How a fictional 1960s ad agency became the gold standard for prestige television

Cultures · Published 9 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Mad Men arrived in 2007 as a meticulously crafted period drama, stripping away the romanticized veneer of midcentury America. By focusing on the internal lives of advertising executives at Sterling Cooper, the series explored themes of identity, ambition, and the profound disconnect between the public image and private reality.

Set between March and November 1960, the first season of Mad Men follows the enigmatic Don Draper, a high-level advertising executive at the prestigious Sterling Cooper agency. Draper is a man defined by a hidden past; he is actually Dick Whitman, a soldier who assumed the identity of his deceased lieutenant during the Korean War to escape his abusive upbringing. This central deception anchors a narrative that examines the fragility of the American Dream, as Draper navigates professional pressures, infidelity, and the persistent threat of exposure from those who know his true origins.

The series was lauded for its commitment to historical authenticity, with showrunner Matthew Weiner overseeing exhaustive research to ensure that everything from set design to costumes captured the era. This attention to detail extended to the pervasive culture of smoking, which Weiner insisted was essential to the show's integrity. Because California law prohibited tobacco use on set, actors utilized herbal cigarettes to maintain the visual atmosphere of the workplace. This dedication to period accuracy helped the show earn widespread critical acclaim, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series and the Golden Globe for Best Drama Series.

Beyond its aesthetic achievements, the show functioned as a complex character study. It tracked the rise of secretary Peggy Olson, who transitioned from an entry-level role to a copywriter, and the moral decline of figures like Roger Sterling and Pete Campbell. Critics noted that the series functioned as both a drama and a satire, using the advertising industry to comment on the social shifts of the 1960s. By the season finale, which takes place just before Thanksgiving, the narrative had firmly established itself as a sophisticated exploration of nostalgia, professional ambition, and the profound loneliness hidden behind the polished surfaces of midcentury corporate life.

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