AMC's Mad Men may be one of the biggest shows on television now, but creator Matthew Weiner knows ad agency drama wasn't poised for success right out of the gate.

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"I had a very non-formulaic way of telling a story," Weiner told Variety on Friday. "I felt that that sort of non-verbal, non-dialogue driven psychological storytelling was more European, very internal, and symbolic in places that's not considered part of the American language even though we did invent it."

Weiner instead compared his concept for Mad Men as something more in line with a "French movie" and knew that bringing it to an American network wouldn't be easy. "There were no discernible TV stars in it, and it seemed like it was going to be a tough sell," explained the creator and writer, who subsequently launched the careers of actors like Jon Hamm (Don Draper) through the series.

While Weiner had suspected the series might do well in France, Mad Men ended up becoming a huge success across the world. "In England it exploded," he said. "It became really popular, almost immediately even." The drama went on to air in other countries, bringing the show to a whole new level of fame.

"The idea that this show is playing in so many different cultures makes you feel like you are telling a more universal story, which was my intention," added Weiner. "It is a vote of confidence for the idea that if you tell a story that's very specific, if it's true about humanity, then it will cross cultural and language barriers."

Mad Men is currently on hiatus, but on Monday Weiner will receive the honorary International Emmy Founders Award during a New York ceremony.

"I can never get over being recognized for the show," admitted Weiner to Variety. "And it's very exciting to me that I have succeeded at something that I have just gotten used to, just in time for it to end."

Mad Men will return to AMC to finish its seventh and final season in the spring of 2015.

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Mad Men, AMC