Whether you’ve seen it already but want a refresher before you dive back in, or you’re a newbie who’s curious about what the show has to offer, keep reading for our deep dive into all things Mad Men.
The story of MadMen
Mad Men was a highly acclaimed, character-driven drama centered in New York City’s advertising industry in the 1960s. It was created by Matthew Weiner, who started his TV career as a writer on sitcoms like The Naked Truth (starring Téa Leoni) and Becker (starring TedDanson) before moving over to drama as a writer and producer on The Sopranos. Mad Men was the first show Weiner single-handedly created. Mad Men ran for seven seasons on AMC, ultimately delivering 92 episodes. It premiered July 19, 2007, and aired its finale May 17, 2015.
Was MadMen canceled?
No. Like many acclaimed series, the network agreed to let the show end on its own creative terms. Last year, ScreenRant reported that there had been talk about creating some Mad Men spinoffs when the show was about four seasons into its run, but Weiner and AMC ultimately jettisoned those ideas in order to refocus on bringing the show to a satisfying conclusion. Weiner also said back in 2015, soon after the finale debuted, “We were allowed to end it how and when we wanted to.”
Meet MadMen’s iconic cast and characters
Jon Hamm’s Mad Men character, Don Draper, was an enigmatic figure to everyone—including himself
On the outside, Don was a handsome family man with a flashy career as a creative director at the advertising agency Sterling Cooper. But as viewers learned, nearly everything about his life was a facade. He was unfaithful to both of his wives and never really knew how to be a father to his three kids; in fact, as viewers eventually learn over the first few seasons, his real name wasn’t even Don Draper!
Elisabeth Moss’ Mad Men character, Peggy Olson, was a barrier-breaking career woman
Peggy started out at Sterling Cooper as Don’s secretary, but thanks to her quick wit and ever-growing ambition, she worked her way up the ranks to become one of the rare women of power in her industry. Along the way, she experiences romantic highs and devastating personal lows.
Christina Hendricks’ MadMen character, Joan Holloway, experienced a political awakening of her own
At the start of the series, Joan is content to play the role of office sex kitten and queen bee of the secretary pool. But much like Peggy, she ultimately pushes back against the glass ceiling that held women down in the 1960s workplace. In her romantic life, she experiences just how confining marriage can be while also navigating a years-long, on-again-off-again affair with one of her bosses, Roger Sterling.
John Slattery’s MadMen character, Roger Sterling, was a loyal friend, but not a loyal husband
An advertising bigwig, Roger is a partner at both Sterling Cooper (the agency where the show’s first few seasons take place) and Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (a new agency founded in the wake of Sterling Cooper’s merger with a British firm). Like so many of Mad Men’s male characters, he’s a charming romantic figure who has problems staying faithful or knowing what he really wants in a life partner.
Honestly, January Jones’ MadMen character, Betty Draper, was praiseworthy even at her worst
Don’s first wife is a former model who enjoyed an idyllic, upper-class upbringing in the suburbs of Philadelphia. At first, she seems to relish her role as a suburban mother and homemaker with the dashing Don on her arm. However, the cracks in their marriage soon start to show, and like Joan and Peggy, Betty often expresses resentment about the limitations of her place in the world.
On the other hand, Vincent Kartheiser’s MadMen character, Pete Campbell…was not
A young upstart at Sterling Cooper, the high-strung Pete constantly strives to impress and even one-up his superiors at work. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, yet frequently lashes out against his moneyed, buttoned-up family.
Don’t forget about Alison Brie’s MadMen character, Trudy Campbell!
Trudy is Pete’s college sweetheart-turned-loyal and dutiful wife, who’s willing to go to great lengths to keep up the illusion of their “perfect” marriage.
And Kiernan Shipkia got her start on MadMen as Sally Draper
Don and Betty’s oldest child, Sally grows up fast after her parents’ divorce and the death of her maternal grandfather. As she barrels toward adolescence, she experiments with drinking and smoking and confronts more than a few sexual scenarios she’s not ready to comprehend.
MadMen Season 1 opened viewers’ eyes to the problems of yesteryear
How many episodes were in Mad Men’s first season?
There were 13 episodes in season 1.
Mad Men Season 1 recap
It’s 1960 and the employees of Manhattan-based ad agency Sterling Cooper are reveling in America’s postwar idealism… or are they? While bigwigs like Don Draper, Roger Sterling and Pete Campbell seem to have it all—respected, well-paying jobs; loyal, beautiful wives at home tending to the family; money and power and all of the city’s cosmopolitan pleasures—the societal expectations placed upon them turn out to be less than ideal. Meanwhile, Peggy begins her series-long metamorphosis from shy secretary to unapologetic career woman, with a big “bump” along the way when she finds out she’s pregnant.
MadMen Season 2 was when sh*t hit the fan
How many episodes were in MadMen’s second season?
There were 13 episodes in season 2.
Mad Men Season 2 recap
In Season 2, set in 1962, upheavals abound in the lives of Mad Men’s main characters. Pete’s father is killed in a plane crash, leading to stark realizations about his family’s cushy finances; similarly, Peggy starts to sever ties with her strict Catholic family and the good-girl guidelines she’s followed throughout her life. Both Don and Roger’s marriages are upended thanks to their respective affairs, while viewers finally start to learn about Don’s secret past.
Mad Men Season 3 was full of major changes
How many episodes were in Mad Men’s third season?
There were 13 episodes in season 3.
Mad Men Season 3 recap
Sterling Cooper is absorbed by a bigger, British firm. As the merger proves more and more disagreeable, Sterling Cooper’s major players ultimately hatch a plan to start a new ad agency of their own. Meanwhile, Joan gets married and Don and Betty split up—in part because she discovers the truth about his hidden past. Season 3 is set in 1963, with many real-world historical events affecting the main characters. All of the drama comes to a head against the backdrop of President Kennedy’s assassination. Plus, someone loses a foot!
Mad Men Season 4 was a fan-favorite
How many episodes were in Mad Men’s fourth season?
There were 13 episodes in season 4.
Mad Men Season 4 recap
Talk to any Mad Men fan and they’ll likely tell you that Season 4 showed the series at its best. Like every season, it’s filled with ups and downs, shocks and surprises. In 1964, the newly formed Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce struggles to establish itself as a major advertising player as both Roger and Don experience more than their share of personal and professional dissatisfaction. Betty likewise learns that trying to turn over a new leaf after leaving Don isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. Meanwhile, Joan finds out she’s going to become a mom (albeit not with her husband’s baby) and Don tries to turn things around for himself by getting quickie-married to his newest secretary, Megan.
Mad Men Season 5 was about surviving and thriving
How many episodes were in MadMen’s fifth season?
There were 13 episodes in season 5.
Mad Men Season 5 recap
It’s now 1966 and Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is still barely staying afloat, even though Pete and Megan are experiencing individual successes within the firm and Joan (whose home life is in turmoil) is helping right the ship after returning from maternity leave. Megan ultimately decides she can’t give up her acting ambitions, as Peggy decides she’s ready for a new workplace where she’s more appreciated for her talents. While Don and Megan’s marriage is dramatic, they manage to hang on and even enjoy some truly happy moments together. The season ends with a true shock when one of SCDP’s partners gets caught embezzling funds.
MadMen Season 6 was about everything falling apart
How many episodes were in MadMen’s sixth season?
There were 13 episodes in season 6.
Mad Men Season 6 recap
What’s not in shambles this season? Pete’s personal life falls apart after he’s caught by his father-in-law in a rather compromising position. Roger’s all but checked out from his career and his role at SCDP. Peggy’s plan to make it on her own is squashed when she winds up working for Don and the gang again. And Don’s fidelity to Megan comes to an end—as does his role at the firm.
MadMen Season 7 gave each character the ending they deserved
How many episodes were in MadMen’s seventh season?
There were 14 episodes in season 7.
Mad Men Season 7 recap
For a show that so often wallowed in its characters’ collective misery, most of them were sent off into the 1970s with happy endings in Season 7. They don’t all start out the season that way; in fact, Don is probably the most desperate and alone he’s ever been in the season premiere. But as some characters find their salvation through work and others discover (or rediscover) life-changing love, there’s a lot of happily ever after—and a final scene that managed to leave viewers slack-jawed while also referencing one of the most iconic ad campaigns of all time.
Make sure you don’t miss these 10 best MadMen episodes
“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” Season 1, Episode 1
While many shows need a few episodes to find their footing, MadMen was on solid ground from the jump. The series pilot introduces all the major characters with much humor, while establishing Don as a mystery man who’s a lot more than what he appears to be—especially in the episode’s final twist, when it’s revealed that despite his swinging life in the city, he’s got a wife and kids back home in the suburbs.
“Shoot,” Season 1, Episode 9
Some have claimed that Jones was the weak link in the Mad Men cast. This episode—and especially its memorable ending, when a frustrated Betty strolls outside in her nightgown and coolly starts shooting at her neighbor’s pet pigeons—proves them wrong.
“The Wheel,” Season 1, Episode 13
The show’s Season 1 finale offers up that classic Mad Men combo of a shocking new development (Peggy’s unknown pregnancy) and a tearjerking monologue viewers will never forget (Don’s Kodak Carousel pitch).
“Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency,” Season 3, Episode 6
Fans may sometimes forget just how darkly funny Mad Men could be—but nobody ever forgets the scene in this episode when an employee at Sterling Cooper winds up with a mangled foot thanks to a drunk lawnmower incident.
“The Gypsy and the Hobo,” Season 3, Episode 11
In one of the series’ most intense scenes, Betty finally learns all about her husband’s hidden past.
“Shut the Door. Have a Seat,” Season 3, Episode 13
Mad Men may not have been known as a suspenseful thriller, but you’d never know it watching the Season 3 finale, in which the Sterling Cooper gang hatches a heist-like plot to get out from under their British owners and launch their own agency under cover of night. In the midst of all the action, Don and Betty finally call it quits on their long-suffering marriage.
“The Suitcase,” Season 4, Episode 7
“The Suitcase” aired exactly halfway through Mad Men’s run and is widely lauded as one of the series’ very best episodes. It’s a capsule-style episode that almost exclusively features Don and Peggy staying late at work one night to work on a pitch for the luggage company Samsonite.
“Commissions and Fees,” Season 5, Episode 12
One of Mad Men’s darkest episodes (which is really saying something), “Commissions and Fees” brings one character’s storyline to a truly shocking yet completely believable end.
“The Doorway,” Season 6, Episode 1
Season 6 opened with a two-part episode that’s classic MadMen: packed with literary motifs, profound moments, vivid storytelling, gorgeous scenery, and compelling performances. Bonus: Don and Megan take a trip to Hawaii!
“Person to Person,” Season 7, Episode 14
Series finales are rarely done right, but Mad Men’s may be one of the best ever. Who could forget how Don’s huge existential breakdown—including a full confession to Peggy about all his missteps in life—ended with him finding the inspiration he needed to create the most successful ad campaign of all time?
And you’ll never forget these 10 MadMen quotes
“What you call love was invented by guys like me to sell nylons." — Don Draper “Half the time this business comes down to, ‘I don’t like that guy.’” – Roger Sterling “What’s happiness? It’s a moment before you need more happiness.” — Don Draper “You need three ingredients for a cocktail. Vodka and Mountain Dew is an emergency.” – Peggy Olson “Men don’t take time to end things, they ignore you until you insist on a declaration of hate.” – Joan Holloway “There is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent.” – Don Draper “I’m Peggy Olson and I want to smoke some marijuana.” — Peggy Olson “When God closes a door, he opens a dress.” — Roger Sterling “Not great, Bob!” — Pete Campbell “What?!” — Don Draper
Most importantly, here’s how to watch MadMen now
Is MadMen on Netflix?
As of March 2021, Mad Men is not available for streaming on Netflix in the U.S.
Where is MadMen streaming for free?
Fun MadMen facts!
Is MadMen based on a true story?
Not really, but the lead character of Don Draper is loosely drawn from two real-life ad men: Draper Daniels, a creative director at the Chicago ad agency that conceived the iconic Marlboro Man in the 1950s; and Bill Backer, who created the real-life “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” ad campaign that Don Draper is credited with creating in the Mad Men finale.
We can’t keep track…How many times was Don Draper married and who did he end up with?
At the start of the show, Don’s been married for about seven years to wife Betty Draper (née Betty Hofstadt), the mother of his three children. They get a divorce and he later marries his much younger secretary, Megan Calvet, but their marriage likewise doesn’t last. Then there’s Anna Draper, the widow of the real Don Draper. After Dick Whitman (who MadMen fans know as Don Draper) steals the real Don’s identity in the early 1950s, he is technically married to Anna. However, Anna eventually grants him a divorce so he can marry Betty.
How much money did Don Draper make on MadMen?
Don never hesitates to flash some cash, whether he’s handing over hundreds of dollars in cash to one of his mistresses or giving his long-lost half-brother thousands of dollars in cash to disappear. In a Season 1 episode, Don negotiated a hefty pay raise from $30,000 to $45,000 a year—an amount worth nearly $400,000 today!—and that was before he became a partner in Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
What was Don Draper’s drink of choice?
Draper was an Old-Fashioned man (in more ways than one). The Old-Fashioned is a whiskey-based drink flavored with sugar, bitters and fruit garnish. On the show, he even fixes one at a party for Conrad Hilton (the real-life great-grandfather of Paris and Nicky Hilton!).
What was wrong with Don Draper’s wife, Betty, when she got sick?
After collapsing and breaking a rib, Betty learns in Season 7 that she has advanced lung cancer and is only given six months to live.
OK, but does Don Draper die at the end of MadMen?
No, in fact, the final shot of the series indicates that he’s ready to go back to New York and dive back into his advertising career with renewed gusto.
So…what was Don Draper’s secret and who was the real Don Draper?
The man that Mad Men viewers know as Don Draper was actually born Dick Whitman, who grew up dirt-poor in the Midwest as the illegitimate son of a prostitute who died during childbirth. While serving in the Korean War, Dick’s superior officer—the real Don Draper—is killed in an explosion, his body burned beyond recognition. As Dick and Don were alone at the time, Dick was able to swap dog tags with Don, effectively stealing his identity. Dick (now considered to be Don) then returns home and starts a new life.
Super random, but was Alexis Bledel ever on MadMen with her husband, Vincent Kartheiser?
Yep; in fact, that’s where they first met! In 2012, Bledel had a three-episode guest role on Mad Men’s fifth season as the neighbor and mistress of Kartheiser’s Pete Campbell. The two got engaged in 2013 and wed in a private ceremony the following year. Next, these are the best TV shows to binge on Netflix.
