Mad Men

Mad Men
Show name	Mad Men
Caption	Promotional poster
Genre	Period drama
Creator	Matthew Weiner
Starring	Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Robert Morse, Kiernan Shipka
Country	United States
Language	English
Num episodes	92
Executive producer	Matthew Weiner, Scott Hornbacher, Michael Uppendahl
Runtime	45–55 minutes
Company	Lionsgate Television, AMC Studios
Network	AMC
First aired	July 19, 2007
Last aired	May 17, 2015

Mad Men

Mad Men is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner that premiered on AMC in 2007 and concluded in 2015. Set primarily in a mid‑20th century advertising agency on Madison Avenue in New York City, the series follows the professional and personal lives of agency employees and their interactions with clients such as Lucky Strike and corporations within the Fortune 500. The show foregrounds the career of ad executive Don Draper and explores intersections with contemporaneous institutions including The New York Times, Time, The Washington Post, and cultural shifts marked by events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Civil Rights Movement.

Premise and Setting

The series is set chiefly in the 1960s at the fictional advertising agency Sterling Cooper and later Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, located on Madison Avenue in New York City. Storylines engage with historical touchstones such as the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Space Race, and the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, alongside corporate clients like Kodak, Heinz, and Jaguar Cars. The workplace milieu reflects interactions with contemporary institutions including CBS, NBC, Time, and The New York Times, while characters travel to locales like Los Angeles, Miami, Paris, and Las Vegas as the narrative examines regional marketing practices and postwar American consumer culture.

Cast and Characters

The ensemble cast includes Jon Hamm as the enigmatic ad executive Don Draper; Elisabeth Moss as secretary-turned-copywriter Peggy Olson; Vincent Kartheiser as copywriter Pete Campbell; January Jones as Betty Draper; Christina Hendricks as office manager Joan Holloway; John Slattery as Roger Sterling; Robert Morse as creative director Bert Cooper; and Kiernan Shipka as Sally Draper. Recurring portrayals feature actors who interact with historical figures and institutions such as Marvin Gaye-era music references, clients like Heinz and Kodak, and social circles connected to venues like The Algonquin Hotel. Guest appearances include performers linked to productions and companies such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and advertising legends inspired by real agencies like Ogilvy & Mather.

Production and Development

Created by Matthew Weiner after his work on The Sopranos, the show was developed with production companies including Lionsgate Television and premiered on AMC. Principal cinematography and set design invoked period details drawn from archives such as the Museum of the City of New York and collections referencing agencies like Ogilvy & Mather and BBDO. Writers' room veterans included producers who had worked on series for HBO and FX, while directors rotated among filmmakers with credits at Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, and Focus Features. Costume design teams consulted fashion archives reflecting designers like Claire McCardell and fashion houses associated with Paris Fashion Week.

Themes and Style

The series examines identity, advertising, gender, and class through character arcs intersecting with institutions such as The American Advertising Federation and cultural movements including the Second-wave feminism and the Counterculture of the 1960s. Stylistically, the show employs midcentury modern production design influenced by architects and designers represented at the Museum of Modern Art and soundtrack choices encompassing labels and performers tied to Capitol Records, Motown Records, and Atlantic Records. Narrative techniques echo serialized dramas like The Sopranos and period reconstructions comparable to Boardwalk Empire and Downton Abbey.

Reception and Impact

The series received acclaim from critics at outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, and The Atlantic, and stimulated scholarly analysis across disciplines in journals published by presses like Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. Its influence extended to renewed interest in midcentury design at institutions like the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and commercial revivals for brands including Madison Avenue agencies and advertising firms. The show impacted careers of principal cast members and led to retrospectives at festivals and screenings hosted by entities like the Sundance Film Festival and the Paley Center for Media.

Awards and Nominations

The series won multiple awards from institutions including the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, the Writers Guild of America Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Jon Hamm received individual recognition from bodies such as the Critics' Choice Television Awards and nominations from the BAFTA Awards for his performance, while the series earned accolades for writing, directing, costume design, and production design from organizations including the Art Directors Guild and the Costume Designers Guild.

Category:American television drama series