Mad Men - The Atlantic Wire

Presented By

Topic: Mad Men

Mad Women: 'It's the Same Place Everywhere I Go'

Jordin Althaus/AMC

You can't change your life until you change who you are.

By Jen Doll

May 14, 2012

Mad Women: Unhappy Thanksgiving

The title of Sunday night's Mad Men was "Dark Shadows," but let's call it by its more colloquial name. This episode was about that darkest of dysfunctional family holidays, the one with the turkey.

Comments | 1,949 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 14, 2012

The New York Times Magazine Article That Pete Campbell Hated So Much

We kind of love the meticulous attention and historical accuracy that Matthew Weiner and his team bring to Mad Men, so for your Monday morning reading consideration we present Victor S. Navasky's 1966 New York Times Magazine article on hip (not "hep," Bert) ad agencies which totally ruined Pete Campbell's Sunday.

Comments | 4,146 Views

By Richard Lawson and Jen Doll

May 11, 2012

Plot Twists

Alternate 'Mad Men' Plots We're Rooting For

It has come to our attention that some people are getting bored with this season's Mad Men. Everyone's a critic, right? But it's in our power to make television whatever we want it to be. Here's our bids for some new directions.

Comments | 3,346 Views

By Dino Grandoni

May 7, 2012

Stat of the Day

'Mad Men' Paid The Beatles $250,000 for Historical Authenticity

Was it worth it for Mad Men to drop a reported $250,000 to play The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" as the end of Sunday's episode? We're guessing it was.

Comments | 5,837 Views

By Jen Doll

May 7, 2012

Mad Women: 'Why Do They Get to Decide What's Going to Happen?'

Women are not simply happy because they're being provided for in this post-Betty Mad Men world. They want more, and more is varied, complicated, individual, and sometimes problematic.

Comments | 2,507 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 5, 2012

Dish Network to Deny Viewers Their 'Mad Men' Fix

A legal battle between Dish Network and AMC is likely what's leading to Dish dropping AMC's channels starting this summer, which could put your Mad Men viewing party plans in serious jeopardy.

Comments | 608 Views

By Jen Doll

Apr 30, 2012

Mad Women: Daddies and Their Little Girls

Sunday's episode of Mad Men ended with three generations of characters in various states of abject despair, sitting at a table at a fancy dinner.

Comments | 3,543 Views

By Jen Doll

Apr 23, 2012

Mad Women: Struggles for Power and Female Wrath

Sunday's Mad Men brought us three main plot lines. They all had to do with angry women.

Comments | 3,103 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield and Alexander Abad-Santos

Apr 20, 2012

Cocktail Crossfire: Is Too Much Good Sunday TV an Actual Problem?

In Today's New York Times, Brian Stelter uncovers a burgeoning problem in American living rooms: Too much good Sunday night TV. But is this quality television overload a real problem?

Comments | 1,682 Views

By Richard Lawson

Apr 17, 2012

No One Watches Your Precious Shows

Yesterday we learned that HBO's new series Girls, perhaps more written about than any new show this year, premiered to only so-so numbers. And by "so-so" we mean for premium cable.

Comments | 10,877 Views

By Jen Doll

Apr 16, 2012

Mad Women: Horrors of Domesticity and the Return of Pete Campbell

Sunday's Mad Men brought us a return of the Pete Campbell we all know and used to despise. And it was somewhat beauteous, in a horrors-of-domesticity sort of way.

Comments | 1,901 Views

By Jen Doll

Apr 9, 2012

Reviewing the 'Mad Men' World by Someone Who Was There

We've enlisted the help of a former '60s-era ad exec to run down the factual inaccuracies and anachronisms of Mad Men.

Comments | 15,109 Views

By Jen Doll

Apr 9, 2012

Mad Women: 'I Want You to Go and Never Come Back'

Sunday's Mad Men took a darker than usual turn, set against the backdrop of the actual story of Richard Speck's rape and murder of 8 student nurses in 1966.

Comments | 5,889 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 6, 2012

Night of the Living Mad Men; Romney the Goofus

Every day The Atlantic Wire highlights the video clips that truly earn your five minutes (or less) of attention.

Comments | 608 Views

By Richard Lawson

Apr 3, 2012

The Call Sheet

'Game of Thrones' Beats 'Mad Men'

Today: A Quality TV victor has been decided, a gang of British teens snubs the White House, and some exciting theater news.

Comments | 4,107 Views

By Jen Doll

Apr 2, 2012

Mad Men's Women: Fat Betty Francis, Competition for Peggy

The second installment in Mad Men's fifth season aired Sunday night, and while it was only an hour compared to the premiere's two (and, alas, there was no Zou Bisou Bisou), many of the themes set up in the first episode carried through, including a focus on female-driven plots. But there were some surprises too!

Comments | 6,453 Views

By Adam Martin

Mar 30, 2012

Mad 'Mad Men' Theory: Pete Campbell Is the Walrus

Salon's Robin Sayers is gunning for Mad Men's Pete Campbell, who she's convinced "is about to tumble out a window."

Comments | 5,628 Views

By John Hudson

Mar 30, 2012

Trolling for Dummies

This week, Esquire magazine joined the proud tradition of media trolling with its Sex Issue, a cocktail of self-aware misogyny, arm-chair sociology, and pinup photos that engendered near-universal disgust, resulting in lots of "buzz."

Comments | 3,335 Views

By Daniel Frankel, PaidContent

Mar 28, 2012

Signs of Cable's Ratings Decline

With the cable business finally reaching saturation when it comes to adding new subscribers, and viewers blessed with more on-demand choices than ever, many top cable channels have recently experienced their worst ratings declines ever.

Comments | 304 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Mar 26, 2012

Inside the 'Mad Men' Economy

One of the traditions of the day after a Mad Men season premiere is the realization after endless hype is that few people watch the show -- last night's episode drew a paltry 3.5 million viewers -- but the way the show survives as a business is a good lesson in the changing entertainment landscape.

Comments | 1,220 Views