Mad Men (2007– )

A drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.

Creator:

Matthew Weiner

Stars:

Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser

Won 4 Golden Globes. Another 61 wins & 155 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Jon Hamm	...	Don Draper (78 episodes, 2007-2013)
Elisabeth Moss	...	Peggy Olson (78 episodes, 2007-2013)
Vincent Kartheiser	...	Pete Campbell (78 episodes, 2007-2013)
January Jones	...	Betty Draper (78 episodes, 2007-2013)
Christina Hendricks	...	Joan Harris (78 episodes, 2007-2013)
Aaron Staton	...	Ken Cosgrove (78 episodes, 2007-2013)
Rich Sommer	...	Harry Crane (78 episodes, 2007-2013)
John Slattery	...	Roger Sterling (75 episodes, 2007-2013)
Kiernan Shipka	...	Sally Draper (75 episodes, 2007-2013)
Robert Morse	...	Bertram Cooper (66 episodes, 2007-2013)
Michael Gladis	...	Paul Kinsey (40 episodes, 2007-2012)
Bryan Batt	...	Salvatore Romano (39 episodes, 2007-2009)
Christopher Stanley	...	Henry Francis (39 episodes, 2009-2013)
Jared Harris	...	Lane Pryce (35 episodes, 2009-2012)
Jessica Paré	...	Megan Draper (35 episodes, 2010-2013)
Alison Brie	...	Trudy Campbell (34 episodes, 2007-2013)
Jay R. Ferguson	...	Stan Rizzo (32 episodes, 2010-2013)

Storyline

The lives of the men and women who work in an advertising agency in New York in the 1960s. The agency is enjoying success, but the advertising game becomes more competitive as the industry develops. The agency must adapt to ensure its survival. Don Draper is a talented ad executive at the top of his game, but the secrets from his past and his present threaten to topple his work and family life.

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Plot Keywords:

executive | 1960s | new york | advertising | advertising agency | 

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Taglines:

Where The Truth Lies ...

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ljudi sa Menhetna

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Center Studios - 450 S. Bixel Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate Television, Weiner Bros., American Movie Classics (AMC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At a 2013 Q&A session at the Paley Center for Media, Matthew Weiner said that he had already told his wife and a few writers about how he plans to end the whole series. He also said that "he's been told it's a disaster, but he's going with it [anyway]."

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Goofs

Episodes from Season 1 to Season 3 feature rotary phones with clear plastic finger wheels. These episodes take place before 1964, when the plastic wheel was introduced. Before that, the finger wheels were black and metal.

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Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #7.26 (2008)

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Soundtracks

"A Beautiful Mine"
(uncredited)
Composed by Rjd2
Performed by Rjd2
[theme music performed over opening titles]

User Reviews

Impeccable...

This is a perfect show in every sense. The opening credits & animated intro are themselves works of art, and the creative direction makes the series so visually exquisite that you can't take your eyes off the screen even for a moment lest you miss one of the many perfect vignettes. The haunting opening music sets the stage for masterful sound design, ranging from each episode's musical selections to the subtlest of ambient sounds. The camera-work is nothing short of stunning; it loves each character and makes even the background action interesting. Talented cast and every character is watchable & believable.

For a period piece, 'Mad Men' is remarkably fresh. The show is set in 1960, following a decade of post-WWII recovery which, with the help of rampant consumerism, transformed America from an industrial society into a "leisure society". One of the most rewarding things about the show is how we get to witness the many cracks which had already begun to form in the manicured facade of the '50s, slowly making way for America's rebellion against the manufactured "good life", and resulting in the social & political upheaval of the 1960s and 1970s.

We get to have intimate glimpses into the various components of this process--money, power, politics, sex, race, gender roles-- in a way that makes us feel as if we're actually there in the room with the characters. The show also does a magnificent job of portraying the simultaneous liberation and objectification of women as consumerism rapidly transformed their role in society.

Each and every well-developed character on this show takes his/her turn to unfold in delicate layers. This unfolding is done with pin-point precision and subtlety, and without ever spoon-feeding us. And every new nugget of information is a highly relevant piece of this very addictive puzzle.

~NN