betty has cancer. Prepared to come back home, Don calls Betty to tell her, but Betty doesn’t want him around fighting with her about custody of their children during her final days. “I want to keep things as normal as possible,” she tells him. “And you not being here is part of that.”

4. Roger finds love… again.

The affair between Roger Sterling and Marie, the mother of Don’s ex-wife Megan, has turned out to be serious. Though they seem to be arguing as much as they make love, Roger tells Joan that he’s going to marry Marie. Roger also tells Joan that he is reworking his will so that their secret son will receive part of the Sterling fortune when Roger passes away one day.

5. Don makes it to California.

Whenever Don has had to escape in the past, he usually goes to California and the finale was no different. He shows up at the doorstep of Stephanie, the niece of Anna Draper (the wife of the real Don Draper), who he’s helped in the past. Now off the road, Don doesn’t know what to do next, but Stephanie asks him to join her at a hippie commune she’s going to up-state.

6. Peggy and Don have a final talk.

Things don’t work out well for Don at the commune. He and Stephanie have an argument and she leaves the commune in the middle of the night. Now alone with no way of leaving the secluded estate, Don begins to break down. He calls Peggy who pleads with him to come back to New York. She even tries to entice him with an account: “Don’t you want to work on Coke?”

But Don is in a dark place, telling her he’s “not the man you think I am.” When Peggy asks him, “What did you ever do that was so bad?” He replies: “I broke my vows…took another man’s name, and made nothing of it.”

He ends by telling her, “I only called because I realized I never said goodbye to you.”

7. Stan tells Peggy that he loves her.

Peggy and Stan have been working together on and off for years and there always seemed to be a spark. But in the finale, Stan finally opens up that he loves her. When Peggy calls Stan to tell her she talked to Don, the conversation soon changes to Stan telling Peggy how he feels about her. This is an obvious shock to Peggy, but she quickly realizes she love him, too. She tells Stan, “You make everything okay, you always do. No matter what.”

Stan then races to Peggy’s office while Peggy is still talking to him on the phone. The two embrace and kiss.

8. Don realizes he’s not alone.

Don sits by the payphone he used to call Peggy in a daze when a young woman from the commune convinces him to join her in a group discussion taking place. Don sits in the group completely unaware of what’s going on. But then a man named Leonard addresses the group.

"I've never been interesting to anybody,” he tells the group. “I work in an office. People walk right by me. I know they don't see me… And I go home and I watch my wife and my kids, they don't look up when I sit down… It’s like no one's cared where I've gone.”

Hearing this, Don finally snaps out of it and looks directly at Leonard.

Leonard continues:

“I had a dream I was on the shelf in the refrigerator. Someone closes the door and the light goes off, and I know everybody's out there eating. And they open the door and you see everyone smiling and they are happy to see you but maybe they don't look right at you and maybe they don't pick you. And then the door closes again, the light goes off.”

Leonard begins to sob. Don stands and embraces Leonard.

In the final shot of the series, Don is still at the commune. Meditating as the sun raises from the Pacific Ocean in the background. He smiles and then a jump cut goes to this advertisement for Coke from 1971.

Since the finale has aired there’s been much discussion behind the meaning of the mysterious ending.  

SEE ALSO: Much of the backstory for "Mad Men" came from a movie script the creator never finished

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NOW WATCH: Disney just dropped another 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' trailer — and it's the best one yet

In 2009, the child actors set to portray the Stark family gathered together at a book signing. Six years later, their characters fates have made this photo absolutely gut-wrenching to see. 

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD for "Game of Thrones"

Starting at the bottom left, you can see Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Alfie Allen, Richard Madden, and Kit Harington. They play Arya Stark, Sansa Stark, Theon "Reek" Greyjoy, Robb Stark, and Jon Snow, respectively.

Arya is now separated from her family, and training to become an assassin. Sansa just underwent a traumatic sexual assault at the hands of a new psycho husband. And Theon, who has been tortured into "Reek", had to stand and watch the rape take place. Robb was killed at his uncle's wedding, along with his mother and bannermen. And Jon is now Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, bound by vows and unable to avenge his family. 

This shot was snapped by photographer Jac Mac, and there are more great captured moments from this even on his Flickr page.

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NOW WATCH: HBO's 'Game of Thrones' got the Iron Throne all wrong

Warning: Spoilers ahead

We finally learned the fate of Don Draper on Sunday’s series finale of "Mad Men."

For many, it was a surprise to see Don receive such a tame farewell as he sat in meditation on the Pacific Coast.

But looking back on the pilot episode of the series, there’s a moment that not only explains how Don sees life, but explains how things would turn out for him on the show.

It’s a scene between Don and potential client Rachel Menken (Maggie Siff) towards the end of the episode. Don invites Rachel out for drinks to apologize for the way he treated her at their meeting that afternoon.

Then the conversation turns more personal when Rachel admits the main reason she’s not married is because she’s never been in love.

Draper: "She won’t get married because she’s never been in love? I think I wrote that to sell nylons."

Menken: "For a lot of people love isn’t just a slogan…"

Draper: "What you call love was invented by guys like me to sell nylons. You’re born alone and you die alone and the world just throws a bunch of rules on top of you to forget those facts. But I never forget. I live like there’s no tomorrow because there isn’t one."

Menken: "I don’t think I realized it until this moment but it must be hard being a man, too… Mr. Draper, I don’t know what it is you really believe in but I do know what it feels like to be out of place, to be disconnected, to see the whole world laid out in front of you the way other people live it. There’s something about you that tells me you know it too."

Following Rachel's remarks, Don’s confidence is completely shattered and he turns back into Dick Whitman (his real name from his childhood).

Look at Don’s reaction once Rachel is done talking.

This back and forth showed two things to the audience that they would have to remember for the rest of the show:

1.  That Don wants everyone to believe that he doesn’t care about anyone and will live his life only how he sees fit.

2. When he meets someone who has had a similar “disconnected” existence as him, he can’t help but pull closer to them.

This is evident with Rachel, who he begins to sleep with in season one of the show, and even tells her he grew up with a prostitute for a mother and a drunk for a father. Like most of the women in Don’s life, Rachel figures him out and leaves him. But Don always had a soft spot for Rachel. Her ghost even appears as a vision to Don following her death in the last season. 

Sunday’s final episode finds Don in the same predicament he was in that evening with Rachel back on the pilot.

Completely disconnected from anyone who ever loved him and sitting with a blank stare at a hippie commune, he meets Leonard.

The two are sitting in a group discussion when Leonard takes the hot seat and tells the group, “I’ve never been interesting to anybody. I work in an office. People walk right by me…I go home and I watch my wife and my kids, they don't look up when I sit down… It’s like no one's cared where I've gone.”

Leonard, like Don and Rachel, is out of place and sees the world laid out in front of him the way other people live it. He drives that home by telling the group a dream he had.

“I had a dream I was on the shelf in the refrigerator. Someone closes the door and the light goes off, and I know everybody's out there eating. And they open the door and you see everyone smiling and they are happy to see you but maybe they don't look right at you and maybe they don't pick you. And then the door closes again, the light goes off.”

Hearing this leads to Don's transformation back to Dick Whitman once again. And Don can’t help but to react once more.

In this case, with Leonard weeping, Don stands up, walks to Leonard and embraces him. Neither are alone anymore.

SEE ALSO: Here's the 1971 Coca-Cola ad that played during the 'Mad Men' finale

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NOW WATCH: Disney just released a new 'Star Wars: Episode VII' trailer and it's incredible

CNBC's "The Profit" host Marcus Lemonis will be doing something he's never had to do before on Tuesday's episode: convince someone to take a paycheck.

On the series, the entrepreneur visits small businesses that need a lot of help and his expertise. Lemonis has invested more than $20 million of his own money in the companies featured on the show.

On the next episode, Lemonis revisits businesses from the previous two seasons of the business makeover show to see how they fared after his help and the cameras stopped rolling. One in particular, Syosset, New York's Unique Salon and Spa, continues to hold a special place in Lemonis' heart.

During Season 2, Lemonis met hardworking salon owner Carolyn DeVito, who was struggling with immense money losses and a lack of clients. He gave her salon a makeover, helped reduce the inefficient layers of management and invested his own money in the business.

But during this new visit, he learned that while the spa was making money DeVito wasn't taking home a regular paycheck.

"Never in all my years have I had to demand that someone take a paycheck," Lemonis said on the episode. "And it's not OK with me, but it says a lot about Carolyn."

Watch Business Insider's exclusive sneak peek of Tuesday's "Progress Report" episode below and see if Lemonis can convince DeVito to take home a salary.

 "The Profit" airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on CNBC.

SEE ALSO: The man who saved CNBC is the biggest winner following NBC's Brian Williams disaster

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NOW WATCH: How To Get The Salary You Really Want

Warning: Spoilers ahead

One of the most fulfilling moments from Sunday’s series finale of “Mad Men” was seeing Peggy Olson find love.

Throughout the show, Peggy was a fan favorite for the major reason that she seemed to be the most relatable of the bunch.

And as we saw her rise through the ranks in her profession, we also watched her heartache in the romance department.

But Sunday night she learned her longtime art director, Stan Rizzo, wanted to be more than just friends.

It kind of feels like Peggy and Stan were already in a relationship. They always would talk over the phone after hours and bickered like an old married couple.

And after their latest quarrel, Stan finally let his feelings be known.

Peggy called Stan to tell him she finally heard from Don. But eventually she apologizes for their latest argument, which had to do with her possibly leaving McCann Erickson to start a company with Joan.

Stan: ”You're going to do great no matter what you do…[I don’t want you to go but] every time I'm face to face with you I want to strangle you… Then I miss you when I go away, and then I call you and I get the person I want to talk to.

I think about how you came into my life and you drove me crazy and now I don't even know what to do with myself because all I want to do is be with you.

I want to be with you, I'm in love with you."

Peggy: ”What?"

Stan: ”I love you, Peggy."

Peggy: ”I don't know what to say…I mean, I don't even think about you. But I do, all the time. Because you're there. And you're here (touches her heart) and you make everything ok, you always do. No matter what. I mean, I must be, because you're always right. I can't believe this, but I think I'm in love with you, too. I really do." 

The line goes quiet and Peggy doesn’t know what happened to Stan. And then suddenly he shows up at her office doorway.

And then this happens.

(h/t Vulture) 

SEE ALSO: The 8 best moments from last night’s 'Mad Men' series finale

MORE: This moment in the pilot episode of ‘Mad Men’ predicted how Don Draper would end up

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NOW WATCH: How the stars of AMC's blockbuster 'Mad Men' changed over the years

TV producer Greg Berlanti is sitting on top of a mound of success right now.

With three shows renewed for next season (NBC's "Mysteries of Laura," CW's "Flash" and "Arrow") and three series just ordered for fall (CBS's "Supergirl," NBC's "Blindspot"and CW's "DC's Legends of Tomorrow"), Berlanti has to shoulder a lot of pressure.

How does he balance all six shows? He surrounds himself with talented people and steps back.

“Honestly, I’m so reliant on others,” Berlanti said in an interview with Variety. “It’s the long-term relationships I’ve had that allow me to do multiple things, because you have a shorthand with these people.”

He said that he learned to lean on others after joining The WB's cult-favorite show "Dawson's Creek" in its second season (when in his mid-20s) and then rising quickly to the rank of showrunner.

“I learned that I really rely on other writers — that I can break stories quickly, but I can’t write quickly,” Berlanti, 42, said. “I learned that it’s OK that I’m not great at everything, that there are a lot of things that I may never be as good at as some of the other people I hired. Don’t be threatened by that. Co-opt that. Be good at the stuff you’re good at, but also know what you’re not as strong at.”

While he's trusting his producing partners and seldom spends time on-set, Berlanti said it's important that his colleagues know that "they can always reach" him.

And while the longtime comic book nerd finds himself at the center of TV's superhero boom, Berlanti doesn't let the costumes, special effects and superhuman abilities crowd his judgment of a show's quality.

“The first thing I always do is ask, ‘What is the show if you took away (super) powers?’ ” he said. “I only know, as a fan, what I would want to see.” 

As if his TV ventures weren't enough, Berlanti has a feature film to tend to as well. "Pan," a Peter Pan origin story, counts Hugh Jackman, Rooney Mara and Amanda Seyfried among its stars. It's set to hit theaters in October.

SEE ALSO: 45 new TV shows that just got picked up by networks

MORE: 5 things we learned about the big TV networks from this week's upfronts

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NOW WATCH: Here's what 'Game of Thrones' stars look like in real life

Following Sunday night's series finale of the AMC drama “Mad Men,” which hit a record ratings high, the New York Times talked to lead actor Jon Hamm about this thoughts on the finale.

Hamm said that he and "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner talked about the ending “for a long time,” and that the show runner was fixated on the finale ending with Draper’s eyes closed and a smile on his face.

Here’s Hamm's interpretation of that moment, and the Coca-Cola ad that followed:

"My take is that, the next day, he wakes up in this beautiful place, and has this serene moment of understanding, and realizes who he is. And who he is, is an advertising man. And so, this thing comes to him. There’s a way to see it in a completely cynical way, and say, 'Wow, that’s awful.' But I think that for Don, it represents some kind of understanding and comfort in this incredibly unquiet, uncomfortable life that he has led. There was a little bit of a crumb dropped earlier in the season when Ted says there are three women in every man’s life, and Don says, 'You’ve been sitting on that for a while, huh?' There are, not coincidentally, three person to person phone calls that Don makes in this episode, to three women who are important to him for different reasons. You see the slow degeneration of his relationships with those women over the course of those phone calls."

The emotional phone call Don has with Peggy was a challenge to shoot. Hamm explains:

"[With January Jones and Kiernan Shipka], we shot those on set. So you can actually have the person sitting right off camera, reading the lines to you. [For Elisabeth Moss], we were three and a half hours up the [California] coast, on the edge of a cliff. When he hangs up with Peggy, that was an incredibly difficult scene to shoot. We were in the middle of nowhere, and they were going to just have someone else read the lines, off-screen, for me. Elisabeth wasn’t there, but both Elisabeth and I suggested that it might be better if we could have an actual connection on the phone. So she was on the other end of the phone. I’m sure there are other takes of that scene where I’m much more emotional, and Matthew chose to use the ones that are a little more confused and restrained. He’s completely bereft, and because of that, he is then open to hearing this information and this story from this stranger."

Hamm believes how we leave the characters in the finale is not necessarily how their lives will turn out:

"The world doesn’t blow up right after the Coke commercial ends. No one is suggesting that Stan and Peggy live happily ever after, or that Joan’s business is a rousing success, or that Roger and Marie come back from Paris together. None of it is done. Matt had said at one point, 'I just want my characters to be a little more happy than they were in the beginning,' and I think that’s pretty much true. But these aren’t the last moments of any of these characters’ lives, including Betty. She doesn’t have much time left, but damn if she’s not going to spend it the way she wants to spend it."

Hamm said at a Television Academy event last weekend that after playing Don Draper he’s going to “fade into nothingness and no one will remember me.” Does he really believe that?

I think every actor thinks that when they end a job. You only hope that something else comes along. Do I think I will fade into obscurity? Hopefully not yet. But probably at some point, I will. Because that’s the nature of all things flesh. That’s how it works. It’s a hell of a thing, to end something like this. Is my melancholy seeping through enough? [laughs] In a much more healthy sense, we all put this show to bed quite some time ago, and said our goodbyes and cried our tears. Everybody’s moved on. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone else’s next things. As I said to someone, I’ll see you on 'The Love Boat.' And if you print that, somebody, somewhere, is going to pitch that.

Read Hamm's full interview with The New York Times here.

SEE ALSO: This moment in the pilot episode of "Mad Men" predicted how Don Draper would end up

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