AMC has announced the end of an era, revealing the final seven episodes of Mad Men will begin airing on Sunday, April 5, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

The first half of the show's seventh and final season wrapped up in May 2014, with the partners of SC&P bidding farewell to an original cast member while embarking on a new journey as an independent subsidiary of formerly rival ad firm McCann Erickson.

"What an incredible journey this has been," Mad Men creator Matt Weiner said in a statement. "I take great pride in what the entire Mad Men team was able to create episode after episode, season after season. We sincerely thank the fans for joining us on this ride and hope it has meant as much to them as it has to us."

AMC President Charlie Collier put Mad Men, a series that predates other AMC breakout hits Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, into wider context.

"Mad Men is the show that put AMC on the map. Period. It is impossible to overstate the impact it has had on AMC, and I would argue, this era of television," he said. "We are honored to forever be the birthplace and home of this iconic series and we can't wait to share its artful conclusion with the fans. From the first shot, Matthew, his cast and crew handcrafted something truly distinctive for the screen, the very definition of premium television on basic cable. We will miss the remarkable people, the consistently exquisite program, and of course, the free scotch and cigarettes in our vending machines."

Mad Men premiered in July 2007. After almost eight years, 92 episodes and thousands of cigarettes, the series finale will air on May 17.