Mad Men
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
A captivating and analytical compendium to the hit show -and its creation, story, and impact on contemporary media and popular culture.
This one-stop primer offers a succinct analysis of one of the most skillfully produced, artistically innovative, and culturally resonant scripted series in modern television. It opens by explaining how Mad Men (AMC, 2007–2015) functions as a representative example of much deeper and more profound structural changes happening in television since the 2000s. Gary R. Edgerton highlights influences driving the creation of the show, including creator Matthew Weiner’s personal connections to the subject matter and the development of the main character, Don Draper (Jon Hamm). Analysis of the show’s story progression is delineated by a pivotal shift from a culturally relevant Zeitgeist phenomenon to a narrative more concerned with Draper’s introspective and existential journey to reconciliation and self-awareness. Cultural reflections are also explored with interrogations of privilege and prejudice, the American Dream, ethnicity, race, gender politics, and class as witnessed through the program’s complex and conflicted characters.
Following its debut, Mad Men quickly became a bellwether of contemporary culture. The award-winning series set the creative standard in drama over the span of its initial run and is now recognized as a milestone in the history and development of scripted television. Throughout its seven seasons, the series struck a delicate balance of being both complex and cerebral while also entertaining and accessible, a balance that Edgerton skillfully carries over to this book.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this detailed analysis, Edgerton (The Sopranos), a media professor at Butler University, examines the making of the TV show Mad Men (2007–2015), contending that it was "one of the most skillfully produced, artistically innovative, and culturally resonant scripted series in the history of television." Chronicling the show's long path to air, Edgerton recounts how creator Matthew Weiner sold the series to AMC after rejections from FX, Showtime, and HBO (where David Chase, Weiner's boss on The Sopranos, had championed the project to no avail), and had to convince AMC brass that actor Jon Hamm was "sexy enough" to cast as ad executive Don Draper. According to Edgerton, the core of Mad Men's appeal was its "frequent use of critical nostalgia to foreground and interrogate" the "reactionary" stances on class, gender, race, and sexuality that were challenged by 1960s counterculture. For example, Edgerton suggests Draper's interactions with women illustrate "the slow enervation that was then occurring to the male position," citing a scene in which Draper walks out on a meeting with a prospective woman client because she's outspoken and assertive. Edgerton's smart analysis highlights the brilliant ways that Mad Men punctured rose-colored views of the '60s, and the behind-the-scenes stories captivate. Fans will be enthralled.
