Mad for Mad Men

Mad Men has been hyped by so many, for so long, that I had to check out the series. I normally follow comedy/drama series like Curb, The Office, Parks & Recreation, Entourage, Californication, Bored to Death, and Eastbound & Down. So initially, a down-tempo show with 50 minute episodes, took its toll on my temper. I had a hard time winding down to the slow pace of this show about 60's advertising biz characters.

However, after five episodes, I am addicted. I can't get enough of the king of cool, Don Draper, and his 1960's bunch of hip New Yorkers. At first, I was suspecting the entire show was a covert operation to trick young people into becoming cigarette smokers. This is apparently not the case, since people smoked like chimneys in the 60's, and the constant smoking is a part of the show's obsession with authenticity. The actors smoke herbal cigarettes, since California law won't allow them to smoke tobacco (Go Cali!).

I am right now in the middle of season 2, and have been pondering why the show is so fascinating, since it is so much focused on quality, and lacks cheap thrills. A theory is that people like me, who were born in the '60's are looking at our parents, a little bit. We get a feel for what was trendy back then, how people lived their lives, what clothes they wore, how they socialized. How society worked, what values were driving people to do what they do. I can tell you, that this show, somehow, gives me perspective upon my parents, and what shaped them, the values of their times, and so on.

An interesting note, is that there is a lot of product placement in teh show, most of the agencies clients brands are brands of today paying to be part of the show, like Utz nuts, Cadillac and Maidenform.