Mad Men
Mad Men
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Mad Men

"Where the truth lies."

8.1
Yr 2007
Status Ended
Drama
Your Verdict
Unrated

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Series Brief

Overview

Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 75 /100

Critical reception for Mad Men is polarized, balancing high praise for its sophisticated storytelling and period detail against criticism regarding its characters' rampant moral failings. Proponents laud the series as a groundbreaking, slow-burn drama that offers a compelling look at 1960s American culture through the lens of a prestigious advertising agency.

Conversely, some reviewers have found the show's focus on indulged, "over-indulgent" characters flat or alienating. While some critics praise the show for its artistic ambition and "retro charm," others have felt the series occasionally struggles to balance its glossy, stylized aesthetic with a hollow narrative core, or complicates its social commentary by making poor behavior appear glamorous.

“Mad Men is both a drama and a comedy and all the better for it, a series that breaks new ground by luxuriating in the not-so-distant past.”

“I could find absolutely nothing appealing or redemptive in that bratty group of over-indulgent, spoiled clothes hounds.”

“While Mad Men sometimes makes bad behavior look oh so glamorous, the series also offers a kind of social commentary.”

“If the pieces are in place for Mad Men to break big, why does its center feel so hollow?”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

HBO Max Amazon Channel
UK • US
AMC Plus Apple TV channel
CA • US
CBC Gem
CA
Show 11 more
Disney Plus
UK • CA
Lionsgate+ Amazon Channels
UK
HBO Max
US
AMC+ Amazon Channel
US • CA
AMC+
US • CA
YouTube TV
US
Philo
US
Spectrum On Demand
US
Xumo Play
US
Plex
US
Plex Channel
US
Why fans love it

Mad Men strips away easy nostalgia to reveal the dark, sharp-edged reality of a 1960s New York advertising agency. Rather than leaning into overt melodrama, the period drama operates with an understated confidence. It finds its tension inside executive offices, tracking the ruthlessly competitive atmosphere of Madison Avenue alongside the intricate workplace politics that define every marketing pitch.

The series does not look away from the era's flaws, taking a direct look at pervasive workplace harassment and executive ambition. Anchored by Jon Hamm, the narrative treats its characters with patient precision. The result is a layered portrait of reinvention and corporate maneuvering, where a quiet conversation or a calculated silence carries just as much weight as a high-stakes campaign.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 13
Longest run 92 eps
Jon Hamm
Jon Hamm
as Don Draper
92 episodes
Elisabeth Moss
Elisabeth Moss
as Peggy Olson
92 episodes
Vincent Kartheiser
Vincent Kartheiser
as Pete Campbell
92 episodes
January Jones
January Jones
as Betty Draper
92 episodes
Christina Hendricks
Christina Hendricks
as Joan Holloway
92 episodes
Michael Gladis
Michael Gladis
as Paul Kinsey
40 episodes
Aaron Staton
Aaron Staton
as Ken Cosgrove
92 episodes
Rich Sommer
Rich Sommer
as Harry Crane
92 episodes
Show 67 more
Kiernan Shipka as Sally Draper 89 episodes Kevin Rahm as Ted Chaough 33 episodes Christopher Stanley as Henry Francis 54 episodes Ben Feldman as Michael Ginsberg 27 episodes Mason Cotton as Bobby Draper 32 episodes Cara Buono as Faye Miller 10 episodes John Slattery as Roger Sterling 89 episodes Robert Morse as Bertram Cooper 74 episodes Jared Harris as Lane Pryce 35 episodes Jay R. Ferguson as Stan Rizzo 46 episodes Bryan Batt as Salvatore Romano 39 episodes Jared Gilmore as Bobby Draper 19 episodes Jessica Paré as Megan Draper 49 episodes H. Richard Greene as Jim Hobart 6 episodes Maggie Siff as Rachel Menken 15 episodes Abigail Spencer as Suzanne Farrell 6 episodes Mark Moses as Duck Phillips 21 episodes Matt Long as Joey Baird 7 episodes Sam Page as Greg Harris 9 episodes Talia Balsam as Mona Sterling 14 episodes Crista Flanagan as Lois Sadler 9 episodes Elizabeth Rice as Margaret Sterling 11 episodes Audrey Wasilewski as Anita Olson Respola 6 episodes Anne Dudek as Francine Hanson 16 episodes Joe O'Connor as Tom Vogel 6 episodes Rosemarie DeWitt as Midge Daniels 7 episodes Laura Regan as Jennifer Crane 6 episodes Joel Murray as Fred Rumsen 15 episodes Linda Cardellini as Sylvia Rosen 9 episodes Peyton List as Jane Sterling 16 episodes Sola Bamis as Shirley 8 episodes Brian Markinson as Arnold Rosen 7 episodes Christine Estabrook as Gail Holloway 8 episodes Beth Hall as Caroline 19 episodes Ryder Londo as Gene Draper 6 episodes Stephanie Drake as Meredith 22 episodes Rich Hutchman as Bud Campbell 6 episodes Marten Holden Weiner as Glen Bishop 12 episodes Brandon Killham as Young Dick Whitman 6 episodes Brynn Horrocks as Abigail Whitman 7 episodes Morgan Rusler as Mack Johnson 6 episodes Trevor Einhorn as John Mathis 14 episodes Allan Havey as Lou Avery 11 episodes Teyonah Parris as Dawn Chambers 22 episodes Alexandra Ella as Clara 10 episodes Andy Umberger as Arnold Wayne 6 episodes Maxwell Huckabee as Robert Draper 7 episodes Alexa Alemanni as Allison 20 episodes Channing Chase as Dorothy Campbell 6 episodes Embeth Davidtz as Rebecca Pryce 8 episodes Kit Williamson as Ed 11 episodes Alison Brie as Trudy Campbell 36 episodes Julie McNiven as Hildy 18 episodes Aaron Hart as Robert Draper 15 episodes Deborah Lacey as Carla 15 episodes Pamela Dunlap as Pauline Francis 6 episodes Myra Turley as Katherine Olson 7 episodes Ryan Cutrona as Gene Hofstadt 6 episodes Chelcie Ross as Connie 6 episodes Patrick Cavanaugh as Smitty Smith 9 episodes Edin Gali as Kurt 8 episodes Derek Ray as Brooks Hargrove 8 episodes Evan Londo as Gene Draper 7 episodes Charlie Hofheimer as Abe Drexler 11 episodes James Wolk as Bob Benson 12 episodes Harry Hamlin as Jim Cutler 15 episodes Christine Garver as Moira 8 episodes
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Mad Men overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

work marketing marriage workplace period drama advertising historical advertising agency executive madison avenue 1960s thoughtful sexual attitudes dark workplace harassment understated intense workplace politics
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
July 19, 2007
Status
Ended
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
1,506