Will the 'Mad Men' survive?

My favorite show is finally returning to TV.

The last episode of “Mad Men” originally aired Oct. 17, 2010.

So it’s understandable that icy ad man Don Draper (Jon Hamm) sounds a bit nervous about his acclaimed drama returning to AMC.

The two-hour season premiere of “Mad Men” on March 25 follows a prolonged hiatus due to negotiations between the network and series creator Matthew Weiner.

“Ideally, if you’re a fan of the show and it’s been off the air for a year and a half you’ll be excited for it to come back on,” Hamm says in a promo video posted on AMC’s website. “Hopefully, the absence in this case has made the heart grow fonder.”

The first basic cable series to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, “Mad Men” has taken home the trophy in each of its first four seasons starting in 2008.

That makes it one of the most acclaimed shows in television history.

But not exactly a huge crowd-pleaser.

Alas, more people do watch that “(expletive) idiot” Kim Kardashian — Hamm’s term, not mine, no, never — over on E!

But how many of the loyal viewers of “Mad Men” will return after such a long absence?

Seventeen months.

That’s a lot to ask.

To quote Hamm again:

“Hopefully, the absence in this case has made the heart grow fonder.”