Mad Men 7 seasons 2007-2015

     The professional and personal lives of those who work in advertising on Madison Avenue - self-coined "mad men" - in the 1960s are presented in this series.  The stories focus on those at one of the avenue's smaller firms, Sterling Cooper and its various incarnations over the decade.  At the heart of these stories is Donald Draper, he is the creative genius of the company.  That professional creative brilliance belies the fact of a troubled childhood.  One that he would rather forget and not let anyone know about except for a select few.  But the past is what shaped who he is as an adult and as an ad man.  He needs not only to sell products but sell himself to the outside world.  His outward confidence also masks many insecurities as evidenced through his many vices, such as excessive smoking, drinking and womanizing.  Seeing other women despite being a family man and how he deals with the aftermath of some of the negative aspects of his life.

     Filming locations were Los Angeles Center Studios, Pasadena California and New York City.  According to an October 2013 article in Esquire Magazine, one of makeup artist Lana Horochowski’s responsibilities was to make sure that Jon Hamm was clean shaven at all times.  Hamm's facial hair grew exceptionally fast and during long shooting days, it would regrow to the point that stubble would become visible on camera.  It wasn't unusual for Horochowski to shave Hamm three times during the course of one day of filming.  In response to this revelation, Dr. Peter Hino a dermatologist cautioned viewers not to try shaving multiple times a day in emulation of Hamm!!  It could prove irritating and damaging to the skin of a man with an average rate of beard growth??  5 1/2* (I really liked this series)

TV-14 each episode 47 min, Drama created by Matthew Weiner with Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, Aaron Staton, Rich Sommer, John Slattery, Kieran Shipka, Robert Morse, Christopher Stanley, Jessica Pare, Jay R. Ferguson, Michael Gladis, Bryan Batt, Alison Brie.

Note:  Imdb 8.6* out of 10* with 210,269 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 94% average tomato meter 96% average audience scores, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 835 reviews, Common Sense Media Sierra Filucci, 4* out of 5*, age 17+.

Special Note:  According to Jon Hamm, production's pursuit of historical accuracy was such that series researchers would insist on knowing weather conditions, news items and popular culture for a particular period related to the script's time frame.  The actors do not smoke real cigarettes.  They smoke Ecstacy herbal cigarettes and they are tobacco and nicotine free.  Show creator Matthew Weiner said in a New York Times article, "You don't want actors smoking real cigarettes.  They get agitated and nervous.  I've been on sets where people throw up because they've smoked so much."  When asked what it's like to smoke herbal cigarettes, Jon Hamm (who plays Don Draper) told Vulture, "Terrible. They taste like a mixture between pot and soap."  Nearly a year elapsed between the filming of the pilot, Mad Men: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (2007) and the second episode, Mad Men: Ladies Room  (2007).

Mistakes:  Episodes from Season 1 to Season 3 feature rotary phones with clear plastic finger wheels.  These episodes take place before 1964 when the plastic wheel was introduced.  Before that, the finger wheels were black and metal.  IBM Selectric IIs are shown used in the offices.  They weren't available until the 1970’s.  Mad Men takes place in the 60’s.  There is a scene where Don and Roger are using urinals in the Men's Room, and the urinals have a privacy divider between them.  These dividers did not appear until the 1990s or 1980s at the very earliest.