Mad Men is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. The show is set from 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) near the Time-Life Building at 1271 Sixth Avenue. According to the pilot episode, the phrase "Mad men" was a slang term coined in 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 the charismatic advertising executive Don Draper (played by Jon Hamm), who is initially the talented creative director at Sterling Cooper. He is erratic and mysterious but is widely regarded throughout the advertising world as a genius; some of the most famous advertisement 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 plot of the show tracks the people in his personal and professional lives, most notably featuring Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss), who is introduced as Don's secretary but soon discovers her passion for copywriting. The show also focuses heavily on the characters of Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), Betty Draper (January Jones), Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks), Roger Sterling (John Slattery), and in later seasons, Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka). As the series progresses, it depicts the changing moods and social mores of 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. The show was also the first basic cable series to receive the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, winning the award each year of its first four seasons (2008–2011). It 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.
Cast and characters[]
- Jon Hamm - Don Draper
- Elisabeth Moss - Peggy Olson
- Vincent Kartheiser - Pete Campbell
- January Jones - Betty Draper
- Christina Hendricks - Joan Holloway
- Bryan Batt - Salvatore Romano
- Michael Gladis - Paul Kinsey
- Aaron Staton - Ken Cosgrove
- Rich Sommer - Harry Crane
- Maggie Siff - Rachel Menken
- John Slattery - Roger Sterling
- Robert Morse - Bert Cooper
- Jared Harris - Lane Pryce
- Kiernan Shipka - Sally Draper
- Jessica Paré - Megan Draper
- Christopher Stanley - Henry Francis
- Jay R. Ferguson - Stan Rizzo
- Kevin Rahm - Ted Chaough
- Ben Feldman - Michael Ginsberg
- Mason Vale Cotton - Bobby Draper
International broadcast[]
| Country | Channel | Local title |
|---|---|---|
| United States | AMC | Mad Men |
| International | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video | |
| Asia | Star World, FX | |
| Latin America | HBO | |
| Australia | Movie Extra, SBS One, Showcase | |
| Belgium | Acht, 2BE, La Deux, La Trois | |
| Canada | AMC, CTV, Télé-Québec | |
| Chile | Cinemax, TVN | |
| Cyprus | Lumiere TV | |
| Denmark | TV3 Puls | |
| Estonia | Kanal 11 | |
| Finland | Nelonen | |
| France | TPS Star, Canal+, Série Club, MyTF1 | |
| Germany | Fox Channel, ZDFneo, ZDF | |
| Greece | Alter Channel | |
| Iceland | Stöð 2 | |
| India | Zee Café | |
| Ireland | RTÉ Two, Sky Atlantic | |
| Italy | Cult, FX, Rai 4, TIMvision | |
| Kazakhstan | Channel One Eurasia | |
| Kenya | KTN | |
| Mexico | Once TV | |
| Netherlands | NPO 2 (VARA) | |
| New Zealand | Prime, SoHo | |
| Norway | Viasat 4, VOX | |
| Philippines | Jack TV, Studio 23 | |
| Poland | Fox Life, Fox, TVP Kultura | |
| Portugal | Fox, RTP2 | |
| Romania | TVR1, Prima TV | |
| Saudi Arabia | MBC 4, Orbit Showtime | |
| Spain | Canal+, Cuatro | |
| Sweden | Kanal 5, Kanal 9 | |
| Switzerland | SRF 1, TSR1 | |
| Turkey | CNBC-e, e2 | |
| United Arab Emirates | OSN First | |
| United Kingdom | BBC Four, Sky Atlantic | |
| Brazil | HBO, TV Cultura | Mad Men: Inventando Verdades |
| Bulgaria | Fox Life, BNT 1, BNT 2 | Момчетата от Медисън авеню |
| Croatia | HRT | Momci s Madisona |
| Czech Republic | ČT art | Šílenci z Manhattanu |
| Hungary | M1, M2 | Mad Men – Reklámőrültek |
| Israel | HOT Plus, yes, Israeli Educational Television | מד מן |
| Japan | Fuji TV Next, Fuji TV, AXN, TV Kanagawa | マッドメン |
| Russia | Channel One | Безумцы |
| Serbia | Fox Life | Људи са Менхетна |
| Ukraine | Mega | Божевільні |