158-420: This is a list of fictional characters in the television series Mad Men , all of whom have appeared in multiple episodes. * ^1 Maxwell Huckabee and Aaron Hart have split the role of Bobby Draper in the first season, while Hart takes over for the second season. Jared Gilmore plays Bobby throughout the third and fourth seasons. Donald " Don " Draper (né Dick Whitman ; Jon Hamm ) born in 1926,
316-481: A diegetic song dissolving into the credits music. Apple Corps authorized the use of The Beatles song " Tomorrow Never Knows " for the Season 5 episode "Lady Lazarus", and the same track was used over the closing credits. Lionsgate , which produces Mad Men , paid $ 250,000 for the use of the song in the episode. Bob Dylan's " Don't Think Twice It's All Right " ended the last episode of Season 1. In addition to creating
474-419: A "very well-run show." He said: They have a lot of production meetings during pre-production. The day the script comes in we all meet for a first page turn, and Matt starts telling us how he envisions it. Then there's a "tone" meeting a few days later where Matt tells us how he envisions it. And then there's a final full crew production meeting where Matt again tells us how he envisions it ... The pilot episode
632-454: A bit of insight during a late-night drive. Cooper is presumed to be a widowed between the first and second season as he is seen as wearing a wedding ring in only the first and refers to how the late Mrs. Cooper introduced Roger Sterling and his first wife Mona in Season 2. Cooper is also childless most likely due to an unnecessary orchiectomy by Dr. Lyle Evans during the "height of his sexual prime". However, he does have sister Alice Cooper who
790-443: A black-and-white silhouette. The titles, created by production house Imaginary Forces, pay homage to graphic designer Saul Bass 's skyscraper-filled opening titles for Alfred Hitchcock 's North by Northwest (1959) and falling man movie poster for Vertigo (1958); Weiner has listed Hitchcock as a major influence on the visual style of the series. In a 2010 issue of TV Guide , the show's opening title sequence ranked No. 9 on
948-466: A client on their own. Ken doesn't mind working on the account since it was acquired without his help but in exchange for feigning ignorance to Cynthia, Ken demands that Pete be excluded from the proceedings, likely a result of his lingering resentment for Pete telling Roger about his freelance writing. In Season 6, Ken has been given a spacious office on SCDP's second floor, and appears to be on somewhat friendlier terms with Pete, even giving him advice when
1106-505: A drink of brandy or elderflower liqueur . He is a member of the Republican Party and a devotee of Ayn Rand . He gets Sterling Cooper involved with the 1960 Nixon campaign, providing advertising services to the campaign gratis . His conservative ideology can be seen to clash with some of the younger characters as the series progresses through the 1960s as he states, “Civil rights is a slippery slope to socialism.” and his support of
1264-489: A father. When Don persists, Rachel realizes he hasn't thought through this decision and tells him that he doesn't want to run away with her; he just wants to run away. She calls him a coward and ends their affair. Cooper later mentions that she went on an extended "ocean cruise," presumably to heal from her affair with Don. Don encounters her again in Season 2, while he is dining out with Bobbie Barrett. Rachel introduces them to her husband, Tilden Katz. Though it appears that Don
1422-451: A friend's house. Her behavioral problems lead Betty to have her see a child psychiatrist in Season 4. Sally appears to be closer to her father than her mother, and in the Season 4 episode " The Beautiful Girls ", she unexpectedly shows up at Don's office, because she wants to live with him instead of Betty and Henry Francis. Don sometimes affectionately calls Sally "Salamander." She develops a friendship with slightly older neighbor boy Glen, who
1580-716: A gift of golf clubs as a client. The same day, Roger, under pressure by McCann executives who are still angry at Ken leaving and taking the Birdseye account with him, fires him and gives his accounts to Pete. Ken, never really enamored of his job, was about to quit advertising and pursue Cynthia's suggestion to be a full-time writer, but being fired infuriates him so much that he takes a job as the head of advertising with Dow Chemical. In light of Ken's new position, Roger and Pete attempt to mend fences with him, especially when SC&P seeks to retain some autonomy from McCann-Erickson by proposing to move operations to Los Angeles. Instead of becoming
1738-444: A given that he will soon be made partner. Bert, at the meeting of Harry's outburst, assures Joan that will never happen. During Season 7, Jim Cutler takes a dualistic view of Harry: on the one hand he says that Harry's TV work is hugely successful and will be a major part of SC&P in the future, but he also bluntly tells Harry "you may be the most dishonest man I have ever worked with." Jim decides that Harry should finally be offered
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#17328848522271896-532: A guest role in the series Wonderfalls , and was in the film Radio . She appeared as Katie Burrell, the daughter of a Japanese relocation camp sergeant, in the 2007 film American Pastime . From 2004 to 2006, Drew starred as Hannah Rogers in The WB drama series Everwood . She later guest-starred on Cold Case , Law & Order: Special Victims Unit , Medium , Castle , Glee , Privileged , Supernatural , and Private Practice . She starred in
2054-442: A homosexual advance and becomes wary of him. During the season 5 premiere, Megan mentions to Peggy that Don really doesn't like Harry, and thus wouldn't want him to attend his birthday party. Nonetheless, Harry is invited and attends. Given his mild social awkwardness, he is seemingly unaware of Don's opinion of him. The next day at the office, Megan catches Harry making lewd comments about her performance of " Zou Bisou Bisou " and he
2212-406: A knack—similar to Draper's—for understanding the consumer's mind. Don promotes her to copywriter, and she eventually accepts a copy chief position with Ted Chaough's firm, CGC, only to find herself once again working for Don following a merger. Peggy's first campaign is for Bell Jolie lipstick; she's promoted to junior copywriter on the same day that she goes into labor. Peggy either hid or
2370-516: A list of TV's top 10 credits sequences, as selected by readers. David Carbonara composed the original score for the series. Mad Men – Original Score Vol. 1 was released on January 13, 2009. At the end of almost every episode, the show either fades to black or smash cuts to black as period music, or a theme by series composer David Carbonara, plays during the ending credits ; at least one episode ends with silence or ambient sounds. A few episodes have ended with more recent popular music, or with
2528-421: A little less than the $ 2.84 million each episode cost to produce. In March 2011, after negotiations between the network and the series's creator, AMC picked up Mad Men for a fifth season, which premiered on March 25, 2012. Weiner reportedly signed a $ 30 million contract which would keep him at the helm of the show for three more seasons. A couple of weeks later, a Marie Claire interview with January Jones
2686-511: A live audience at the UCLA's James Bridges Theater, the L.A. Theatre Works production aired on public radio and has been released on Audio CD and as a downloadable MP3. In 2019, Drew was once again cast as the title character in a CBS pilot, this time as Sarah Cooper in The Republic of Sarah , but the project was ultimately passed on by the network. A different leading cast, led by Stella Baker,
2844-410: A lot of identities for himself throughout the series, never seeming to feel comfortable where he belongs. In addition to his creative duties at Sterling Cooper, Paul is a writer, and in the Season 1 episode "Nixon vs. Kennedy", his drunken co-workers find a play he wrote and act it out, although it is not very good, and it seems to ridicule a lot of his co-workers. Paul dated Joan prior to the beginning of
3002-420: A major influence on the series' visual style, especially the film North by Northwest . He was also influenced by director Wong Kar-wai in the music, mise en scène , and editorial style. Weiner noted in an interview that M*A*S*H and Happy Days , two television shows produced in the 1970s about the 1950s, provided a "touchstone for culture" and a way to "remind people that they have a misconception about
3160-448: A maternal figure to her brothers. It is also implied that she will press for Henry to raise the boys after Betty's death, since she tells Don they should not be uprooted. The final image of Sally is of her washing dishes while Betty smokes at the kitchen table. Bertram "Bert" Cooper ( Robert Morse ) is the senior partner of Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency at beginning of the series. Although portrayed as elderly and eccentric, he can be
3318-540: A member of the younger set of junior account men and copywriters at Sterling Cooper, seeming to spend more office time drinking, flirting and gossiping than working. Ken has literary aspirations and has been published in The Atlantic Monthly , which excites the envy of Pete Campbell and Paul Kinsey. In Season 2, it is revealed that Ken makes considerably more money than his co-worker Harry Crane ($ 300/week vs. $ 200/week). In Season 3, Ken and Pete are promoted, sharing
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#17328848522273476-516: A notably Kennedy-era fascination with space. As opposed to other characters who smoke cigarettes, Paul smokes a pipe . Kinsey is a moderate drinker and says he likes to get high "whenever [he] can". In Season 2, Kinsey grows an Orson Welles beard and later quotes passages from Welles' War of the Worlds radio broadcast. He initially encourages Peggy to pursue copywriting, noting, "There are female copywriters", but it immediately becomes clear this
3634-460: A partner, Bert observing that Harry's outspoken criticism of their decision is the only genuinely impressive thing he's ever done. Don and Roger both despise Harry. When Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated, Pete is outraged by Harry's fretting over the ad time lost to news coverage, which leads to a brief but intense shouting match in which Pete accuses Harry of being a racist. Harry takes it as
3792-404: A partners' meeting, displaying considerable anger over the fact that Joan was promoted to partner when he had been passed over several times, particularly as his accomplishments happened "in broad daylight." Bert and Roger later give him a generous commission on "Broadway Joe on Broadway", a last-minute musical special he created to improve Dow Chemical's image, but flatly reject his demand to become
3950-535: A partnership and the senior partners agree, though Joan and Roger are outspoken in their opposition. Harry is surprised to run into Don when they both end up at a Los Angeles party for one of Megan's actress friends. The two men are uncomfortable at the event and go to a bar, where Harry says he wishes Don was back (which Don barely notices) before stating that Jim and Lou Avery are planning a major cigarette-company account bid because that will allow them to get rid of Don (which Don very much notices, and uses when he crashes
4108-459: A payphone located in a park, a group of men nearby. He does not tell her he has been fired, only that he will be arriving home late. Paul Kinsey ( Michael Gladis ) is a copywriter at Sterling Cooper. Kinsey initially features as part of the group of unmarried or childless young ad men in the Sterling Cooper office, who spend a lot of their time drinking, flirting, and gossiping. Paul tries out
4266-560: A ruthless businessman and is a keen operator behind the scenes with many connections in New York high society. Cooper came up through the advertising industry as a media buyer and founded Sterling Cooper with Roger Sterling's late father, Roger Sterling Sr., in 1923. Considering Sterling Cooper his life's work, he was hesitant to sell the majority interest in the agency in 1962 to the British advertising agency Putnam Powell, & Lowe (PPL). After
4424-412: A spokesman for Fillmore Auto, after Fillmore Auto faced a boycott for not hiring black employees. Colby also pointed to an exposé published in a 1963 issue of Ad Age that revealed that "out of over 20,000 employees, the report identified only 25 blacks working in any kind of professional or creative capacity, i.e., nonclerical or custodial." Colby wrote, " Mad Men isn't cowardly for avoiding race. Quite
4582-438: A strong connection to Don, but acknowledges a future with him is probably impossible. When Roger has a heart attack, Don goes to Rachel's apartment and asks to come in; he has been highly affected by Roger's condition. She keeps her distance, while trying to console him. Don tries to kiss her, telling her she knows everything about him. She stops him and urges him to go to his wife. At this point Don kisses her again, saying, "This
4740-482: A talent manager on Weiner's team, Ira Liss, pitched the series to AMC Vice President of Development Christina Wayne . The Sopranos was completing its final season, and the cable network was in the market for new series programming. "The network was looking for distinction in launching its first original series," according to AMC Networks president Ed Carroll, "and we took a bet that quality would win out over formulaic mass appeal." Weiner cited Alfred Hitchcock as
4898-472: A three-year contract with the agency. In Season 4 in the new office at the Time Life Building , Cooper does not have an office and can be seen lounging around the office's sitting areas reading the newspaper and working on crossword puzzles with his long-time secretary, Ida Blankenship . Later in the Season 4 episode " Blowing Smoke ", when the agency is forced to radically downsize its staff following
List of Mad Men characters - Misplaced Pages Continue
5056-399: A time. Harry and Jennifer appear to have resolved that issue by Season 2, and they have a daughter named Beatrice. In Season 6 it is mentioned that they also now have twin sons, Nathan and Steven. Harry is initially a bit of a pushover, accepting far less in pay in negotiations than he could have asked for, and his non-confrontational attitude causes him to mishandle a situation that leads to
5214-414: A troublemaker, smoking constantly, sneaking alcohol onto campus, and dueling with golf clubs with her friends. By the end of the sixth season, Don decides to be more honest with his children, starting with showing them the now dilapidated whorehouse where he grew up. The choice to be truthful makes an impact on Sally and she begins to forgive her father for his transgressions by the beginning of Season 7. In
5372-505: A very beautiful girl," Don responds. "It's up to you to be more than that." When the series begins to draw to a close, Sally faces further complications of growing up. Glen decides to join the army and fight in Vietnam , causing a frustrated Sally to yell at Glen and express disdain over the possibility of his killing of innocent children and bystanders. Sally later expresses regret over her outburst and, through tears, tells Glen's mother that she
5530-402: A visual style "influenced more by cinema than television." Alan Taylor , a veteran director of The Sopranos , directed the pilot and also helped establish the series's visual tone. To cast an "air of mystery" around Don Draper, Taylor tended to shoot from behind him, or frame him partially obscured. Many scenes set at Sterling Cooper were shot lower-than-eyeline to incorporate the ceilings into
5688-426: A writer, Ken sees an opportunity to get revenge on them. Rather than drop SC&P as Dow's agency, he informs them he will retain them but make their life difficult. He is last seen in the final episode having lunch with Joan (proposing an opportunity for her to coordinate a promotional film for Dow), confident in his new position, and glad to be no longer with his former company. Harold "Harry" Crane ( Rich Sommer )
5846-543: Is Don and Betty Draper's oldest child. The series' third episode, " Marriage of Figaro ," depicts a party for her 6th birthday in May 1960. She becomes a more central character in the Seasons 3 and 4 (according to the time line of the series, she would turn nine years old in season 3 and 11 in season 4); from Season 4, she is promoted to a starring role. The death of her grandfather, Gene Hofstadt , affected Sally significantly and deepened
6004-496: Is a key theme in Mad Men , and nobody is ever quite who they appear to be. Each one is filled with thwarted ambitions and frustrated dreams, none more so than Don Draper himself, whose closet, it's gradually revealed over Seasons 1 and 2, is filled with proverbial skeletons." The show presents a workplace culture in which it is frequently assumed that female employees are sexually available for their male bosses, and in which jokes about
6162-476: Is about 12 or 13, in Season 4. This infuriates Betty because, in prior years, Betty and Glen reached out and comforted each other when they were both feeling sad, lonely, and neglected. Betty forbids Sally to see Glen, and proves to be very volatile whenever Sally sees him. Sally continues to surreptitiously communicate with Glen, calling him frequently at his boarding school. As Sally progresses into young adulthood, she witnesses several disturbing events, such as in
6320-600: Is an American actress and director. She played Hannah Rogers in The WB family drama series Everwood (2004–2006) and Dr. April Kepner in the ABC medical drama series Grey's Anatomy (2009–18; 2021–22). Drew was born and raised in Stony Brook, New York , where she attended The Stony Brook School . Her mother, Dr. Jeannie Drew, taught biology at an independent private school for girls in Manhattan . Her father, Rev. Charles Drew,
6478-550: Is an ambitious young account executive whose father-in-law controls the advertising for Clearasil , a Sterling Cooper account. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he becomes more competitive with Don as the series progresses, and ultimately becomes the partner of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Elizabeth "Betty" Francis (née Hofstadt , formerly Draper ; January Jones ) is the ex-wife of Don Draper (who affectionately called her "Betts," or on occasion "Birdy") and mother of their three children, Sally, Bobby, and Gene. Her family home
List of Mad Men characters - Misplaced Pages Continue
6636-486: Is briefly concerned that he could lose his job. Also in Season 5, he is approached by former close friend Paul Kinsey, who is now a Hare Krishna and is floundering. He has sex with Paul's Hare Krishna girlfriend without Paul's knowledge. Immediately afterwards, she tells Harry that he disgusts her and she only had sex with him so that he would no longer try to rescue Paul from the Krishnas. Indeed, later, Paul, wanting to escape
6794-628: Is decorated in a Japanese motif with shōji dividers, the erotic illustration The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife , among other items such as a late period red painting by Mark Rothko . Also, inspired by Japanese customs, he requires visitors to remove their shoes before entering his office and also walks around the rest of the Sterling Cooper offices in his socks. In contrast with many of his colleagues Cooper abstains from smoking and even lectures Roger about being dependent on smoking. Cooper also isn't much of drinker, but will occasionally celebrate with
6952-560: Is elsewhere due to pressures at work. Illustrations popular in magazine advertisements in the 1950s and early 1960s are going out of style in favor of photographs, so he fears he will lose his job as an illustrator. Later in the scene, Kitty is in bed and Sal vividly demonstrates how the Ann-Margret look-alike will dance and sing " Bye Bye Birdie " in his commercial, with lyrics changed for Pepsi 's new diet drink Patio . Kitty nods but appears uncomfortable with Sal's flamboyant performance. In
7110-530: Is first depicted as an office manager at Sterling Cooper, who acts as a professional and social mentor, as well as an occasional rival, to Peggy Olson, much as Don Draper is to Pete Campbell. Throughout the course of the series, Joan has a long-standing affair with Roger Sterling, which results in their conceiving a son. She ascribes the boy's fatherhood to her husband, a physician serving as a military officer in Vietnam, whom she later divorces. Joan eventually rises up to
7268-547: Is generally included on critics' lists of the greatest television shows of all time. The American Film Institute selected it as one of the top ten television programs in each year it aired: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and was singled out for the "Special Award" in 2015 to honor the show's final season and legacy. It was named the best television show of 2007 by the Television Critics Association and several national publications, including
7426-410: Is having dinner with his fiancée, Cynthia and future in-laws when he learns that Lucky Strike , SCDP's biggest client by far, is taking their business to another agency. In the Season 5 premiere he is happily married, and he and his new wife attend Don's surprise birthday party. Ken is still writing in his off-hours and has published science fiction stories using the pseudonym of Ben Hargrove, which
7584-546: Is heavyset and works as a nurse at a state hospital. He attended Columbia University , and before getting married lived in Murray Hill . He is easygoing, confident, and generally happy, with a genuine artist's skills. He writes as a hobby and took a job in advertising because he heard there was money in it. In the early seasons, he gives the impression of being successful at his job while not caring much about it, not seeming as ambitious as Pete Campbell and Harry Crane. He appears as
7742-470: Is injured by the Chevy car executives while engaging in leisure activities with them. In " The Crash ", while under the influence of a "mild stimulant" that is intended to help SCDP employees to work the extra hours needed on the Chevy account, Ken demonstrates that he is a talented tap dancer , but can't remember clearly whether he learned the skill from his mother or his first girlfriend. In "Quality of Mercy", Ken
7900-465: Is it. This is all there is." She consents, and they have sex. Afterward, he confides in her that his mother was a prostitute who died giving birth to him. Don and Rachel continue their affair for several weeks. When Pete Campbell blackmails Don, he comes to Rachel with the suggestion that they run away together to Los Angeles. She reminds him of his duty to his children and questions whether he would want to abandon his children after having grown up without
8058-492: Is key to the story from the outset. Salvatore "Sal" Romano ( Bryan Batt ) is the Italian-American art director at Sterling Cooper, from Baltimore . Sal turned down a proposition from a male employee of Belle Jolie Cosmetics midway through the first season, admitting that though he has thought about having relationships with men, he has never acted on this impulse. He joins the other men of Sterling Cooper in flirting with
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#17328848522278216-416: Is merely an attempt to seduce her. He later becomes jealous and pettily competitive when her skill becomes indisputable. He realizes Peggy and Don have creative "magic" together when it comes to advertising ideas and slogans and is annoyed, especially as his own contributions become less favored by Don and, as a result, diminish his importance at the firm. Paul expresses considerable anger when he realizes Peggy
8374-450: Is only momentarily shaken by the news of Rachel's marriage, four episodes later, after drinking heavily with Roger and Freddy Rumsen, he gives his name as "Tilden Katz" to a bouncer outside an underground club Roger is trying to get them into, showing that Rachel was clearly still on his mind. In Season 7, Don has a vision of Rachel attending a casting call for aspiring models. When he tries to contact her, Don discovers that Rachel had died
8532-416: Is part of work, sexual banter isn't yet harassment, and America is free of self-doubt, guilt, and countercultural confusion." The Los Angeles Times said that the show had found "a strange and lovely space between nostalgia and political correctness." The show also received critical praise for its historical accuracy – mainly its depictions of gender and racial bias, sexual dynamics in the workplace, and
8690-644: Is seeing her only to appear interesting. At their first meeting, Joan microaggressively tells Sheila that she never "took Paul to be open-minded". Sheila dumps Paul while they are registering black voters in the South , after he whines and frets about his safety in the region over hers. He is "slumming" by living in a run-down neighborhood popular among beatniks in Montclair, New Jersey , and espouses more Bohemian ideas and attitudes than his fellow young copywriters. Joan, however, mocks him for this lifestyle, proclaiming that he
8848-464: Is set during the period of March 1960 to November 1970. Mad Men begins at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency on Madison Avenue in Manhattan , New York City, and continues at the new firm of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (later named Sterling Cooper & Partners) in the Time-Life Building at 1271 Sixth Avenue . According to the pilot episode, the term "Mad men" was coined in
9006-456: Is sharing the position with him. When he gets married he becomes the only one of the central characters on the show to never be shown cheating on his wife. He maintains a healthy separation between his personal and professional lives, refusing to use family connections to succeed. Because Pete Campbell was approached first and agreed to join SCDP, Ken is not asked to join the new firm and is not seen in
9164-424: Is simply pretentious and wants to believe he is better than the people he works with. He steals an IBM Selectric typewriter from the Sterling Cooper offices because he says as a writer, he needs it. This leads to a secretary being blamed and almost fired. He is originally from New Jersey and attended Princeton on a scholarship, two facts he is eager to hide. A fan of science fiction and The Twilight Zone , he has
9322-477: Is sorry and wants to say goodbye to Glen before he leaves for basic training. Later, Sally learns from Henry that her mother Betty is dying from lung cancer , something Betty had not wanted Sally to know at that stage of her illness. On a surprise visit to the Francis household, Betty gives Sally a letter that she tells Sally to read after her death. Shortly afterward, at her dorm room, Sally goes against orders and reads
9480-518: Is terrible, but Harry, feeling guilty because he has had sex with Paul's Hare Krishna girlfriend, and not wanting to deal with Paul's problems, praises the script and gives Paul $ 500 and a ticket to Los Angeles so he can start afresh. He advises Paul not to submit the script to the Star Trek production team due to "studio politics," and instead recommends that he write his own original stories. Paul expresses considerable gratitude toward Harry, telling him he
9638-486: Is the creative director at Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency; he eventually rises to become a partner. He later becomes a founding partner at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Draper is the series' protagonist , and more storylines focus on him than on other characters. Margaret "Peggy" Olson ( Elisabeth Moss ), upon introduction, is the ostensibly naïve "new girl" at Sterling Cooper. She was originally Draper's secretary, but showed surprising talent and initiative, including
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#17328848522279796-460: Is the first person to actually do something for him, completely unaware of Harry's lies. Kenneth "Ken" Cosgrove ( Aaron Staton ) is an account executive at Sterling Cooper. Pete says Ken is the son of a salesman from Burlington, Vermont , and Ken tells Fillmore Auto Parts he grew up in rural Vermont. In Season 6, Ken tells Pete Campbell that he went to high school in Cabot, Vermont . Ken says his mother
9954-420: Is the second character at Sterling Cooper to learn that Don Draper is actually Dick Whitman, after Pete Campbell informs him of the truth, but he reacts with nonchalance, remarking, "Mr. Campbell, who cares? " and urging him to forget about it. In a ruthless move he keeps silent about Don's identity but uses this knowledge two years later in the Season 3 episode "Seven Twenty Three" to pressure Don into signing
10112-577: Is the senior pastor at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in New York City. Her brother, Allen Drew, is a pastor at Mt. Airy Community Church in Philadelphia and director of an a cappella group at Germantown Friends School . She received a bachelor's degree in drama from the University of Virginia in 2002. Her second cousin is actor Ben McKenzie . In 1997, while in high school, Drew voiced Stacy Rowe on
10270-584: Is where we find emotional truth." Critics contend that post-racial beliefs complicate the show by only visualizing people of color at work and rarely in their homes or from their point of view. Several writers have argued that the show distorts history by not showing black admen, noting real-life successful African American advertising executives who got their start in the 1960s such as Clarence Holte, Georg Olden , and Caroline Robinson Jones. Latoya Peterson, writing in Slate magazine 's Double X, argued that Mad Men
10428-438: Is widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time and as part of the early 21st century Golden Age of Television . In 2000, while working as a staff writer for Becker , Matthew Weiner wrote the first draft as a spec script for the pilot of what would later be called Mad Men . Television showrunner David Chase recruited Weiner to work as a writer on his HBO series The Sopranos after reading
10586-468: Is widely regarded throughout the advertising world as a genius; some of the most famous ad campaigns in history are shown to be his creations. In later seasons, Don struggles as his highly calculated identity falls into a period of decline. The show follows the people in his personal and professional lives, most notably Peggy Olson ( Elisabeth Moss ), who is introduced as Don's secretary but soon discovers her passion for copywriting. It also focuses heavily on
10744-576: Is wounded in a hunting accident by a pair of Chevy executives and loses an eye. Deciding that Chevy is too much for him, he returns to New York full-time to support the newly pregnant Cynthia. During Season 7, Ken reveals he has a son, Edward. Cynthia is growing frustrated with Ken facing increased pressure at work, and she encourages him to leave the advertising business and write the Great American Novel he has dreamed of doing. After his father-in-law retires from Dow Chemical , Ken presents him with
10902-539: Is wrong in their marriage. In the Season 3 premiere, Don Draper sees Sal alone with a partly-dressed, male hotel bellhop, but subtly assures Sal he will keep silent by drawing Sal's attention to the ad slogan they had been working on for raincoats: "Limit your exposure". Later in the third season, with Don's encouragement, Sal branches out into directing commercials for the company. Meanwhile, Sal and Kitty have not had sex in several months and Kitty tells Sal she needs "tending to". He assures her that he loves her, but his mind
11060-525: The Chicago Tribune , The New York Times , the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , Time , and TV Guide . The show appeared on multiple year-end "most acclaimed" lists published by critics throughout all of its seasons. According to Metacritic 's aggregate of such lists, it was the most acclaimed show in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, the second most acclaimed in 2012, the fourth most acclaimed in 2013,
11218-572: The Hallmark Hall of Fame film Front of the Class (2008), and from 2008 to 2009, she had a recurring role as Kitty Romano in the AMC drama series Mad Men . In 2014, she starred in the film Moms' Night Out . In 2009, Drew was cast as Dr. April Kepner in the medical drama series Grey's Anatomy . Drew was cast in late September and first appeared in the sixth season episode " Invasion " as one of
11376-679: The Vietnam War to contain communism in South East Asia. Cooper also seems to harbor some racist feelings, as evidenced in the Season 7 episode "A Day's Work" when, after, Joan has reassigned Dawn Chambers to the reception desk, Cooper complains that visitors to the agency are greeted by someone who is black. Mad Men Mad Men is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television . It ran on cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, with seven seasons and 92 episodes. It
11534-576: The composition of frame , reflecting the photography, graphic design and architecture of the period. Taylor felt that neither steadicam nor handheld camera work would be appropriate to the "visual grammar of that time, and that aesthetic didn't mesh with [their] classic approach"; accordingly, the sets were designed to be practical for dolly work . According to a 2011 Miller Tabak + Company estimate published in Barron's , Lions Gate Entertainment received an estimated $ 2.71 million from AMC for each episode,
11692-579: The series finale , Harry is last seen wearing a fur coat and eating cookies as he awaits a final lunch with Pete and Peggy. Sommer reprised the role in the 2018 film A Futile and Stupid Gesture , where Harry can be seen in the background of one scene. Rachel Katz (née Menken ; Maggie Siff ) is the Jewish head of a department store who becomes romantically involved with Draper after she comes to Sterling Cooper in search of an advertising agency to revamp her business' image. Don's first encounter with Rachel, in
11850-505: The "stress" of work over the comforts of married life. Rachel confidently replies that business is a thrill and adds that she's never been in love. Don mocks this addition, asserting that love doesn't exist; it was invented by ad men. He goes on to say that everyone is essentially alone – that people live alone and die alone. Rachel responds that she knows what it is like to be disconnected and feel out of place, and she sees that in Don. Something about
12008-476: The $ 71 to $ 100 million estimated to come from a Netflix streaming video deal announced in April 2011. The opening title sequence features credits superimposed over a graphic animation of a businessman falling from a height, surrounded by skyscrapers with reflections of period advertising posters and billboards, accompanied by a short edit of the instrumental "A Beautiful Mine" by RJD2 . The businessman appears as
12166-479: The 1950s by advertisers working on Madison Avenue to refer to themselves, "Mad" being short for "Madison". (In reality, the only documented use of the phrase from that time may have been in the late-1950s writings of James Kelly, an advertising executive and writer.) The series's main character is charismatic advertising executive Don Draper (played by Jon Hamm ), who is initially the talented creative director at Sterling Cooper. Though erratic and mysterious, he
12324-463: The 1960s because: [E]very time I would try and find something interesting that I wanted to do, it happened in 1960. It will blow your mind if you look at the year on the almanac . And it's not just the election [of JFK ]. The pill came out in March 1960, that's really what I wanted it to be around.… That's the largest change in the entire world. Seriously, it's just astounding. Especially if you look at
12482-456: The 1960s, including cigarette smoking, drinking, sexism , feminism , adultery , homophobia , antisemitism and racism . Themes of alienation , social mobility and ruthlessness set the tone of the show. MSNBC noted that the series "mostly remains disconnected from the outside world, so the politics and cultural trends of the time are illustrated through people and their lives, not broad, sweeping arguments". According to Weiner, he chose
12640-410: The 5% stake Joan had is worth at least $ 1,500,000. Later, Megan contacts Harry to see if he can help her with her acting career. Harry just assumes this means she will have sex with him in exchange. When she refuses and leaves in disgust, he quickly goes to see Don, who is unaware of the proposition, to assure him that his soon-to-be-ex-wife Megan is "crazy" and Don shouldn't believe anything she says. By
12798-431: The Krishnas, approaches Harry for help—he has written a spec script for Star Trek and wants to know if it will be successful. Harry lies to Paul and assures him it's a great script (when in truth he and Peggy agree it is not only terrible but borderline racist), and urges him to leave immediately for California, giving him $ 500 (nearly $ 4000 in 2016 dollars) and a first class plane ticket on American Airlines for
12956-571: The Season 3 episode "Wee Small Hours", Sal rejects the advances of Lee Garner, Jr., a married Lucky Strike executive who, in retaliation, calls Harry Crane and demands Sal's removal from the account. When Harry fails to pass this on, Garner walks out of a subsequent meeting. Roger fires Sal on the spot. Don supports Roger's decision on the basis that the company can afford to lose him rather than Lucky Strike and regards Sal with disdain, implying that he should have just given Garner what he wanted. In Sal's last appearance, he calls his wife late at night from
13114-503: The Season 5 episode " At the Codfish Ball " when she sees Marie Calvet, her stepmother Megan's mother, fellating Roger Sterling during a business dinner, and, most disturbingly, her own father having sex with his neighbor Sylvia in the Season 6 episode "Favors". Don's outright denial of the reality of the encounter alienates him from Sally, and, resentful of her parents, Sally decides to attend boarding school. While at school, Sally becomes
13272-446: The Season 7 episode, "A Day's Work" Sally goes to a dorm mate's mother's funeral, but ditches with her friends to go shopping. However, while at a café, she leaves her purse behind. Realizing this on the train back, she has no choice but to go to Don's work and ask him for a ride. She goes to his work to discover Lou Avery in what used to be his office. Now suspicious, Sally goes back to his apartment. Eventually, Don arrives and she he uses
13430-399: The U.S. President Obama said "Peggy Olson gave him insight into how his strong-willed grandmother dealt with life in a man's world." As the show's time progresses into the 1960s, the show portrays a world of liquor-stocked offices, boozy lunches and alcohol-soaked dinners. One incident in Season 2 finds advertising executive Freddy Rumsen being sent to rehab after urinating on himself. During
13588-522: The United States throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. Mad Men received widespread critical acclaim for its writing, acting, directing, visual style and historical authenticity. It won many awards, including 16 Emmys and five Golden Globes . It was also the first basic cable series to receive the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series , winning it each year of its first four seasons (2008–2011). It
13746-543: The ad woman who's cut out of the after-hours wheeling and dealing—gives the characters purpose and shape. In Salon , Nelle Engoron argued that while Mad Men seemed to illuminate gender issues, its male characters got off "scot-free" for their drinking and adultery, while the female characters were often punished. Stephanie Coontz of The Washington Post said that women "portrayed the sexism of that era so unflinchingly, they told me, that they could not bear to watch." Some women interviewed mentioned that they had experienced
13904-648: The agency in talks with the American Cancer Society . In the series's penultimate episode, Betty Draper is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, after having been depicted as a heavy smoker throughout the series. The actors smoke herbal cigarettes , not tobacco cigarettes; Matthew Weiner said in an interview with The New York Times that the reason is that "you don't want actors smoking real cigarettes. They get agitated and nervous. I've been on sets where people throw up, they've smoked so much." Mad Men received widespread critical acclaim throughout its run, and
14062-595: The agency under strict stipulations. He dies while watching the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing on television with his maid. At the end of the first half of Season 7, Bert appears to Don as an apparition in the SC&;P lobby, and goes into a song and dance of " The Best Things in Life Are Free ", surrounded by smiling, dancing secretaries instead of showgirls, before disappearing. Later, during Season 7's "Lost Horizon", Cooper's ghost appears to Don in his car, chatting and giving him
14220-723: The animated series Daria . She also voiced that character in the Daria television films Is It Fall Yet? and Is It College Yet? . In 2001, she made her professional stage debut as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey . She made her Broadway debut in 2003 in Vincent in Brixton , which later took her to London's West End . She made the move to television with
14378-648: The announcement of her Grey's Anatomy exit, Drew was cast as Detective Cagney in CBS ' Cagney & Lacey reboot pilot . CBS passed on the pilot in May 2018, deciding not to produce the series. In July 2018, Drew took on the role of Lucille Ball , starring in the world premiere production of I Love Lucy: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Sitcom, a behind-the-scenes stage comedy about I Love Lucy by Gregg Oppenheimer (son of series creator Jess Oppenheimer ). Recorded before
14536-421: The cast was a series of historical stereotypes that failed to do anything except "congratulate the present." In a February 2011 review of the show's first four seasons, critic Daniel Mendelsohn wrote a critical review that called Mad Men a "drama with aspirations to treating social and historical 'issues'—the show is melodramatic rather than dramatic." Sarah Drew Sarah Drew (born October 1, 1980)
14694-411: The center of the exciting creativity so rampant in the underground and also so rebellious against the mainstream." The Huffington Post focused on one scene where "Peggy joins her new beatnik friends in the lobby while Pete stays behind with the SCDP partners to relish…his newly captured $ 6 million account. As they embark on their opposite trajectories, the camera lingers on their knowing glances. Here
14852-418: The characters of Pete Campbell ( Vincent Kartheiser ), a young executive at the firm; Betty Draper ( January Jones ), Don's wife; Joan Holloway ( Christina Hendricks ), the firm's office manager; Roger Sterling ( John Slattery ), one of Don's partners; and in later seasons, Sally Draper ( Kiernan Shipka ), Don's oldest child. As the series progresses, it depicts the changing moods and social mores of
15010-412: The company's along with those of the recently deceased partners, but gleefully accepts Cutler's proposal to name the firm "Sterling Cooper & Partners." On Thanksgiving Day, 1968, Cooper leads Roger, Jim and Joan in confronting Don over his recent behavior and placing the errant creative director on an indefinite leave of absence. In Season 7, after Roger's urging, Cooper is willing to let Don return to
15168-442: The desirability of one's wife dying are told by husbands in front of their own wives. Most of the main characters have cheated on their wives. Marie Wilson, in an op-ed for The Washington Post , said that: [I]t is difficult and painful to see the ways in which women and men dealt with each other and with power. It's painful because this behavior is not as far back in our past as we would like to think. Our daughters continually get
15326-593: The earlier episodes in Season 4. It turns out that he leaves Sterling Cooper and goes to McCann Erickson. He eventually leaves for Geyer and later tells Pete that McCann was the worst agency he had ever seen. Ken admits to being unhappy and bored at Geyer and later joins SCDP, bringing Birds Eye and other clients with him, and agrees to serve under Pete. There are limits to what Ken will do, he refuses to try to bring his father-in-law's business over to SCDP because he does not want to mix his personal and professional lives, about which Pete has no scruples. Later in Season 4, Ken
15484-493: The excuse 'I wasn't feeling well.' He writes her a note and drives her back to the school. Mid-way, they confront each other about their lies. They stop for food and he drives her back to the school. Sally gets out of the car and while she shuts the door, she says, "Happy Valentines Day. I love you." Which hasn't been said to each other since Season 4. However, she still objects to Don's decisions in life, telling her father that she does not want to be anything like her parents. "You're
15642-421: The firing of his friend and co-worker, Sal Romano. Despite these flaws, Harry is the only member of the firm to recognize the importance of television to the firm, and he subsequently creates and puts himself in charge of Sterling Cooper's television department. Later, when Sterling Cooper is in the process of being sold, Harry mistakenly thinks they are considering opening a West Coast office and believes he will be
15800-565: The firm. It is later shown that Paul Kinsey replaced Don on the Menken's account when Rachel exchanges brief pleasantries with Don while on her way to a meeting at Sterling Cooper. She appears to still be stung by their romantic encounter. While doing research for a campaign for the Israeli Tourist Board, Don invites Rachel to lunch so he can pick her brain about Jewish cultural identity. Afterward Rachel calls her sister and admits to feeling
15958-549: The first season. Scott Hornbacher (who later became an executive producer ), Todd London , Lisa Albert , Andre Jacquemetton , and Maria Jacquemetton were producers on the first season. Palmer, Albert, Andre Jacquemetton, and Maria Jacquemetton were also writers on the first season. Bridget Bedard , Chris Provenzano , and writer's assistant Robin Veith completed the first-season writing team. Lisa Albert, Andre Jacquemetton and Maria Jacquemetton returned as supervising producers for
16116-427: The fourth season, Don Draper starts to realize he has a major drinking problem. In the sixties, bad behavior resulting from drinking was often considered macho and even romantic, rather than a result of addiction. One reviewer called the fourth season a "sobering tale of drunken excess" as Don Draper struggled with alcoholism. Ad executive Jerry Della Femina said of the show: [I]f anything, it's underplayed. There
16274-488: The high prevalence of smoking and drinking. The Washington Post agreed with most other reviews in regard to Mad Men 's visual style, but disliked what was referred to as "lethargic" pacing of the storylines. A review of the first season DVD set in the London Review of Books by Mark Greif was much less laudatory. Greif stated that the series was an "unpleasant little entry in the genre of Now We Know Better" as
16432-409: The inconvenience of modernity in a man's world." A Chicago Sun-Times reviewer described the series as an "unsentimental portrayal of complicated 'whole people' who act with the more decent 1960 manners America has lost, while also playing grab-ass and crassly defaming subordinates." The reaction at Entertainment Weekly was similar, noting how in the period in which Mad Men takes place, "play
16590-511: The latter finds himself in a very awkward situation. He dislikes the obsequious new employee Bob Benson. After the acquisition of the new Chevy account and the subsequent merger with CGC, Ken is assigned to deal with the account and has to be in Detroit more often. Ken's happy-go-lucky attitude begins to fade, and the number of things he has to do for work that he does not like, increase. He is forced to spend time away from his family in Detroit, and he
16748-553: The letter anyway. In the letter, Betty gives Sally a picture of Betty to show the embalmers how to dress and style her for the viewing, and tells Sally that she loves her, and that while in the past she was worried because Sally always wanted to go her own way, now she admires her independent nature, resulting in Sally breaking down in tears. Later, upon learning Betty wants to send Bobby and Gene to stay with her uncle after her death, Sally decides to cancel her planned trip to Madrid and serve as
16906-416: The level of partner at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce and the following SC&P, and chooses to create her own firm after SC&P is absorbed by McCann Erickson. Roger H. Sterling, Jr. ( John Slattery ), is one of the two managing partners of Sterling Cooper, and later a founding partner at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Roger's relationship with Lucky Strike, one of Sterling Cooper's most lucrative accounts,
17064-623: The loss of the Lucky Strike account, an angered Cooper tells the other partners he is quitting, partially in response to Don Draper's ad in The New York Times , which he feels is a needlessly reckless career move, and he does not want to be associated with Draper's "stunt". However, as of the premiere of Season 5 , he is back with the agency. By Season 6, Cooper has been given his own office on SCDP's new second floor and starts going about his duties with more vigor and enjoyment than he has for
17222-424: The main character, Don Draper, is built on a lie. Just like one of his campaigns, his whole identity is a sweet fabrication, a kind of candy floss spun out of opportunity, innuendo, and straight-up falsehood. The New Republic writer Ruth Franklin said that "The show's method is to take us behind the scenes of the branding of American icons— Lucky Strike cigarettes, Hilton hotels , Life cereal —to show us not how
17380-504: The meeting and ultimately ruins the account bid). In "Waterloo", Harry has not yet signed his approved partnership deal because he is getting divorced and does not want Jennifer to end up with any of it. Roger tells him that he "missed the boat" and that the idea of his becoming partner is now off the table. Harry has once again failed to read a situation properly, and his boastful posturing thus results in him losing an enormous amount of money when McCann Erickson buys Sterling Cooper, where even
17538-595: The messages that power still comes through powerful men. And unfortunately being pretty is still a quality that can get you on the ladder—though it still won't take you to the top. According to the Los Angeles Times : [T]he sexism, in particular, is almost suffocating, and not in the least fun to watch. But it's the force against which the most compelling female characters struggle, and the opposition that defines them. The interaction with everyday misogyny and condescension—the housewife whose shrink reports to her husband,
17696-441: The movies from the 50s. Once it was acceptable to talk about this idea that teenagers were having sex, which they have been doing, obviously, since time immemorial, there were all these movies like Blue Denim and Peyton Place .… [T]he central tension in every movie that does not take place on the battlefield is about a girl getting pregnant. So all of a sudden that entire issue [of pregnancy ] has been removed from society. That
17854-463: The new agency's behalf. We see him flirting with Peggy's friends as well, and it is implied that he cheats on his wife but has learned to keep it from her. In typical awkward Harry fashion, he sees prostitutes while in California for work, but pays them in traveler's cheques . When he calls Joey Baird into his office and tells him that he has a particular look suited to television, Baird interprets it as
18012-405: The opposite. It's brave for being honest about Madison Avenue's cowardice." Cigarette smoking , more common in the United States of the 1960s than it is now, is featured throughout the series; many characters can be seen smoking several times over the course of an episode. In the pilot, representatives of Lucky Strike cigarettes come to Sterling Cooper looking for a new advertising campaign in
18170-496: The past two seasons, and more effectively than Roger and Don, the other senior partners. Cooper works in secret with Pete and Joan to prepare SCDP for becoming a publicly traded company, but his plans are derailed when Don loses the Jaguar account. Cooper's initial opinion on the subsequent merger with CGC is unclear, though he goes about his duties at the new agency with his usual aplomb. Cooper later volunteers to have his name removed from
18328-429: The past, any past." He also said, " Mad Men would have been some sort of crisp, soapy version of The West Wing if not for The Sopranos ." Peggy's "psychic scar for the entire show, after giving away that baby," Weiner said, is "the kind of thing that would have never occurred to me before I was on The Sopranos ." Tim Hunter , the director of a half-dozen episodes from the show's first two seasons, called Mad Men
18486-492: The person to move to California. In Season 3, he is the only Sterling Cooper executive who is promoted by the firm's British owner as part of a short-lived company reorganization. Harry later accepts an offer to join Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce as "Head of Media". By Season 4, a more confident and slimmer, if smarmier, Harry shows great progress at work, as he is often seen making deals with television networks on
18644-441: The phone company. In early seasons, they seem to have one of the happier and more egalitarian marriages on the show; Harry is honest with his wife and is shown asking her advice about his problems at work. He flirts with women but is faithful to his wife until he has too much to drink at an office party and has an one-night stand with Hildy, Pete's secretary. He confesses the infidelity to Jennifer, who kicks him out of their home for
18802-491: The pilot script in 2002. "It was lively, and it had something new to say," Chase said. "Here was someone [Weiner] who had written a story about advertising in the 1960s, and was looking at recent American history through that prism." Weiner and his representatives at Industry Entertainment and ICM tried to sell the pilot script to HBO, which expressed an interest, but insisted that David Chase be executive producer. Chase declined, despite his enthusiasm for Weiner's writing and
18960-415: The pilot script. HBO CEO Richard Plepler later became a fan of the show and congratulated AMC on their success with it. In 2017 he named passing on Mad Men as his biggest regret from his time at HBO, calling it "inexcusable" and attributing the decision to "hubris." Weiner then moved on to Showtime , which also passed. Lacking a suitable network buyer, they tabled sales efforts until years later, when
19118-513: The pilot, is at a meeting where he pitches the idea of using coupons to attract more customers to the store. Rachel disagrees with the tactic, asserting that she would like to attract wealthier customers. Draper is unhappy with hearing a woman talk to him assertively at the business table. He storms out of the meeting, but Roger Sterling later asks him to reconcile with Rachel, as she is worth $ 3 million. At his dinner with Rachel, Don questions her desire to work in business, confused that she would choose
19276-434: The prestigious publishing house of Farrar Straus wants to publish, a fact he tries to keep secret from his co-workers. At the end of " Signal 30 ", Ken tells Peggy Olson that Roger Sterling is forcing him to abandon writing fiction as he feels it takes away time from his work for the firm. He continues to do so under the new pen name Dave Algonquin. In "Commissions and Fees" Don and Roger manage to secure Ken's father-in-law as
19434-457: The previous week. During a shiva conducted in her memory, Don learns that Rachel suffered from leukemia and that she had two children. Her sister, with whom Rachel was close and in whom she confided about her relationship with Don, is not happy to see him. She pointedly says that Rachel "had it all,” makes it clear her life was better for not having Don in it, and is curt until Don takes the hint and leaves. Sally Beth Draper ( Kiernan Shipka )
19592-443: The products themselves were created, but how their 'very sexy…very magical' images were dreamed up." She went on to say that, "In this way, we are all Don Drapers, obsessed with selling an image rather than tending to what lies underneath. Draper's fatal flaw is his lack of psychological awareness: He is at once perfectly tuned into the desires of America and entirely out of touch with his own character." One reviewer said that "Identity
19750-513: The residents from Mercy West Hospital after its merger with Seattle Grace Hospital. Drew was brought aboard Grey's Anatomy after former collaborations with series creator Shonda Rhimes ; she was featured as a guest in 2 episodes of Private Practice in 2008 and was a main cast member in Rhimes' 2009 television pilot Inside the Box , which ABC passed on. In 2010, she was promoted to a series-regular for
19908-570: The restless years before the advent of the full-blown culture wars." One reviewer was excited that the fourth season, through Peggy, brought "the introduction to the Counterculture ( Andy Warhol as the King of Pop and Leader of the Band), with all the loud music, joint-passing, underground movies so present in those times. Peggy's visit to a loft, with a Life Magazine photo editor-friend, placed her squarely in
20066-558: The rift between her and her mother. When her youngest brother is named after their dead grandfather and given his room, Sally becomes convinced that the baby is her grandfather's reincarnation and becomes terrified of him, but is eventually calmed down by her father. Sally is adventurous, and she has been seen throughout the series making cocktails for her father, smoking one of her mother's cigarettes, asking Don's co-workers about sex, sneaking sips of their alcoholic beverages, being taught how to drive by her grandfather, and masturbating while at
20224-423: The role of Accounts Director, which infuriates Pete (who wanted the job) while Ken is unruffled. While not as outwardly ambitious as Pete, he has proven to be a competent executive and an exceptionally talented creative thinker, eclipsing Pete as a rising star at Sterling Cooper. Eventually, Ken is promoted above Pete, to the latter's fury, particularly when Ken is blasé about the promotion and about learning that Pete
20382-484: The sale, he begins to feel increasingly insignificant as they start to exert control, but accepts this as part of the terms of the buyout, from which he, his sister Alice, Roger, and Don profited handsomely. When informed of the potential sale PPL and Sterling Cooper to McCann Erickson and that he will be forced to retire as a result, Cooper goes on to start a new agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce in December 1963. Cooper
20540-487: The same "numbness of Betty Draper" and witnessed the "sense of male entitlement similar to Don's." Aviva Dove-Viebahn wrote that " Mad Men straddles the line between a nuanced portrayal of how sexism and patriarchal entitlement shape lives, careers and social interactions in the 1960s and a glorified rendering of the 'fast-paced, chauvinistic world of 1960s advertising and all that comes with it.'" Melissa Witkowski, writing for The Guardian , argued that Peggy's ascendancy
20698-407: The scenes featuring smoking, Weiner said: "Doing this show without smoking would've been a joke. It would've been sanitary and it would've been phony." Each episode had a budget between US$ 2–2.5 million; the pilot episode's budget was over $ 3 million. Weiner collaborated with cinematographer Phil Abraham and production designers Robert Shaw (who worked on the pilot only) and Dan Bishop to develop
20856-447: The second season. Veith also returned and was promoted to staff writer. Hornbacher replaced Palmer as co-executive producer for the second season. Consulting producers David Isaacs , Marti Noxon , Rick Cleveland , and Jane Anderson joined the crew for the second season. Weiner, Albert, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Veith, Noxon, Cleveland, and Anderson were all writers for the second season. New writer's assistant Kater Gordon
21014-412: The series groundbreaking for "luxuriating in the not-so-distant past." Regarding season 3, Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe wrote "it's an absolutely gorgeous, amber-tinted vision of the early 1960s" and added "detailed with enough 1950s-era accoutrements to seem authentically Camelot." The San Francisco Chronicle called Mad Men "stylized, visually arresting…an adult drama of introspection and
21172-426: The series, Matthew Weiner was the showrunner , head writer , and an executive producer; he contributed to each episode through writing or co-writing the scripts, casting various roles, and approving costume and set designs. He was notorious for being selective about all aspects of the series, and maintained a high level of secrecy about production details. Tom Palmer served as a co-executive producer and writer on
21330-633: The series, but Joan split up with him because he bragged about their relationship around the office; according to Joan, Paul "has a big mouth". When a then-naive Peggy begins to work at Sterling Cooper as Don's secretary, Paul hits on her, but Peggy rejects him, as she is secretly attracted to Pete. In Season 2, Paul dates Sheila, a black assistant manager in South Orange who is involved in the Civil Rights Movement . Joan initially makes fun of his relationship with his black girlfriend, as she believes he
21488-792: The series. Matthew Weiner directed each of the season finales. Cast members John Slattery , Jared Harris and Jon Hamm also directed episodes. As of the third season, seven of the nine writers for the show were women, in contrast to Writers Guild of America 2006 statistics that showed male writers outnumbered female writers by 2 to 1. As Maria Jacquemetton noted: We have a predominately [ sic ] female writing staff—women from their early 20s to their 50s—and plenty of female department heads and directors. [Show creator] Matt Weiner and [executive producer] Scott Hornbacher hire people they believe in, based on their talent and their experience. "Can you capture this world? Can you bring great storytelling?" Mad Men depicts parts of American society of
21646-460: The seventh most acclaimed in 2014, and the second most acclaimed in 2015. On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the first season scored 77/100; the second season scored 88/100; the third season scored 87/100; the fourth season scored 92/100; the fifth season scored 89/100; the sixth season scored 88/100; the seventh season, part one scored 85/100; and the seventh season, part two scored 83/100. A New York Times reviewer called
21804-442: The seventh season. In March 2018, it was announced that Drew, along with Jessica Capshaw , would be exiting the series. Showrunner Krista Vernoff stated that the decision was purely creative, not budgetary. However, it was announced in March 2021 that Drew would be returning during season 17, and in April 2022 that Drew would be returning for the 400th episode of the 18th season, along with Jesse Williams . Shortly following
21962-416: The show's leitmotiv , calling Don Draper "a man who's been living a lie for a long time. He's built to be a loner. And over the course of three seasons we've watched him carry this existential angst through a fairy-tale life of his own creation." As noted by Gawker : Not only is the agency of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce in the business of spinning them—or at least warping the truth—to sell product, but
22120-430: The statement seems to intrigue Don, but Rachel ends the meeting, promising to come back to Sterling Cooper for another meeting on Monday morning. At the second meeting, in the third episode, Rachel is irked that none of the admen on her team have been to her store. Don solves the problem by meeting her there that afternoon. While there she gives him a pair of medieval knight cuff links and takes him to her favorite place in
22278-427: The store, the roof - where the store keeps its patrol dogs. Rachel explains that she was always close to the dogs as a young girl because her father liked to work a lot. Other than her sister, the dogs were her only companions, as her mother died while giving birth to her. After her revelation, Don kisses her. He tells her he is married, which stuns her. She feels foolish and asks that he put someone else on her account at
22436-577: The trip. Paul expresses gratitude and feels Harry is a true friend, when in fact Harry's lies and desire to get Paul away from him are evidence of him simply not wanting to deal with Paul. In Season 6, Harry's personality has changed considerably from his days at Sterling Cooper; he has become arrogant and full of prideful boasting about the Media Department. His jealousy manifests itself when Joan fires his secretary, Scarlett, for falsifying her time card. He orders Scarlett back to work and then bursts into
22594-458: The wake of a Reader's Digest report that smoking will lead to illnesses, including lung cancer. Talk of smoking being harmful to health and physical appearance is usually dismissed or ignored. In the fourth season, after Lucky Strike fires Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce as its ad agency, Draper writes an advertisement in The New York Times titled "Why I'm Quitting Tobacco", which announces SCDP's refusal to take tobacco accounts. The finale finds
22752-608: The women in the workplace. He speaks to his mother in Italian. Sal is shown to have a sarcastic side to his personality, mocking Pete after he nearly loses his job and laughing at Freddy Rumsen urinating himself. Between Seasons 1 and 2, Sal marries a childhood friend, Kitty ( Sarah Drew ). The two entertain Ken Cosgrove for dinner during the Season 2 episode "The Gold Violin", during which Sal seems taken with his guest. Kitty shows signs of frustration at being ignored, expressing that something
22910-464: Was a media buyer at Sterling Cooper. He initially is part of the group of young and unmarried or newly married members of the Creative and Accounts teams. Harry is from Wisconsin and a University of Wisconsin alumnus, the only one of Pete's close friends who did not attend an Ivy League school (Ken went to Columbia , Pete to Dartmouth , and Paul to Princeton ). He is married to Jennifer, who works at
23068-442: Was a tremendous amount of drinking. Three-martini lunches were the norm…while we were still looking at the menu, the third would arrive.… The only thing that saved us was that the clients and agencies that we were going back to drank as much as we did.… Bottles in desk drawers were not the exception but the rule. The Los Angeles Times opined that Mad Men excels at "stories of characters fighting to achieve personal liberation in
23226-406: Was an early investor in Sterling Cooper and served as partner and Secretary-Treasurer. Also, Cooper's mother had a major influence in his life as describes that his mother made him who is today, despite his mother not living to see him to the success he was able to achieve. Cooper's most notable characteristics are his eccentricities and being an aficionado of Japanese art and culture . His office
23384-570: Was chosen by Don to join the new agency Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, while he was not. In the Season 5 episode " Christmas Waltz ", Kinsey reappears as a devotee of the Hare Krishna movement, which he has joined at least partly to win the affections of a girl. (His advertising career has apparently stalled, since he bounced between a few other agencies before becoming a Hare Krishna). He contacts Harry Crane to ask him to pass on his spec script for Star Trek to Harry's contacts at NBC. The script
23542-520: Was chosen when the series was rebooted by The CW network for the 2020–21 season . On October 30, 2020, Drew has been cast in a recurring role as Cindy Turner (Jeanette's mother) in the Freeform ( ABC Family ) series Cruel Summer . In September 2021, Drew was cast in Apple TV+ comedy series Amber Brown based on the bestselling books by Paula Danziger. In 2022, Drew started as Lizbeth Meredith in
23700-488: Was glossing over racial issues. Slate writer Tanner Colby praised the show's treatment of race and Madison Avenue as historically accurate, especially the storyline in the third season episode "The Fog" in which Pete Campbell's idea to market certain products specifically towards African-Americans is struck down by the company. Slate also referred to the fourth season episode, "The Beautiful Girls", in which Don shoots down Peggy Olson's suggestion of Harry Belafonte as
23858-546: Was in Elkins Park, Pa., and she graduated from Bryn Mawr College . She speaks fluent Italian. She is the archetypal dissatisfied 1960s housewife, who dutifully turned her back on her education and professional career (as a model) to become a homemaker. After obtaining a divorce from Don, she marries Henry Francis and moves to Rye in late 1965. Despite no longer being married to Don, Betty is shown to harbor feelings for him. Joan P. Harris (née Holloway ; Christina Hendricks )
24016-429: Was in denial about her pregnancy; she gives birth to a boy conceived with Pete Campbell,with whom she had a couple of one night stands. After her return to Sterling Cooper, she continues to have success as a copy writer and eventually loses her little girl style, cuts her hair, and begins to dress more like an adult, but with subtle nods to her Catholic school girl upbringing. Peter "Pete" Campbell ( Vincent Kartheiser )
24174-627: Was joined by new consulting producer Frank Pierson . Dahvi Waller joined the crew as a co-producer. Weiner, Albert, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Veith, Noxon, and Waller were all writers for the third season. New writer's assistant Erin Levy , executive story editor Cathryn Humphris , script co-ordinator Brett Johnson and freelance writer Andrew Colville completed the third season writing staff. Alan Taylor , Phil Abraham , Jennifer Getzinger , Lesli Linka Glatter , Tim Hunter , Andrew Bernstein , and Michael Uppendahl were regular directors for
24332-448: Was marred because the show "strongly implies that no woman had ever been a copywriter at Sterling Cooper prior to Peggy, but the circumstances of her promotion imply that this was merely because no woman had ever happened to have shown talent in front of a man before," pointing out that Peggy's career path bore little resemblance to the stories of successful ad women of the time such as Mary Wells Lawrence and Jean Wade Rindlaub . In 2013,
24490-526: Was published, noting the limits to that financial success when it comes to the actors: "We don't get paid very much on the show and that's well-documented. On the other hand, when you do television, you have a steady paycheck each week, so that's nice." Miller Tabak analyst David Joyce wrote that sales from home video and iTunes could amount to $ 100 million during the show's expected seven-year run, with international syndication sales bringing in an additional estimated $ 700,000 per episode. That does not include
24648-572: Was shot at Silvercup Studios in New York City and various locations around the city; subsequent episodes were filmed at Los Angeles Center Studios . It was available in high definition for showing on AMC HD and on video-on-demand services available from various cable affiliates. The writers, including Weiner, amassed volumes of research on Mad Men ' s time period, so as to make most aspects of it—including detailed set design, costume design, and props—historically accurate, producing an authentic visual style that garnered critical praise. On
24806-418: Was the season's other writer. Isaacs, Cleveland, and Anderson left the crew at the end of the second season. Albert remained a supervising producer for the third season but Andre Jacquemetton and Maria Jacquemetton became consulting producers. Hornbacher was promoted again, this time to executive producer. Veith returned as a story editor and Gordon became a staff writer. Noxon remained a consulting producer and
24964-457: Was what I was interested in in 1960. Television commentators have noted the series's study of identity . This theme is explored most candidly through Don Draper's identity fraud during and after the Korean War , in which he takes on the name of an officer, whom he had accidentally killed, to desert the army and enter a more prestigious and successful lifestyle. Tim Goodman considers identity to be
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