NEW YORK.- A New York exhibition featuring sets, costumes and props from hit television series "Mad Men" has been extended by popular demand until September, the Museum of the Moving Image said Tuesday.

It comes two weeks after 3.3 million viewers watched the final episode of the award-winning show, which charted the tangled lives of Manhattan advertising executives in the middle of the last century.

The exhibition, which opened in March and was initially scheduled to close in June, will now run through the summer until September 6, said museum executive director Carl Goodman.

"Given the extraordinary popularity of the exhibition, which has attracted a broader public beyond fans of the show, the museum is very pleased to extend its run," he announced.

The museum was unable to say how many people had visited but said attendance was double the average attendance from a year ago during the first month the exhibition was on view.

The May 17 "Mad Men" finale, which ended with tormented anti-hero Don Draper (Jon Hamm) appearing to find ad inspiration at a Californian coastal retreat, was widely praised by critics.

The drama, created by Matthew Weiner and set between the late 1950s and early 1970s, won four Golden Globes and 15 Emmys.

Visitors to the museum can step into Don's office, and his and Betty Draper's colonial-style kitchen -- so true to life that even the cheese grater appears stained by years of use.

Among more than 30 costumes on display is a black cocktail dress worn by Don's secretary-turned-new wife Megan and some of the hourglass attire that has made Hendricks an international sex symbol.

The "Mad Men" writers' room has also been partially reconstructed, featuring the conference table and chairs, trucked over from Los Angeles where the team met daily to prep storylines.

Another highlight are journal entries that Weiner made in the 1990s -- 15 years before the series came to television.



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