Along with what seems like the entire rest of the world, I am 1) of the opinion that “Mad Men” is currently the best show on television, and 2) am blogging about my opinion that “Mad Men” is currently the best show on television. You don’t have a blog unless you are blogging about “Mad Men.” Even The Millions succumbed (and click through to check out their nifty re-design BTW).
Meanwhile, much like “The Wire”………. hardly anyone is watching “Mad Men.” Don Draper and the rest of Sterling Cooper set personal best ratings for Sunday night’s premiere with 2.8 million viewers. To put that number in perspective, twice as many people watched A RERUN of “How I Met Your Mother.” Don’t get me wrong, “How I Met Your Mother” is quite a legen (wait for it) dary show, but COME ON, PEOPLE.
I know not everyone gets AMC, even fewer get it in HD, there are a lot of people Tivo-ing the show as they catch up with the Season 1 and 2 DVDs, and sundry other reasons for the low ratings. But still: it hasn’t been since… well, “The Wire” that a relatively sparsely watched show has received such massive attention.
“Mad Men” has gotten me thinking about all sorts of topics – the way it unfolds so luxuriously, the way it looks (which has been influential in everything from fashion to antiquing), the social issues, the lurking specter of the ’60s cultural upheaval, and what is surely the best opening credits sequence in television history (a notable departure from “The Wire,” which was arguably the worst title sequence in television history).
Iconic shows tend to “get” something about the times in which they’re airing and tap straight into the cultural zeitgeist. “Dallas” became a hit just as a certain Western actor was about to move into the White House, and J.R. Ewing’s barely disguised glee for financial greed was contemporaneous with Michael Milken and the savings and loan crisis. In the ’90s, “Seinfeld,” “Friends,” and “Sex & the City” progressively reflected the rapid gentrification and “youthing” of America’s cities.
“Mad Men” is still a ways off from being an iconic show, except among critics and the 2.8 million people who are apparently watching it. And yet there’s something about the show that is really touching a cultural nerve, especially in the cities. It’s telling that AMC particularly focused its advertising for “Mad Men” directly in New York City.
In some sense, the mere fact that “Mad Men” is so relatively unpopular and yet has such fanatical devotion among its core group of fans is already reflective of our time. We’re living in an age when audiences for movies and TV shows are splintering further and further. Even without factoring for inflation, the highest grossing movie of all time came out twelve years ago. The most watched television event, in percentage terms, was twenty-six years ago.
But setting aside its cult status, I think what might be most appealing abut the show is the way in which the characters of “Mad Men” are living the still-relevant cultural upheavals that have left such a lasting impact nearly 50 years later (women in the work place, creeping but primitive awareness of racial issues, etc.) just as the characters remain blissfully unaware of the upheavals as they’re living them.
One of the most scathing articles I’ve seen about “Mad Men” was in the London Review of Books last Fall (via The Elegant Variation), in which Mark Greif lamented that the show was “an unpleasant little entry in the genre of Now We Know Better.” He writes:
“We watch and know better about male chauvinism, homophobia, anti-semitism, workplace harassment, housewives’ depression, nutrition and smoking. We wait for the show’s advertising men or their secretaries and wives to make another gaffe for us to snigger over. ‘Have we ever hired any Jews?’ – ‘Not on my watch.’ ‘Try not to be overwhelmed by all this technology; it looks complicated, but the men who designed it made it simple enough for a woman to use.’… We’re meant to save a little snort, too, for the ad agency’s closeted gay art director as he dismisses psychological research: ‘We’re supposed to believe that people are living one way, and secretly thinking the exact opposite? . . . Ridiculous!’ – a line delivered with a limp-wristed wave. Mad Men is currently said to be the best and ‘smartest’ show on American TV. We’re doomed.”
Greif does spot the most cringe-inducing of the “wink winks” in the show’s history. But if the whole point of the show were these winks and nudges… yeah. It would suck. Only: it’s not, and it doesn’t.
Firstly, I would argue that the “Now We Know Better” genre is much preferable the “It Wasn’t So Bad Really” revisionist history genre where protagonists from racially and sexually awkward times are blessed with modern day awareness and sensitivity so that we can feel okay about them. As Ta-Nehesi Coates writes, the virtual omission of black characters in Mad Men perfectly reflects that world:
“I actually think it’s a beautiful, lovely, incredibly powerful omission. Mad Men is a show told from the perspective of a particular world. The people in that world barely see black people. They’re there all the time–Hollis in the elevator, women working in the powder-room, the Draper’s maid, the janitors, the black guy hired at Leo Burnett–but they’re never quite seen. I think this is an incredible statement on how privilege, at its most insidious, really works.”
Also, in order for a “Now We Know Better” genre to work… don’t we actually have to know better? What is most enjoyable about these moments of awkwardness on “Mad Men” isn’t that they’re closed cases but that the characters are dealing with issues that are still roiling our own times. It’s not as if we’ve closed the book on anti-semitism, racism, sexism, and homophobia.
Tumultuous change is in the air in the offices of Sterling Cooper, and yet the characters are completely unselfconsciously unaware. Peggy Olson is just ambitious and competent, she does not self-consciously think of herself as a trailblazer in the workplace. Pete Campbell doesn’t see himself as the last bastion of New York aristocracy. They don’t sit around talking about how the times they are a-changin’. They’re just people living their lives. That unselfawareness perfectly encapsulates how we are living through our own tumultuous time in the present: with no idea how everything is going to turn out.
What do you think? Does the Don Draper stare and the rest of “Mad Men” capture your imagination or does it leave you cold?
Hey, am I first? That's just weird. Because usually I'm 47th at the earliest.
I was an early adopter of Mad Men. I think the scripts are uneven but at its best, it's wonderful. And I'd watch for the production design alone (seeing as how this was a huge part of my former career).
Another recommend: Breaking Bad. I think it captures the zeitgeist of a very tough time – mainly, today's America.
Word Verification: procked.
I'm not even going to speculate.
Speaking as one of the millions who have yet to see MAD MEN (but just received the first season from Netflix), I have to admit that I've been tempted by its concept for a long time. But while I'm thrilled to watch a show that reflects the people/issues of its chosen time accurately (and not in a revisionist way), the trailers always make these people seem despicable… and no matter how good the writing, I find it hard to watch despicable, mean-spirited people. Unless it's ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (another critically acclaimed, poorly viewed show).
But I'm glad you like the show, Nathan. I'll tell my ol' pal Cat (one of MAD MEN's female writers) that there's another fan out there. She wrote two of the upcoming episodes, and I'm so excited for her! (which is also why I'm trying to catch up with the first two seasons!)
Mr. Bransford
Maybe I'm goofy (likely) but from those Wiki citations it looks to me like Elvis on Ed was the highest percentage audience, No?
dylan
I find Mad Men one of the most compelling shows on TV. The characters exemplify their world at large. Mad Men is filled with Beautiful, empty, monstrous people. Fill something hollow and fragile with enough air and it will explode. Don Draper and Co. are feasting on emptiness. What happens next? I can't wait to see the where all the shattered pieces land.
Read The Feminine Mystique and then watch a few episodes; it's a trip. We've come so far and yet not at all.
I agree with the last comment about Arrested Development. Now that was a great show!
I've seen one episode of Mad Men and I couldn't quite get into it. That might have to do with the fact that I was on a plane and I couldn't hear very well…
I have heard a lot of good things about it. Of course, if Nathan recommends it, it has to be good, am I right? Netflix here I come.
dylan-
Yeah, it depends on how you look at it. They started really counting percentage in the '60s and that Ed Sullivan stat was uncited. So I went with MASH, which is usually regarded as the biggest primetime event in TV history, even if Wikipedia doesn't (surprise surprise) completely have its act together. Didn't have time to further research it though.
BTW, For everyone who always wanted to become Joan Holloway or Don Draper:
Now you can Mad Med yourself at https://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/madmenyourself/
Honestly, I'd never heard of the show until a few days ago. And now Netflix tells me there's a long wait for the first DVD and amazon says they'd love to sell me one, in two weeks or so. I feel like I'm under a rock not knowing what everyone's talking about. Heck, I didn't even know AMC was making original content.
I've always had a thing for underviewed shows and this one sounds really intriguing. I can't tell you how well it works for me yet though. =)
Being a woman in the advertising field–and coincidentally my department was all males except myself, I eagerly awaited the arrival of a show like Mad Men.
It didn't disappoint.
Christi Corbett
I haven't seen the show but I keep hearing about it. Actually the first time I heard of it, it was because my sister sent me a link to a site where you can make Mad Men avatars of yourself . 😛 But now I'm intrigued and will have to get some of the DVDs through Netflix since I don't have cable 🙂
I haven’t seen MAD MEN yet, but am curious enough after reading your blog today to check out an episode. Speaking of zeitgeist and changing times, I’ve been fascinated for some time by the way each generation in the United States creates movements that are the polar opposite of the larger zeitgeist of their parents’ generation. Some of the movements include healthy, much needed change, while others are as destructive as the forces they attempt to change. It makes for a volatile, erratic unfolding of history at times – which can be a source of great literature, film and TV shows.
Well, it's a show requiring patience, perceptiveness and a withholding of judgement.
I think it's amazing 2.8 million people have sustained it into its third season!
Wait for the Mad Men-Lite version once the show stops….
Tried to watch this new season opener without having seen any of the previous episodes. Lost me in the first ten minutes and I gave up. No time to catch up to two previous seasons. I give it a pass.
One could watch Mad Men with the volume OFF and it would still be fabulous…the design alone, the nuance. I was a kid then, my first real memory is JFK's funeral and so I'm eager to see how the characters respond to the cultural revolution on their doorstep.
I am so culturally deprived.
Wait, here in Indonesia, we do get Oprah on StarWorld out of Hong Kong.
Nkrell-
You forget that Nathan watches The Bachelor.
I’m not much of a TV watcher—would rather read—but I have to say I was intrigued by the recent advertising blitz and was thinking about watching. If I hate it and wasted an hour I could have been reading, I’m blaming Nathan
I am the only one of my circle of close-ish friends who is not watching this show. I'd never heard of it until this week, which confirms a long standing suspicion of mine.
If it's cool, I'm the last to know.
I had been hearing lots about Mad Men so decided to Tivo the season opener. My husband and I watched most of it last night, and neither one of us really liked it. We finally gave up. Maybe their first show this season just didn't live up to the past two seasons??
I'm dying to write a series of Mad Men-esque romance novels set in Coit Tower in the 1960's. San Francisco fog, streetcars, cigarettes, sex, that kind of thing.
Every agent I've pitched it to thinks I'm insane. Maybe I've just been pitching it to the wrong agents?
Word to the wise: start with Episode 1, Season 1. No exceptions.
cheryl-
I actually thought the first episode of season three was really great, but I can see why it wouldn't make sense if it was the first episode I'd seen. "Mad Men" is also a product of our time in the sense that the producers know that, due to the wonders of Netflix and DVDs, people can catch up with a show in ways that had never really been possible up until this point. So they're not making too many allowances for people who are hoping to pick the show up midstream.
I think that's a pretty big call. I would argue that the best opening title sequence is True Blood or maybe Carnivale.
ARGH! I watched the very first episode and was in love, but then I forgot to set it on my DVR and it was gone from my radar. Now I'm afraid to watch it without knowing it all. I think I'll have to join Netflix simply to get MadMen season 1 and 2. My grandparent's house was decorated just like a martini drinkin' social pad. Didn't know it at the time, but I loved Grandpa's suits and hats and Grandma's swingin' dresses.
Also…I'm absolutely addicted to Breaking Bad, also on AMC. It gets NO love at all, but boy is it awesome. Not as delicious to look at, but unbelievably awesome.
If I only had two tv stations, they'd be BRAVO and AMC. HBO would round out a nice third because I loves me some Big Love.
Ahhh Mad Men, what did I do before you! Yes, it is complex and brilliant while at the same time cringe-worthy in its transparency. But, that is just exactly what makes it so addictive! One of my favorite moments was so unexpected but so undeniable in its obviousness, I laughed out loud. Betty and Don have just finished their little family picnic in the woods. Don finishes his can of beer and chucks it into the woods. He instructs Betty to pack up the picnic and the kids. She takes great care making sure the kids hands and faces are clean before they get into their father's new car. She, then yanks the blanket out from under the leftover food and trash, folds it up neatly and walks away, leaving the trash all over the green meadow.
The writers have taken great care in all the big and little elements in Mad Men and oh, how it shows. The layers of this show go so deep, it's almost sinful to watch. There is an ugliness and a vacuous feeling to those days and it is depicted magnificently in each character's life. Enough said, if you haven't watched, don't start, unless you're ready for the viewing commitment. Don Draper is like crack. You won't be able to stop.
Jen C – I am TOTALLY with you. As a Louisiana native, I think the opening sequence to TRUE BLOOD is completely, freakin' awesome. I love the song so much that I sorta sing along with the opening titles… and so far, my hubby hasn't complained, but I won't be surprised when that happens.
Yay! I love this show and I am thrilled you blogged about it Nathan. I was one of the 11 people that have been watching MM since the original airing of the pilot. I've been hooked since! What I love about the show is that they use subtlety beautifully. The writers use tools that have also been employed in great books I love. Foreshadowing, symbolism, intriguing back story, and sense of place, to name a few.
What Mad Men has in common with other great unsung heros of TV like Arrested Development is that they move at a pace that matches good novels. You have to begin at page one and read them in order from there. If I had to read Gilead from the middle without reading the first 15 chapters I might say wtf? But when I start that book from the beginning it sparkles like a jewel.
I like that the writers run with the belief that viewers have been with them since the start. The opener of season 3 does not make much sense if you have not taken the journey with the show and know about Dick Whitman and Don's struggles with infidelity and identity. Seasons 1&2 are the early chapters of this story and I look forward to seeing what the writers do from here.
I'm sensing a theme to this week's posts. 🙂
Since I deal with shadow parts of reality in my job, entertainment for me is pure escape. Mad Men is too edgy for me to watch now. I miss out, but I can only take so much darkness…. Someday, when I've moved to a job that's more in the light, I'll return and watch it – you've convinced me. 🙂
I hope you've convinced others too – maybe this will bring new folks to an exceptional show.
I liked what you said about how popular shows (and books) touch cultural nerves, and this one touches the nerve uncertainty about the future. (Note: I'm about to give an opinion of what the show is about. I haven't seen the show, but I don't see why that should stop me from pontificating about it, because, well, I want to.) From what you said, I'm also going to guess there is an underlying optimism there. All the 'isms' are alive and well, but we have made alot of progres. So, maybe part of the draw is the idea that out of tumultuous times comes progress. People, empty and ignorant, do not define their times, but are defined and influenced by the times – even to the point of profound character growth. And that even the worst of us can be used by the larger forces that surround us as tools for progress.
Hmmm. That sounds like a good show. I may have to watch it after all. 🙂
There's a reason that MAD MEN seems so authentic. My friend Cat, who writes for the show, says that the writers must do a lot of homework before putting pen to page (or finger to keyboard). They have to read books about '60s style and politics, devour novels set in the time period, listen to '60s music, watch documentaries about the '60s, absorb photographs from the era… etc., etc. No wonder fans see so much "truth" in the show.
mira-
Actually I'd say the show is infused with more "how in the hell did we get here" and "where are we going" than optimism about the future. It can be a tad on the bleak side, which is one reason I don't know that a mainstream audience will start watching.
Nathan, Nathan, Nathan
You captured my attention with your Twitter post, “I've been thinking way too much about Mad Men”, which is what drew me to your blog (of which I’m already a follower).
I am a big fan of MM, and until or unless they (writers & producers) do something to really screw up the direction of the show, I will continue to tune in each Sunday. I actually watched Entourage OnDemand so I could see the first episode of Mad Men’s new season when it first aired; I could have just waited because it re-airs immediately behind the normal time slot, but nooooo I had to see it immediately. It was worth it for me. I watched Entourage at midnight.
I agree with most of the content in your post regarding the show, and I’m glad you took the time to blog about MM, as you said “…You don't have a blog unless you are blogging about "Mad Men." However, I’m embarrassed to admit, I’ve not blogged about Man Men, but I can assure you I will get on that ASAP.
I also agree your comment: “But still: it hasn't been since… well, "The Wire" that a relatively sparsely watched show has received such massive attention.” It really made me wonder if you’d peeked at my (limited) favorite series list. I too, thought “The Wire” was one of the most under-rated highly followed series that has ever aired, and I was very disappointed that it did not stay on for at least 2 more seasons..
I can’t believe Mad Men that twice as many of the 2.8 million MM viewers, willingly watched a re-run of “How I Met Your Mother”, it was a freakin re-run for goodness sake; and by no means comparable to MM.
Let me sum this up with Jmartinlibrarian’s comment, “… I find Mad Men one of the most compelling shows on TV.”
Wonderfully,
Chrystal
Nathan –
Well, since you've actually watched the show, I guess I'll defer to you on what it's about. 🙂
(It sounded good though. I just like to fling optimism around, and hope it will hit things.)
One nice (optimistic) thing about cable shows – cable channels are sometimes content with smaller audiences. Sometimes they look for shows that give them an identity. And an award winning show like Mad Men puts AMC on the map.
Ooops! that 2nd to last par. should read:
I can’t believe that twice as many of the 2.8 million MM viewers, willingly watched a re-run of “How I Met Your Mother”, it was a freakin re-run for goodness sake; and by no means comparable to MM.
Although I do intend to watch MAD MEN (beginning with Season 1), I must take (mock) offense at the slams on HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. It might be more light-weight than MAD MEN, but it's still a terrific show. And Barney is truly one of the (wait for it) funniest characters ever. Good for Doogie Howser!
If you have Comcast Cable On Demand you can catch up on Season Two– that's how I learned about the show.
I love the fashion on that show– Joan is such a siren…
I also love the fashion on Mad Men! I've heard such great things about the show, but I still have to rent Season One (and the rest) as well. (I'm on a major True Blood kick right now) And I love, love, love How I Met Your Mother. In Barney's words, "It's awesome!"
Mad Men is my favorite current show by far (Breaking Bad is number 2–nod to you Other Lisa). Mad Men gives me good brain and soul nutrition. I think you can spot great writing when characters have more flaws than not but you can't help but loving them and even rooting for them. Even whiney Pete. How, um, human?
(SPOILERS) I am heartbroken Joan married that rapist. I am sad for Sal that he didn't get to finish what was started. And I'm mad mad mad at Don for not trying very hard.
Ah well.
God Jon Hamm is good!
God did I love Trudy's hat!
Nathan, I think you missed your calling as a media studies professor. Or an American Studies professor. I'm just going to start calling you Professor.
FYI my favorite bloggers on Mad Men are Alan Sepinwall: https://sepinwall.blogspot.com/
And, the Onion A.V. Club: https://www.avclub.com/articles/out-of-town,31769/
Mad Men is the fantasy of drinking endless cocktails without ever getting sick, fat or developing liver disease. Mad Men is wearing to die for clothes without having to squeeze into a girdle to do it.
Mad Men is getting close and personal with Jon Hamm without , uh, actually getting close and personal with Jon Hamm because it's a TV show.
Rats.
I lived through the '60's and the problem with Mad Men is not how much it gets right, but how much it gets wrong. You can tell the writers are getting it from research. Sets my teeth on edge and I can't watch. The racism, sexism, stereotypes and assumptions were much worse. Mad Men is a pale shadow.
The opening credits remind me of a James Bond sequence for some reason…
Not sure I like the time period, but I might enjoy the darker tone (of course, this'll have to come after my recent undertakings of 24 and FNL — btw, was just in Austin and played some football w/ some high school students; man, FNL hits the nail on the head w/ characterization).
I'm continually amazed by the writing of MM. Matthew Weiner packs more into one of Don Draper's smirks than most shows contain in an hour's run. Don's discussion with Sal on the plane ride home in this most recent episode is a prime example. You think he's going to say one thing, and he says another. Only then you realize that he also implied something entirely different. I can see how the show would be confusing if you couldn't hear it well, 'cause you've really got to pay attention.
Plus, who is making all this '60's underwear? Seriously, that stuff can't be the original article, can it?
Great post! I am a huge Mad Men fan. I started watching it last season and fell in love.
Don Draper is such a unique and tortured soul. I can't help but watch his every move. That's not to say no one else is tortured. The way they treat each other, the way they treat their kids, or friends, it's all genuine, good or bad.
I like the darker dramas that have a unique fabric woven through them. Six Feet Under is also one that is a must see. Now there's a tortured family… The episodes for both Mad Men and Six Feet Under resonate with me way after they're aired. That's a sign of a good show, I think.
I must be totally out of the loop here. I haven't even heard of the show "Man Men". I'll check it out though.
The only show I'm excited to see each week is "The Big Bang Theory". I love the nerdy creative lines the writers come up with. Seriously funny and fresh. Everything else out there looks like CSI, or reality. I'm just not "into" them.
True Confessions
You know how Mad Men airs TWICE in a row on Sunday night?
Yes, I watch the same episode twice.
I thought there was one misstep though – when the character describes her daughter as wielding a hammer "like a little lesbian" – I think in that time period, someone like that would have said "like a little tomboy."
Here's a link to The Lesbian Herstory Archives in New York, if anyone's interested:
https://www.lesbianherstory
archives.org/
There was a PBS show about it, they talked a lot about the lesbian literature of that time period (dime store novels I guess they were called).
Also, if anyone's interested, a friend just gave me a copy of THE BOOK THIEF – I've got about 50 more pages to go on WAR AND PEACE re-read, then I'm starting BOOK THIEF. I started reading it, and can't wait to settle down and read the whole thing.
If anyone wants to sing the praises of THE BOOK THIEF here, I would be glad to hear it.
Mad Men has been in my Netflix queue for a while, but of course now it's a "Long Wait."
The premise and style of the show interested me from the start, but—as with many cable shows—I'd have to go to a friend's house or wait for DVD to see it. I couldn't talk our cable-buddies into Mad Men (or Entourage, for that matter), but we do get to see True Blood every week, and I agree with earlier comments about that show's great opening sequence. How can you resist a theme song that's about doing "bad things to you."
What's interesting to me about this Mad Men frenzy is that it seems to be a very well orchestrated campaign that taps into the small fanbase, as well as being a big ad/magazine promo effort. You see high-profile ads in NYC, press in Entertainment Weekly, as well as hearing from friends, Nathan, and whomever about the show. Several Facebook friends of mine have Mad Men-ed their avatars, as well.
So, to the days-ago subject about marketing/self-promotion, I think that it's apparent that a targeted "small" campaign can get into the far reaches of the Internet, and that just getting yourself/book/idea can catch fire. Clearly we do not all have the PR team behind Mad Men also working for each of us, but the point is that one mention bleeds into many others and fans out across the Web/print/wherever.
A strong work (whatever medium) can be propelled by people who believe in it, at many different levels. When it comes to your work, you are the pivotal person at the base of that fan. Get it out there.
"is still a ways off…"
What is it with these singular plurals in the American language? Why "a ways" and not "a way"? Come to that, why "a savings" and not "a saving"?
I’m jealous because the new season is not yet aired here in the UK. I’ve ‘Mad Men’d’ my avatar on Twitter in anticipation.
I've watched Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Entourage, The Wire, Sopranos and loved them all. When Sopranos and The Wire finished I was in mourning for months. Couldn't even start watching any other series.
Mad Men is excellent because it assumes knowledge and does the 'Now We Know Better' in a way that makes us ask 'But Do We Really?' Women worldwide still earn less than men, the problem of racism hasn't gone away, we have terrorism, global warming. I'm depressing myself now.
It’s only a TV series right?
@Bill
Don's discussion with Sal on the plane ride home in this most recent episode is a prime example.
Oh, man. I am finally getting to watch the season opener (no TiVo) and just saw that scene. Priceless. Loved it.
I stopped watching TV years ago, when they cancelled Strange Luck after only 6 episodes. I discover great shows like Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies on DVD most of the time. Dollhouse is the only thing I follow right now. I'm also getting a bit of writing done. I'm glad for recommendations, though, so I'll check out this show and see what it has going for it.
Did you HAVE to write this, Nathan? I refuse to participate in cable tv around here because the provider is unreliable in bookkeeping as well as technicalities. I simply MUST see if any of the series is available on DVD (scuttles off to B&N site …)