comment #1

George Prager says ...

Except in the world of Mad Men, you don't have people who try to "friend" you even though your last conversation with this person, which took place a couple of decades ago, was a dispute over the suckiness of Styx. (I said that they sucked).

comment #2

Mr. F. says ...

I would argue that the Mad Men fan base is mostly made up of the upper-middle class -- those who don't spend their time worrying about not being able to find a job, pay their mortgage, etc. But either way, it's not exactly a Nielsen juggernaut -- two million viewers is considered a good number. TWO MILLION.

Isn't it more likely that people watch for the same reasons I do -- it's well-written, well-acted, well-directed, and cast with beautiful actors/actresses of the opposite sex? It's not rocket science...

comment #3

Eloi Manning says ...

January Jones is absurdly hot. Her GQ cover is excellent.

comment #4

George Prager says ...

It's also very funny at times and you always get this feeling that something really bad is going to happen, which is what made The Sopranos and Six Feet Under so popular.

comment #5

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Wait..."the suckiness of Styx" was really, actually in doubt by someone? That is a frightening thought.

comment #6

televisiontears says ...

Sorry for being off topic, but have you dove into The Wire yet, Jeff? Last I heard, you still haven't watched it.

comment #7

astrophore says ...

This is an excellent off-topic hijack, btw, but I've never understood why people slag bands like Styx (or Journey or Foreigner or any of those other 70s/80s arena rock behemoths).

Where's the enjoyment of big pop hooks and a healthy dollop of kitsch? What is so wrong with that? Did Dennis DeYoung steal your acid washed jeans-wearing girlfriend? Get over it.

Plus, you've never been to a Pittsburgh Steelers game and heard Renegade playing. Your loss.

comment #8

John Cocktosten says ...

televisiontears --

Sadly, Jeffrey admitted that he tried it out and didn't think much of it. He mentioned it in a talkback a while ago. I don't know how many episodes he watched; I find the minimum number of episodes to watch to ensure pure devotion to be 2, but most people need 4.

What does one do with this awful knowledge? I don't know. I simply hope that he only watched one episode, which would make it slightly understandable.

comment #9

lipranzer says ...

The pleasure of Mad Men for me, besides the reasons Mr. F stated, is similar in one sense to The Sopranos when it was at its best - watching characters lie to themselves while still trying to live their lives, which always makes for great drama while if done right.

And sorry, George, but Styx is a guilty pleasure for me, or do you not fondly remember (or cringe in the memory of) Jason Segal singing along to "Lady" to declare himself to Linda Cardellini on Freaks & Geeks?

comment #10

corey3rd says ...

if it is about sadness, it is because we know that soon their world will be completely shaken when JFK visits Dallas.

comment #11

Gordon27 says ...

I'll take 'Breaking Bad' any day over 'Mad Men'.

But I also like a few songs by Styx, 'Come Sail Away' being the only one I'd really defend.

comment #12

mccool says ...

Mad Men has lost a bit of steam for me .... season one was sublime and the scenes with Don and Roger were simply delicious. The writers have decided those two need to be adversaries, so that's the end of that....

The writers also have fallen too in love with the Don character. His mystery has vanished and while he's still a compelling character, the show spends far too little time with the other intriguing characters we've come to know.

The Draper family soap opera now dominates to the show to the point where we rarely get an insider's view into the advertising world of the late 50's/60's, an industry that had a profound influence on the consumer-driven culture of today.

It was the combination of mystery, characters, era, and behind-the-scenes that made the show must-see the first season. The second season started the drift, and now it seems that formula is completely abandoned.

comment #13

jmevans says ...

I disagree with Mr. Cohen's article. I love "Mad Men" for the same reasons I loved "Sopranos". Flawed lead characters that I'm emotionally invested in. I care what happens to these people. I love seeing their flaws front and center, and how they deal with it in their respective lives.

I also feel Don Draper is a mirror image of Tony Soprano. More and more as the show moves forward. Tony killed people, was more flawed than Don, yet we were rooting for Tony till the very end of the series. Don can continue to womanize and make mistakes, yet the viewer is always in his corner. Even when he screws up. It also helps juxtaposing Betty, the ice queen, next to Don in order to remind us who really is the villain in that family.

Last point. The reason I've hated "Hung" and "Bored To Death" is simply that I don't give a shit what happens to those lead characters. I find them pretty unlikeable, along with the people in their immediate lives, and therefore it's impossible to tune in weekly to see what happens next. With "Mad Men", I want to know if Joan returns to Sterling Cooper, if she stays engaged, how the Don/Betty marriage will play out, if Roger Sterling will ever realize how much of an ass he is, and so on. It's those characters that keep me coming back every Sunday night. Forget watching people suffer. The viewer needs to give a shit about what is going on and what happens in the next scene. And the next one......

comment #14

jmevans says ...

Also want to say I completely agree with mccool. The show did such a great job of showing us multiple characters, their lives, etc. Now the focus is Don/Betty, and by doing that the story lines of the other characters suffer. Especially Ken Cosgrove.

I actually loved season 2. Felt Don's trek to LA was bizarre but fascinating. But season 3 has been very disappointing at times.