Gearing up for Mad Men - Season 2

If you ever wondered what a Madison Avenue advertising agency might have been like in the 1960s, then start watching Mad Men. It won the Golden Globe for best new television drama last year and now I know why.

The show transports you back to the early 1960s and has an authenticity to it that is charming and shocking. I love the music, the style and the look of the show. The writing is clever and quite often funny.

I was shocked by how much drinking and smoking takes place on the show and how normal that would have been 40 years ago. You’ll shake your head when a doctor lights up during a patient examination or cringe at the way women were treated by sexist advertising executives but that is part of the allure of the show.

I’m fascinated by the attitudes and beliefs of the characters in the show. We’ve come a long way and it makes me wonder how ridiculous 2008 will seem in 2048.

Unfortunately the show isn’t available in Canada but you can find it online or on DVD. If you’re a creative professional or if you’ve ever worked at an ad agency then you’ll be drawn to this show in a second.

Posted in Television at 4:33 PM