Jon Hamm in Mad Men courtesy AMC
You could get vertigo tonight, scaling the heights of the finale of Mad Men on AMC, and then plumbing the depths of the tone-deaf misfire that is Viva Laughlin, premiering on CBS in the plum slot after CSI before moving to Sundays. There, only those with the most morbid curiosity to watch a show’s slow yet hopefully quick death are likely to follow (unless every critic I know is totally off the mark).First, a salute to the best and most fascinating new show to arrive on TV this year (and I’m even including my quirky new treasure Pushing Daisies in that equation). Mad Men, so hypnotic in its look and style as it recreates a classic movie-worthy image of 1960 Manhattan, is a period piece that says volumes about today, or about any era in which salary and status is tied to self-worth and where people construct a false reality to sell themselves on the American dream.Don Draper (instant star Jon Hamm) would seem to have it all. Besides the movie-star looks, he enjoys upward mo...
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Vincent Kartheiser (left) on Mad Men
He's a go-getter, a whippersnapper, an up-and-coming advertising exec whose greatest liability may be his ambition. That, or his penchant for illicitly dipping more than his toe into the steno pool. He's Pete Campbell, and he's played winningly on AMC's super-sexy Mad Men (Thursdays at 10 pm/ET) by Vincent Kartheiser. TVGuide.com invited the Angel alum to emerge from the series' smoke-filled set and share his take on his Mad Ave. alter ego.
TVGuide.com: I'm a huge fan of Mad Men, so I've got to hit you with a burning question, since you're the first cast member I have Q&A'd. The omnipresent cigarettes — what percentage of the cast are smokers who had to pick up the habit again, and how many of you hate having to light up for the scenes?
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Mad Men
We can't say he didn't warn us. Before his new AMC drama Mad Men premiered last month, former Sopranos executive producer Matthew Weiner said, "There will hopefully be a ‘Holy s--t!' moment in each episode." Three weeks in, he's holding up his end of the deal, as the show reveals the amoral underbelly of perfect-on-the-surface protagonist Don Draper (Jon Hamm).
Set in New York City in 1960, Mad Men (airing Thursdays at 10 pm/ET) slickly re-creates a topflight Madison Avenue advertising agency and its ruthless, ego-driven players. You can practically smell the Brylcreem, whiskey and cigarettes as the bright, sexy characters look sharp and crack wise. But all is not well underneath those sharkskin suit
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Question: I checked out the debut of AMC's Mad Men on your recommendation, and I loved it. Fresh, stylish and stirring! I was especially excited to see familiar faces Vincent Kartheiser (Connor from Angel) and Christina Hendricks (Saffron from Firefly). I guess you can tell I'm a Joss Whedon fan! I was very happy to discover that the Mad Men episodes will be available On Demand through my cable provider. This got me thinking about VOD's potential to completely revolutionize the television industry. It could impact scheduling with choose-your-own prime-time ability, while invalidating the Nielsen rating system (thank goodness) once networks can get true reads of viewership. This would hopefully extend the lives of beloved but not mainstream shows from minds like Joss Whedon and Judd Apatow. And I can't even imagine the changes to come in the world of commercials. What are your thoughts on VOD and the future of scheduled television?
Answer: On Demand viewing is a terrific innovation (I
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