Mad Men (AMC – 2007-2015)
The first three seasons of this breakout, critics’ darling from creator Matthew Weiner about advertising executives in the 1960s may not be eligible for consideration in this list, but, even without considering it’s brilliant first three seasons, this series is the show of the decade. Every episode of the series serves as its own unique vision into the world of an America in a state of existential crisis. Systems are rapidly shifting.
By the time Season 4 begins, the older guard at the advertising firm has fallen and a new firm has risen from its ashes. This event is a harbinger for the accelerating state of change that is to come in the decade, both for America and for our characters specifically. All of this stirs up a compelling continuing of Mad Men‘s persistent dissection and analysis of identity, with Jon Hamm’s Don Draper, the man with both multiple identities and no identity at all, at its center.
This series also features career defining performances from Elizabeth Moss, Jon Slattery, Christina Hendricks, and Vincent Kartheiser among many others, and the decade’s best episode of television, Season 4 Episode 7 “The Suitcase,” where the full weight of the entire season up until that point is called upon to payoff the series central relationship between mentor Don and mentee Peggy (Moss) during one incredible evening of highs and lows and profound intimacy that will bond them for life.
For my money, there’s never been a better drama series on TV, combining careful acting, expert writing, and artful, experimental direction to create a one of a kind work.
–Alex Marcus
