MAD MEN

MAD MEN
Now Streaming on Netflix.com

If you still haven’t seen AMC’s breakout hit Mad Men, what about nearly unanimous critical praise is keeping you away? Perhaps you have the same misconception of the show that I did. I saw the slick ads with the smoking, the chauvinism, and the vintage couture and mistook the sizzle for the steak. I assumed that viewers were drawn to the show because of some kind of misplaced 60s nostalgia and decided that it was not for me. But as adulation for the show reached a critical mass, I eventually decided I would at least watch an episode or two, if only to prove myself right.
I was not right.
Mad Men’s retro backdrop is not what makes the show special. What stands out here is what always should: story and character. Mad Men is what drama should be. The show is written with the richness and verisimilitude of a good novel. It may in fact be the first show to declare that TV can be literature. The acting is remarkable and is rightfully making stars of almost everyone onscreen. The characters feel real and whole. Don Draper’s story is both epic and relatable. It’s quintessentially American.
If you still haven’t seen Mad Men, there’s a good chance you’re wrong about what the show is. But at least now you can stream it for free to prove yourself right.