Mad Men.

Ok, so here we have another exception. Mad Men is a TV series on AMC that in just the last week i have been turned on to. Thanks to Comcast's OnDemand, I got to watch the entire first season before tonight's Season 2 premiere tonight.

"Mad Men" is a term used in the 60s describing the ad agency guys working on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. These men are the best of the best, really, who rock the advertising world and the entire citiy. Don Draper is our central character working at Sterling-Cooper; a family man, a total mystery, and a slick dude. The first episode shows us that it is he who comes up with Lucky Strike Cigarettes' motto: "It's Toasted". He is the creative director for the firm and certainly has a lot of clout. Each episode reveals more and more about him and the others of Sterling-Cooper: Peggy (the new girl), Pete Campbell (who i think is a fucking weasel), Roger Sterling, Betsy Draper (Don's wife who wants to find out more of her husband's past), and a whole slew of interesting people. The first season is simply a revelation of each person, and this second season will begin showing everyone's lives more in-depth.

Something that turns me on to this show is the historical aspect. Everyone drinks, everyone smokes, and everyone seems to have their own share of affairs going on. The men talk smooth and act smooth. The beginning credits play an awesome RJD2 song and display a sort of Saul Bass-type of art. Men are sexist. People are racist. Kennedy and Nixon are battling for the presidency. Sterling-Cooper is trying its best to keep up with the times. And, each episode closes with a great song from the time period that fits with the mood.

This show displays the era that i wished i lived in, which is another selling point for me. I'm trying to be a classy guy, and these are the people that are examples for me. The writing is very top-notch and well crafted.

New episodes are on Sundays, I believe, on AMC at 10 PM.