Don't Panic! Rich Sommer Tweets, Explains Uncertainty Over Mad Men Season 5

Oh, Twitter. Crib of gossip, wellspring of panic. That's what we get for reading Rich Sommer's disclosure a little while ago that not only is he not returning to work on Mad Men any time soon, he doesn't know if Mad Men itself is returning to work any time soon -- if ever. But just to be clear, that's not what he meant. Allow him to explain?

It all started with Thursday's tweet, "Just wrapped my CSI episode, and tomorrow I wrap Curb. Then I am unemployed. Doo dee doo," which begat the the tweet above. That, as you can imagine, didn't quite please the teeming hordes of Mad Men obsessives looking for any scrap of reassurance that AMC is bringing the three-time Emmy-winner back for a fifth season. Things went south from there (AMC reps haven't responded to my request for comment, probably because they haven't gotten to it yet), prompting Sommer's subsequent explanation on his Tumblr:

Hoo boy. Sometimes I forget about the Internet. [...]

What I meant:

I am aware that all parties involved are currently negotiating the next season of Mad Men and beyond. Nothing official has been stated yet as far as a pickup, although it is a safe bet -- very safe bet -- that the show will return in its usual fashion.

That being said, as an actor who used to be unemployed a lot, and as a father of two, I choose to operate under certain pretenses, until I hear otherwise. Meaning: until I get my official pickup, I am squirreling away money and seeing a shrink to help me cope with being in this business. I will return to calm when we get the official word.

In the future, I will try to remain a bit more clear on statements like this. I idi [sic] not intend to start the sh*t storm I've clearly started, and I did not intend to ruin anyone's day, fans and coworkers alike.

That is all. Retreating to my hole now. Goodbye.

Aw! Well, this was the conclusion anyone probably would have drawn -- the renewal, that is, not the shrink and the hole -- so don't be hard yourself, Rich. Still: Yes, watch out for the Internet, and good luck with the renewal. To the rest of you: You will have to find another false online panic to fritter away the remainder of your work week. How about Joe Scarborough's suspension? Or only one end zone at tomorrow's Northwestern/Illinois game at Wrigley Field? Be creative!

· @richsommer