Mad Men - Season 1 Cast: Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones
DVD - 4 Disc Set - Special Packaging / Pan & Scan Learn more
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- DVD Release Date: 07/01/2008
- Rating:
- Sales Rank: 87
FOR PARENTS
- Common Sense Rates this for Ages: More
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Features
Closed Caption; Interviews; Photo gallery; Mad Men music; Commentaries on every episode
Full Product DetailsEditorial Reviews
A rare original dramatic offering from cable channel AMC, the weekly series Mad Men was the story of a major advertising agency operating from New York's Madison Avenue in 1960. The most successful ad executive at the Sterling Cooper Agency was handsome, indefatigable Don Draper (Jon Hamm), who was not only expert at "playing the game" while servicing accounts ranging from cigarette manufacturers to political candidates, but was also an accomplished ladies' man, frequently and shamelessly dipping deep into the agency's all-female secretarial pool. It was crucial for Draper to always be at the top of his professional form: there were scores of hungry young executives who were eager to topple him from his perch and become Sterling Cooper's new top dog. The series evoked the manners and mores of the early sixties with pinpoint accuracy: the advertising business, like practically every other business, was completely male-dominated, with an overabundance of WASPs, a minimum of Jews, and virtually no other minority anywhere in sight; women were second-class citizens and sex objects, expected to be both subservient and "available"; honesty and integrity were merely words in the dictionary; and everybody drank and smoked to excess (indeed, so many cigarettes were lit up in the course of each episode that a number of TV critics were "turned off" by the show, undoubtedly preferring that historical fact be subordinated to contemporary political correctness). Others in the the cast included John Slattery as agency CEO Roger Sterling; Elisabeth Moss as wide-eyed novice secretary Peggy Olson; Christina Hendricks as wordly-wise head secretary Joan Holloway; Vincent Kartheiser as Don Draper's sharkishly ambitious protegee Pete Campbell; and Maggie Stiff as Rachel Menken, a source of anger and confusion to the Mad Avenue Macho Males not only because she was the executive in charge of a major department store (and Jewish in the bargain!), but also because she refused to let any mere ad man tell her how to promote her business. Created by The Sopranos' Matthew Weiner, Mad Men was unveiled by AMC on July 19, 2007. Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Why We Rated This Appropriate for Ages 15 and UP
What to watch out for
- Drugs:
Smoking is ubiquitous -- even the doctors smoke in the exam room. One episode focuses on a cigarette advertising campaign. Drinking is also constant, with characters frequently drinking cocktails at lunch and even in the office.
- Language:
Occasional "damn" or "hell."
- Messages
- Sex:
Ideas about women's sexual role is a big part of the drama. Discussion of sexual availability, expectations, birth control, and being "easy" -- as well as the role of wife, girlfriend, lover, and secretary. Frequent sexual harassment. Actua... More
Ideas about women's sexual role is a big part of the drama. Discussion of sexual availability, expectations, birth control, and being "easy" -- as well as the role of wife, girlfriend, lover, and secretary. Frequent sexual harassment. Actual sex scenes are usually limited to kissing and post-coital pillow talk, though some women appear in bras or pasties. Characters have affairs. Some scenes take place in a strip club. Close
- Violence:
Not an issue.
- Consumerism:
Real 1960s brands are discussed during ad campaigns, such as Lucky cigarettes.
What Parents Need to Know
About Mad Men - Season 1
Parents need to know that this complex drama set in the 1960s depicts cultural practices that wouldn't be acceptable today, such as frequent sexual harassment in the office, as well as near-constant smoking and drinking (with characters sometimes appearing intoxicated). Old-fashioned gender dynamics are at play, but these gender dynamics are probed forcefully, and viewers feel the impact of conflicting expectations for young women who are both shamed for their sexuality and expected to provide easy access to sex to their superiors. Women and men frequently have sex, though only before and after scenes are shown.
Families Can Talk About
Families can talk about the world depicted in the show. How accurately do you think it portrays the '60s? Families can also discuss advertising. How does advertising affect your daily life? Are there any brands you feel loyal to? How do you think the advertisers created your loyalty? Do you have any favorite ads or ad campaigns? Do you notice any differences between the type of advertising depicted in the show and the kind you see today?
© 2010 All Media Guide, LLC