Every Fan of High-Quality HBO Dramas Must Watch This Jon Hamm Gem With 95% on RT

Mad Men is often overlooked by fans of The Sopranos, The Wire, and Breaking Bad, but it is a show that deserves more recognition. Created by Matthew Weiner, this drama about New York advertising executives in the 1960s won 16 Emmys.

Mad Men's seven seasons are the television equivalent of a great novel and deserve the attention of any fan of quality drama.

What Is 'Mad Men' About?

Don Draper is the creative director of a Madison Avenue advertising agency. He is a handsome playboy with a genius for persuasion. Don leads a double life, serving as a successful advertising executive by day and concealing his true past by night.

His real name is Dick Whitman – he grew up poor and assumed the identity of an officer killed in the Korean War in order to start over. The series begins with this secret but does not make it the central plot point.

Instead, it shows how Don's carefully constructed image begins to crumble under the pressure of a changing America.

Don Draper Is One of the Greatest Antiheroes in the History of Television

Unlike Walter White or Tony Soprano, Don Draper doesn't commit crimes or engage in criminal showdowns. His drama is internal: he tries to maintain the illusion of a successful life, but his past catches up with him.

He repeatedly repeats the mantra that life moves forward and that some events are best forgotten. However, the past returns through chance encounters, unpleasant memories, and sudden nostalgia.

The creators don't use typical suspense techniques – the series doesn't try to engage viewers with twists. Instead, it slowly immerses us in the characters' worlds, making it more like literature than television.

Jon Hamm created an extremely memorable character: Don is a man who has learned to sell everything, including himself, but he has never been able to truly be himself.

'Mad Men' Is an Incredibly Thoughtful and Vivid Portrayal of an Era

Mad Men is not just a story about Don Draper, it's also a collective portrait of the 1960s, but the creators do not re-enact events, they tell history through the characters' everyday lives.

They learn about the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Kennedy assassination from newspapers and the radio, and their personal dramas intertwine with historical events.

Over the course of seven seasons, Mad Men depicts a shift in aesthetics – subdued gray tones and demure suits give way to bright colors, miniskirts, and counterculture.

The show captures the essence of a decade when the old world was dying and a new one was just emerging. Mad Men is a rare series that not only entertains, but also immerses us in the era and makes us reflect on how time changes people and values.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Mad Men'?

• Mad Men has 94% from critics and 95% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the series has a score of 8.7/10.