Guess what thing just became a little less gay? And by less, we mean it will never be gay again (unless, by some miracle, Don ends up in a mano-a-mano-lady-somewhere 3Some.) That’s right, it’s Mad Men. Word broke today that (spoiler?) actor Bryan Batt, better known as the flamingly g Salvatore Romano, has not been asked back to be a part of Season 4 of Mad Men. Quothe TV Guide Magazine:
With the shooting of Season 4 set to begin in March, Bryan Batt is worried that he’s out of a job. “I was supposed to be notified by December 31, and nothing,” says the actor.
It sounds as though Bryan’s concerns are warranted. “We don’t murder people on our show, but for there to be any stakes, there have to be consequences,” says creator Matthew Weiner, a former Sopranos scribe who has killed at will. Losing Bryan, he says, “was a tough moment for the show, but that’s where we are. I know how people felt about Bryan. I obviously love working with him, and he has been an indelible character since the pilot. But I felt it was an expression of the times that he couldn’t work there anymore. It’s the ultimate case of sexual harassment.”
No Salvatore? Blaspheme. Salvatore and his closeted ways were one of the most touching and sad things about last season. And some of his love scenes rivaled Don and Betty’s in the Steaminess-OMG-Is-This-Happening? category. While we understand Weiner’s reasoning (heh), we still can’t imagine that there isn’t some sort of well-decorated gay loophole out there that would allow for the return of Salvatore. Who is going to bring us showtunes and joy next season??? Cosgrove? No thanks. Please find a way to bring back Sal, even if it’s as the local Johnny Cakes cook.
TTFN, Sal.