March Madness may be done for the Aztecs, but another kind of “Mad”-ness is about to get back into full swing after a year-and-a-half-long hiatus. AMC’s ratings darling “Mad Men” will grace televisions once again starting this Sunday with a two-hour season premiere.
“Mad Men” is an hour-long drama created by Matthew Weiner. The show is focused around suave-yet-damaged protagonist Don Draper (Jon Hamm), and the comings and goings at his Madison Avenue advertising agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, during the tumultuous and legendary 1960s. The agency features a perfect cast of characters including a bombshell office supervisor, Joan Harris, and an oddly lovable agency partner, Roger Sterling.
Mad Men incorporates the “typical” (calling marrying a secretary typical) work gossip and the changing gender roles at work and home with the culture of the 1960s, turning the series into a historical snapshot. The show uses actual brands and logos from the era and even tastefully covers the 1963 assassination of former President John F. Kennedy. There have also been some dark and buried secrets that found daylight throughout the course of the previous four seasons, including a case of stolen identity and who’s-the-baby-daddy moments for more than one of the women at the agency.
The Golden Globe-winning cast only epitomizes the show’s basis, with the remarkable cast that steps back in time. Don is a character that seems infallible when behind his desk, with a perfectly crafted Manhattan made at the bar in his office in hand. Betty Draper (January Jones), Joan (Christina Hendricks) and Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) comprise the powerhouse female trio, defining the gender roles of the 1960s from the stay-at-home mother, to the rise-to-the-top copy writer, to the office supervisor with endless sass.
The fifth season will jump back in where the last season finale left off, which paid close attention to the private lives of those in the agency, whereas earlier seasons left focus on the business. Will Don actually marry his secretary, stemming from a curveball engagement at the end of last season? Who is the father of Joan’s child? What does 1965 hold for the cast, with the Vietnam War coming to a head and the Cold War in full swing?
Take a trip back in time – the clever, sophisticated show returns at 9 p.m. this Sunday on AMC with a two-hour premiere.
