The Worst Possible Thing Has Happened

March 20, 2012 4:25 PM

Mad Men 5 is screening in the UK soon. How will us non SKY subscribers cope?

I just found out that Mad Men series 5 will be screening in the UK soon. But, ARGHH!! It's been lost to SKY!!!

I've looked on iTunes -- from where I previously bought the first series -- but there's no mention of it in the UK store. I guess it won't be on there until the DVD's out but I don't want to wait until the series has finished and all the spoilers are out.

Is there a service that will offer Mad Men 5 to download?

I refuse to spend my hard earned overdraft on Murdoch.

posted by run"monty to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

From past experience in hunting down US TV shows, I very much doubt you'll find a legal paid download service outside of iTunes. Apple might be waiting on the UK airdate (which I think is a few days after the US one) to show it in the store, or maybe the Murdoch empire isn't letting them have it.

Otherwise, I'd recommend finding a torrent tracker you can trust and throwing in your lot with a certain bunch of scurvy fellows. There are plenty of ways to do it. Google will be your friend.
posted by fight or flight at 4:38 PM on March 20, 2012

I'd just torrent/usenet them all as they air and then buy the blu ray when it comes out. If you're like me, watching Mad Men months after it airs is not an option, and this is somewhat ethical. Potentially even more of the blu ray sale goes to AMC(the fantasitc networm who bankrolls the show and is perpetually short on cash) than however SKY works (I have never heard of SKY)
posted by Patbon at 6:26 PM on March 20, 2012

Network*
posted by Patbon at 6:26 PM on March 20, 2012

Usenet would be your best bet. Because of its popularity, Mad Men usually shows up within 20 to 30 minutes of being aired on AMC. Memail me if you want specifics of how usenet works and the best options for it. Be prepared to spend a small amount of money to have access to a decent server and/or access to an NZB aggregator (but a much smaller amount than your SKY bill).
posted by kuanes at 4:24 AM on March 21, 2012

Patbon - Sky is a satellite/digital TV service, for which subscribers have to pay monthly. It's owned by Rupert Murdoch. Mad Men used to show on the BBC, but Sky bought it to show on their Sky Atlantic channel (also home to Boardwark Empire, Game of Thrones and a bunch of other imports). I think the show airs the day after it does in the US, but I don't have the service either.
posted by mippy at 4:55 AM on March 21, 2012

Oh - and you can't just subscribe to one channel, you have to buy a bunch, which gets expensive.
posted by mippy at 4:55 AM on March 21, 2012

Parts of that sound awful, but I'm digging a mega channel of all the best American "Dramas"

But anyway, with that explanation, still going to say I think you're ethically in the clear (if you even care) if you download them illegally then pay for a DVD/Blu Ray later
posted by Patbon at 11:48 AM on March 21, 2012

For what it's worth, I notice that iTunes is offering the current season of House, which is also (AFAIK) a Sky-only series these days. (I would be pleased to learn otherwise...) So perhaps Mad Men 5 will show up there a week or so after its premiere on Sky.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 2:05 PM on March 21, 2012

How would I know whether/when it would be coming to iTunes? Does anyone publish details like that?
posted by run"monty at 2:07 PM on March 21, 2012