Spanning the period between March 1960 and November 1970, this seven-season saga of Madison Avenue ad men is low on action, but unparalleled in the depth of its characterisation and attention to period style.
Square-jawed Korean War veteran Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is a self-made man from a humble background.
He is brilliant at his job (as the creative director of the Madison Avenue firm Sterling Cooper), earns a good salary, has a beautiful wife (Betty, played by January Jones), and has two perfect children. But he is a man with secrets.
He’s also an inveterate womaniser with a drinking problem, whose entire life is founded on a single, terrible lie.
Initially characterised by boozy office meetings, decadent fashions and depictions of casual sexism, the show charts the decline of the Old ways and the dawn of a new, more egalitarian culture.
The show meticulously mirrors real-world historical events – like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the JFK assassination, and the Civil Rights Movement – to expose undercurrents of sexism, racism, homophobia, and shifting generational mores
Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) starts as Don’s secretary in the pilot episode and rises through the ranks to become a trailblazing copywriter, charting the shifting landscape of women’s rights in the workplace.
Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) is the fierce office manager who masterfully navigates the era’s rampant corporate sexism to secure actual partnership and power.
Roger Sterling (John Slattery) is a silver-tongued, hedonistic senior partner of the firm who provides dark comedic relief alongside existential dread.
Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) is an ambitious, blue-blooded young account executive eager to surpass Don.
At the end of seven seasons, the critically acclaimed series finale saw Don Draper finally find a moment of spiritual peace – which he immediately channelled into creating one of the most famous advertisements in television history (the 1971 Coca-Cola “Hilltop” commercial, featuring a diverse group of young people singing I’d like to buy the world a Coke).
By the series end, Peggy is a powerful creative leader who confesses her love for her longtime colleague, Stan Rizzo; Joan Holloway launches her own independent film production company, choosing career ambition and financial independence over a comfortable life with a wealthy man; Roger Sterling accepts his ageing, marries Marie Calvet (Megan Draper’s mother), and splits his estate evenly between his secret son with Joan and his grandson; Pete Campbell reconciles with his wife, Trudy, and leaves New York for a prestigious executive job in Wichita, Kansas, finally finding contentment away from Manhattan; Betty Draper is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and chooses to face her impending death with dignity, while her daughter, Sally, steps up to take care of the family.
The series won 15 Emmy Awards and four Golden Globes, and was the first cable show to win the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, securing the win for its first four consecutive seasons.
Don Draper
Jon Hamm Peggy Olson
Elisabeth Moss Pete Campbell
Vincent Kartheiser Betty Draper
January Jones Joan Harris/Holloway
Christina Hendricks Roger Sterling
John Slattery Bertram Cooper
Robert Morse Ken Cosgrove
Aaron Staton Harry Crane
Rich Sommer Sally Draper
Kiernan Shipka Henry Francis
Christopher Stanley Megan Draper/Calvet
Jessica Paré Stan Rizzo
Jay R. Ferguson Paul Kinsey
Michael Gladis Salvatore Romano
Bryan Batt Trudy Campbell
Alison Brie Lane Pryce
Jared Harris Ted Chaough
Kevin Rahm Bobby Draper
Jared Gilmore (1)
Mason Vale Cotton (2) Michael Ginsberg
Ben Feldman Duck Phillips
Mark Moses Dawn Chambers
Teyonah Parris
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Square-jawed Korean War veteran Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is a self-made man from a humble background.
Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) starts as Don’s secretary in the pilot episode and rises through the ranks to become a trailblazing copywriter, charting the shifting landscape of women’s rights in the workplace.
By the series end, Peggy is a powerful creative leader who confesses her love for her longtime colleague, Stan Rizzo; Joan Holloway launches her own independent film production company, choosing career ambition and financial independence over a comfortable life with a wealthy man; Roger Sterling accepts his ageing, marries Marie Calvet (Megan Draper’s mother), and splits his estate evenly between his secret son with Joan and his grandson; Pete Campbell reconciles with his wife, Trudy, and leaves New York for a prestigious executive job in Wichita, Kansas, finally finding contentment away from Manhattan; Betty Draper is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and chooses to face her impending death with dignity, while her daughter, Sally, steps up to take care of the family.
