7 Reasons I Love Mad Men

A couple of days ago, my friend Katie asked me to give her a rundown of why I love the AMC show Mad Men. I decided to acquiesce to her request mostly out of courtesy, but also to get others to watch it. At 10pm on AMC. Check your local listings.

The 7 Most Important Reasons I Love Mad Men

1. The acting on the show is fantastic. The actors embody their characters so completely and their commitment to playing these characters is palpable. You don't often find a cast that is this perfect. They know the roles they have to play as 1960s men or women and they don't sacrifice the writer's vision because they are uncomfortable with all of the misogyny. I'd imagine it would be hard for all of the actresses who play characters that are talked down to all day. Egos don't get in the way, as this is truly an ensemble that wouldn't work with egos. Even though Jon Hamm is emerging as the star of the show (rightfully so) he seems to be taking his success in stride.
2. The commitment to portraying the male-driven ad industry of the 60s, where drinking during office hours is not just acceptable, but encouraged. Where you're not such a horrible, evil man for having a dame on the side. You could make an argument that they glorify the misogyny of the 60s, but they don't really. It is what it was. The paramount concern is accuracy. There's no artifice in this show.
3. The writing is just hands down fantastic. Coming from Matthew Weiner, who got a gig on The Sopranos based on the strength of his pilot script for Mad Men, that's no surprise.
   
4. The tone, which is similar to The Sopranos, is dark, uncompromising and realistic. Real people make real mistakes and consequences are doled out without regard for what the viewer may want. Weiner is the God of the Mad Men world and he doesn't bend to the whims or desires of the viewers or the network (like David Lynch did with the second season of Twin Peaks...alas, that's another story).
5. The characters are interesting. Isn't this the bottom line for all television shows (or movies, books, etc. for that matter)? From the closeted-homosexual designer who is trying to maintain the visage of a lady's man, to the older boss who loves his wife and daughter but also loves the office bitch, to Don Draper, the main character, who isn't really Don Draper at all: all of the characters have layers that can only be seen and appreciated by watching more than a couple episodes. Just like The Sopranos.
   
6. The show is meant to not only be about the main characters, but is also a microcosm of how the 60s evolved. Even in the first episode of season 2, which is set 14 months after the thrilling season 1 finale, you start seeing subtle changes. Like in season 1 when the elevator operator was a black man and in season 2 you see no elevator operator at all, but three people (one white, one black, one woman) riding in the elevator together. It's a little difference, but...it's not a little difference at the same time. The show is really a history of the 60s through the frame of an advertising firm. After all, isn't the history of advertising the history of modern humanity in a lot of ways? (The answer is yes.)
7. The cigarettes. Oh, the cigarettes.

So do yourself a favor and rent the first season of Mad Men and before you get bored with the first two or three episodes, power on through until the end. It seems like a show about nothing in particular, but, like Seinfeld, it's more of a show about everything. That's why it will probably win a whole bunch of Emmys pretty soon.