'Mad Men' ratings fall after Emmy win

File this under "Why winning Emmys does not matter."

After making history as the first basic cable series to win an Emmy for best drama, AMC's acclaimed "Mad Men" actually lost viewers Sunday night.

Sunday's episode -- the first to air since the awards -- was seen by 1.6 million. The previous Sept. 14 episode drew 1.9 million. (On Emmy night, AMC aired a "Mad Men" repeat.)

Though Emmys have long been considered to be an unreliable way to draw a larger audience, AMC's modest ratings base seemed ripe for potential growth -- even a fractional number of Emmy viewers checking out the show could have moved the needle. "Men" took home two awards from the primetime ceremony, and four creative arts trophies.

If not for winning the Emmy gold, a certain amount of "Men" ratings drop would have been unsurprising this week. Sunday was the first "Men" episode to air against in-season broadcast competition, such as ABC's "Brothers & Sisters."

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