via wiki:
Mad Men is a period piece drama, an American televised original series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. Set in New York City's prestigous Madison Avenue,
Mad Men begins in 1960 at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency, which sells everything from cigarettes to political candidates. The show centers on
Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the agency's creative director, and the people in his life in and out of the office. It also depicts the changing social mores of 1960s America, highlighting the once prevalent cigarette smoking, drinking, sexism, adultery, homophobia, antisemitism, and racism as examples of how that era was so much different than the present.
Mad Men has received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for its historical authenticity and visual style, and has won numerous awards, including three Golden Globes, a BAFTA and six Emmys. It is the second cable series to win the Emmy Award for
Outstanding Drama Series and the first basic cable series to do so.
As one who doesn't watch much television save for the occasional weekend, and also one who is usually a season or two late on a series' popularity, I was both surprised, yet pleased, to see that I had the opportunity to start the discussion of this show. So far into my viewing, it is a very clever dramatization of the 1960s, which can become quite engrossing as you follow alongand tune into the individual histories' of the ensemble cast of characters. Of course Don Draper is the most mysterious, but I am still beyond words at how to appropraitely react and classify his new secretary (
Peggy Olson). I am nearing the finale of the first season on my on-demand and sporadic viewing of the show (at most, I watch two episodes a day to catch up to this series' story, now in its third season).
What do you think of the show, the story, and the characterizations? Who do you identify with most? What was a great cinematic appeal in terms of revelations? Please discuss further.