Jon Hamm got ahead of AMC when he revealed that "Mad Men" would return to the air on March 25 for the show's fifth season, a date confirmed by sources.

Hamm mentioned the date offhandedly while appearing on Doug Benson's podcast "Doug Loves Movies," where he competed in a movie trivia tournament and bantered with fellow guests Anthony Jesknik and Paul F. Tompkins. "In 40 years you'll be a ... has-been," Jeselnik teased Don Draper's alter ego. "You're right, Anthony," Hamm responded without skipping a beat. "I look forward to the ensuing 40 years of awesomeness, however."

The next season of "Mad Men" has been long delayed (Season 4 ended in the fall of 2010), at least in part by drawn-out contract negotiations among creator Matt Weiner, AMC and Lionsgate. Weiner previously expressed dismay about how that situation played out: "It was public, and there was no reason for that. But ... the most important things for me are that after it's over, I get to go back to work and that we get to do three more years of the show."

Now fans can mark their calendars and look forward to the season premiere, reported to be directed by Hamm himself.

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-- Joy Press

Photo: Jon Hamm. Credit: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times