Set in the changing world of advertising in the 1960s this series is centred on the employees of one agency as they work to gain new contracts and maintain the ones they have and deal with take-overs and buy-outs. There are many major characters but most important is Don Draper; a man with the magic touch in his business who is far from perfect; he cheats on his wife, drinks rather too much and has a secret that could get him in a lot of trouble if it came to light. We also have Peggy Olsen; a secretary who quickly becomes the only woman on the creative team; office manager Joan Harris; the ambitious Pete Campbell and Roger Sterling, the somewhat amoral partner with an eye for the ladies. The series doesn't only follow the characters at work; we see their home lives; Don's family, particularly his wife Betty and daughter Sally, are as important as his colleagues.
If you are looking for action and expect stuff to happen all the time this might not be for you; but if you want a great character led drama that really captures the feel of the era in which it is set then this might be just what you are looking for. The characters might not be the most likeable but their flaws make them feel real. The ongoing story nicely incorporates the news stories that would affect the national consciousness at the time as well as the changing attitudes to race and sexuality. The cast is superlative; most obviously John Hamm who is great as Don but Elisabeth Moss, Christina Hendricks, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones and John Slattery whose characters stand out. Kiernan Shipka deserves separate mention as she does a great job as Sally; a role she started when she was about six years old. The series provides plenty of drama but also a good number of laughs and one gory shock involving a lawnmower and a foot! Overall I would definitely recommend this superior series.
If you are looking for action and expect stuff to happen all the time this might not be for you; but if you want a great character led drama that really captures the feel of the era in which it is set then this might be just what you are looking for. The characters might not be the most likeable but their flaws make them feel real. The ongoing story nicely incorporates the news stories that would affect the national consciousness at the time as well as the changing attitudes to race and sexuality. The cast is superlative; most obviously John Hamm who is great as Don but Elisabeth Moss, Christina Hendricks, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones and John Slattery whose characters stand out. Kiernan Shipka deserves separate mention as she does a great job as Sally; a role she started when she was about six years old. The series provides plenty of drama but also a good number of laughs and one gory shock involving a lawnmower and a foot! Overall I would definitely recommend this superior series.