Mad Men

The wife and I have fallen in love with this show on AMC. Most people with basic cable have this network, and should definitely check it out. The show is set in a Manhattan ad agency in 1960. It follows both the trends in advertising and society, as well as the lives of the people who work there. The executive producer is Matthew Wiener, who worked on the Sopranos. You can really feel the similarities. The main character is Don Draper, played perfectly by Jon Hamm. He's the Creative Director at the agency, married with kids, with a mysterious past. We also get glimpses of other characters and their relationships, like Peggy the secretary and Pete, the young ad exec. I feel like the casting of these two characters is the only weakness of the show. Neither feels natural.

The genius of this show, besides the deepening intrigue surrounding all of the characters, is the attention to detail. Characters smoke and drink constantly. The social politics of the 60's are put out front. It doesn't feel like a revisionist look at the era (although I wasn't alive at the time, so who knows?).

Although I watch more TV than I should, I rarely watch network shows. I'm mostly a sports guy. I like The Office, The Simpsons, Lost, Flight of the Conchords, and this show. You should watch it, too.

Mad Men on AMC (Thursday nights): Rated 9 cigarettes out of 10.