EXCLUSIVE: What did Hawaii look like in the late 1960s? We’ll get a glimpse in the Season 6 premiere of AMC’s Mad Men. I’ve learned that the New York-set drama series is headed for a secretive two-day shoot on the islands. Sources say it will involve actors Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare, who play husband and wife Don and Megan Draper on the ad agency show. The two, joined by a very small crew, are expected to leave Sunday. As usual, Mad Men mastermind Matt Weiner is keeping things close to the vest, but I hear that the scenes will be part of Mad Men‘s sixth-season premiere. I hear Weiner and fellow Mad Men executive producer Scott Hornbacher did location scouting in Hawaii in late September. There is speculation that the scouting trip had not been authorized by Lionsgate TV, which produces the Emmy-winning drama, and that the studio may have initially objected to the shoot. Weiner and Lionsgate have long tussled over the budget for the series, which I hear has been substantially increased going into Season 6.

Season 5 of Mad Men ended with Hamm’s Don Draper sitting alone at a bar after helping Megan book an acting job with his connections — helping her advance in a career that has strained their relationship. A woman approaches him asking if he is alone, and the scene ends with him pondering the question.