I don't get "Mad Men"

[swbsam]

I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

I was not alive during that time and still enjoy the show. The writing is first-rate.

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

I was not alive during that time and still enjoy the show. The writing is first-rate.

Where were your parents born? My wife is 27 but her frame of reference includes music/movies/pop culture that I've never witnessed, being born to Indians.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

I was not alive during that time and still enjoy the show. The writing is first-rate.

The writing is good but the hook is that its set in the 60s and focuses heavily on the social mores of the time. If this show was set in modern times, itwouldnt be nearly as popular. I dont think that the viewers necessarily have to be from that time. If anything, people from that time might realize its just a caricature. But anyone who grew up hearing about it and seeing it on tv would find this show quite interesting since its reinforcing this ideailzed picture they have in their minds of what that time was like.

I dunno, its just my little theory about why this show is as big as it is.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

I was not alive during that time and still enjoy the show. The writing is first-rate.

Where were your parents born? My wife is 27 but her frame of reference includes music/movies/pop culture that I've never witnessed, being born to Indians.

Northeast, so perhaps I'm more attuned to the cultural thing. But I don't agree with the rationale that you need to be somehow connected to a certain time and place to enjoy fiction. I'm not from space, but I enjoy sci-fi. WWII was well before my time, but I like a good war flick. I have no connection to the frontier and still like westerns. Never hired a 40s private eye to solve a mystery for me, but I watch film noir. I don't live in California or study physics and I can laugh at The Big Bang Theory.

Your reasoning is faulty.

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

The sexual orientation you claim on the internet and may well possess had nothing to do with it.

Your culture of origin does, though.

It's a meticulously spot-on evocation of an American way of life -- late '50's through the early '60's -- made all the more interesting because we who watch it know the whole damn structure of white male post-war conformism is about to be blown sky high by, first, the Kennedy assassination and then the Beatles, Stones, pot, lsd, hippies, the Vietnam war, the Moon landing, Jimi Hendrix, Woodstock, bell bottoms, long hair on men, Timothy Leary, etc, etc, etc.

Though not all that long ago in the grand scheme of things, the characters in Mad Men may just as well have been living on a different planet.

And it's really, really well casted and well done.

Watch out, OP! One of these days your wife might just wise up and leave you for someone less culturally clueless -- HEY, I'm joking, j/k, yas yas yas. :laugh:

 

[imported_Imp]

Nostalgia is part of the reason I like it. Mainly though, writing is good, characters are too, and it has a "depressing" mood to it.

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

I was not alive during that time and still enjoy the show. The writing is first-rate.

The writing is good but the hook is that its set in the 60s and focuses heavily on the social mores of the time. If this show was set in modern times, itwouldnt be nearly as popular. I dont think that the viewers necessarily have to be from that time. If anything, people from that time might realize its just a caricature. But anyone who grew up hearing about it and seeing it on tv would find this show quite interesting since its reinforcing this ideailzed picture they have in their minds of what that time was like.

I dunno, its just my little theory about why this show is as big as it is.

I agree with your theory. My parents came here in the 70s and a big part of my pop culture background (even though I was born in the 80s) includes the 70s... John Travolta/disco/Dirty Harry/ etc. Sort of a charged consciousness thing...

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: Perknose

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

The sexual orientation you claim on the internet and may well possess had nothing to do with it.

Your culture of origin does, though.

It's a meticulously spot-on evocation of an American way of life -- late '50's through the early '60's -- made all the more interesting because we who watch it know the whole damn structure of white male post-war conformism is about to be blown sky high by, first, the Kennedy assassination and then the Beatles, Stones, pot, lsd, hippies, the Vietnam war, the Moon landing, Jimi Hendrix, Woodstock, bell bottoms, long hair on men, Timothy Leary, etc, etc, etc.

Though not all that long ago in the grand scheme of things, the characters in Mad Men may just as well have been living on a different planet.

And it's really, really well casted and well done.

Watch out, OP! One of these days your wife might just wise up and leave you for someone less culturally clueless -- HEY, I'm joking, j/k, yas yas yas. :laugh:

I wasn't trying to be insulting about the heterosexual male part. Everyone I know who watches the show is white/female/and or gay... And the pre-sexual revolution subtext is the one thing that I do "get," so I do think that's a big factor why gay men and women might find it more appealing than I do.

I'm just trying to figure it out, because I recognize the craftsmanship and polish of the show and its cast, it just doesn't personally rock me the way it does most

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

I was not alive during that time and still enjoy the show. The writing is first-rate.

Where were your parents born? My wife is 27 but her frame of reference includes music/movies/pop culture that I've never witnessed, being born to Indians.

Northeast, so perhaps I'm more attuned to the cultural thing. But I don't agree with the rationale that you need to be somehow connected to a certain time and place to enjoy fiction. I'm not from space, but I enjoy sci-fi. WWII was well before my time, but I like a good war flick. I have no connection to the frontier and still like westerns. Never hired a 40s private eye to solve a mystery for me, but I watch film noir. I don't live in California or study physics and I can laugh at The Big Bang Theory.

Your reasoning is faulty.

Not true. You're setting up strawmen to knock down. People watch scifi because the hook is that you get to see fantasy, people watch WWII to see war and stuff they've read about in history books. Mad Men is just a drama set in the 60's. Theres no major crime story, no war, no violence. That's not its hook, it's hook is that it's set in the 60s. People from other cultures would not find it nearly as interesting because they never grew up being exposed/reminded to these kind of things and never read about them in books or movies. It's just a random time period for them. You're also taking my argument out of context by saying the 60's thing is the only reason people watch the show. What i'm saying is, the 60's thign is what makes this show so popular

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

I was not alive during that time and still enjoy the show. The writing is first-rate.

Where were your parents born? My wife is 27 but her frame of reference includes music/movies/pop culture that I've never witnessed, being born to Indians.

Northeast, so perhaps I'm more attuned to the cultural thing. But I don't agree with the rationale that you need to be somehow connected to a certain time and place to enjoy fiction. I'm not from space, but I enjoy sci-fi. WWII was well before my time, but I like a good war flick. I have no connection to the frontier and still like westerns. Never hired a 40s private eye to solve a mystery for me, but I watch film noir. I don't live in California or study physics and I can laugh at The Big Bang Theory.

Your reasoning is faulty.

See, culturally, WWII movies don't appeal to me partly because my parents raised me in a way that doesn't embrace heroism/selflessness over the needs of yourself and (in particular) your family. For example my mom would say "Boy, that Tom Hanks character in Saving Private Ryan needs to forget about that Ryan guy and go home and take care of his family!" The Americana aspects of war movies don't make me cry or feel patriotic, because of being born into the mentality that family comes before State. Westerns as well - culturally, the appeal is pretty nil to my parents, but I personally enjoy them.

But, yeah, movies - regardless of era or history, that speak about the human experience while not making obvious references, appeal to me, of any genre.. Revolutionary Road was pretty outstanding and took place in the same time as Mad Men, but that was about 2 people, not an era

 

[oogabooga]

I wasn't born in that time (nor are my parents from the US - Our family didn't immigrate till the 80's) but I like the show. The characters are somewhat compelling - even the ones I don't like (in some ways especially the ones I don't like).

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

I was not alive during that time and still enjoy the show. The writing is first-rate.

Where were your parents born? My wife is 27 but her frame of reference includes music/movies/pop culture that I've never witnessed, being born to Indians.

Northeast, so perhaps I'm more attuned to the cultural thing. But I don't agree with the rationale that you need to be somehow connected to a certain time and place to enjoy fiction. I'm not from space, but I enjoy sci-fi. WWII was well before my time, but I like a good war flick. I have no connection to the frontier and still like westerns. Never hired a 40s private eye to solve a mystery for me, but I watch film noir. I don't live in California or study physics and I can laugh at The Big Bang Theory.

Your reasoning is faulty.

Not true. You're setting up strawmen to knock down. People watch scifi because the hook is that you get to see fantasy, people watch WWII to see war and stuff they've read about in history books. Mad Men is just a drama set in the 60's. Theres no major crime story, no war, no violence. That's not its hook, it's hook is that it's set in the 60s. People from other cultures would not find it nearly as interesting because they never grew up being exposed/reminded to these kind of things and never read about them in books or movies. It's just a random time period for them. You're also taking my argument out of context by saying the 60's thing is the only reason people watch the show. What i'm saying is, the 60's thign is what makes this show so popular

No, you're just spinning fiction to support your point without even having one. War movies don't have to be historic. They don't have to depict actual events and they don't have to even be about actual wars. Sci-fi is not necessarily fantasy, much of it has a factual basis. There doesn't have to be major crime, war or violence for a drama to succeed. Look at Nothern Exposure, Little House on the Prairie, Lou Grant, Thirtysomething, Six Feet Under, The Waltons, etc etc etc. All set in different times, different places, situations to which the audience had no connection and all successful without crime, war, violence or any "hooks" driving the storyline. Your idea falls apart as surely as OP's does. A viewer does NOT need to have any connection to the culture or era of a TV show to become invest in it and it doesn't need to have some sort of hook. History proves that time and time again. All it takes is a good story and characters that the audience either likes or hates. Mad Men has both. You don't have to be from that era, you don't have to be white or northeastern or educated. You just have to appreciate good storytelling. That's all entertainment is, storytelling. That's why one law show fails and another succeeds when both have the same "hook". It's why one war movie is Saving Private Ryan and another is Windtalkers. Same hook, same war, but one sucked and one didn't. Why? The storytelling and characters.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

I was not alive during that time and still enjoy the show. The writing is first-rate.

Where were your parents born? My wife is 27 but her frame of reference includes music/movies/pop culture that I've never witnessed, being born to Indians.

Northeast, so perhaps I'm more attuned to the cultural thing. But I don't agree with the rationale that you need to be somehow connected to a certain time and place to enjoy fiction. I'm not from space, but I enjoy sci-fi. WWII was well before my time, but I like a good war flick. I have no connection to the frontier and still like westerns. Never hired a 40s private eye to solve a mystery for me, but I watch film noir. I don't live in California or study physics and I can laugh at The Big Bang Theory.

Your reasoning is faulty.

Not true. You're setting up strawmen to knock down. People watch scifi because the hook is that you get to see fantasy, people watch WWII to see war and stuff they've read about in history books. Mad Men is just a drama set in the 60's. Theres no major crime story, no war, no violence. That's not its hook, it's hook is that it's set in the 60s. People from other cultures would not find it nearly as interesting because they never grew up being exposed/reminded to these kind of things and never read about them in books or movies. It's just a random time period for them. You're also taking my argument out of context by saying the 60's thing is the only reason people watch the show. What i'm saying is, the 60's thign is what makes this show so popular

No, you're just spinning fiction to support your point without even having one. War movies don't have to be historic. They don't have to depict actual events and they don't have to even be about actual wars. Sci-fi is not necessarily fantasy, much of it has a factual basis. There doesn't have to be major crime, war or violence for a drama to succeed. Look at Nothern Exposure, Little House on the Prairie, Lou Grant, Thirtysomething, Twin Peaks, Six Feet Under, The Waltons, etc etc etc. All set in different times, different places, situations to which the audience had no connection and all successful with crime, war or violence driving the storyline. Your idea falls apart as surely as OP. A viewer does NOT need to have any connection to the culture or era of a TV show to become invest in it and it doesn't need to have some sort of hook. History proves that time and time again. All it takes is a good story and characters that the audience either likes or hates. Mad Men has both. You don't have to be from that era, you don't have to be white or northeastern or educated.

So what you're saying is, if Mad Men was set in 2000, it would be just as popular? And are you also saying the viewership demographics of this drama is comparable to the dramas you just listed?

 

[timosyy]

I enjoy Mad Men, and I'm both Asian and in college (so I'm not white or have any particular nostalgia for the time).

Don Draper = baller.

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

I was not alive during that time and still enjoy the show. The writing is first-rate.

Where were your parents born? My wife is 27 but her frame of reference includes music/movies/pop culture that I've never witnessed, being born to Indians.

Northeast, so perhaps I'm more attuned to the cultural thing. But I don't agree with the rationale that you need to be somehow connected to a certain time and place to enjoy fiction. I'm not from space, but I enjoy sci-fi. WWII was well before my time, but I like a good war flick. I have no connection to the frontier and still like westerns. Never hired a 40s private eye to solve a mystery for me, but I watch film noir. I don't live in California or study physics and I can laugh at The Big Bang Theory.

Your reasoning is faulty.

Not true. You're setting up strawmen to knock down. People watch scifi because the hook is that you get to see fantasy, people watch WWII to see war and stuff they've read about in history books. Mad Men is just a drama set in the 60's. Theres no major crime story, no war, no violence. That's not its hook, it's hook is that it's set in the 60s. People from other cultures would not find it nearly as interesting because they never grew up being exposed/reminded to these kind of things and never read about them in books or movies. It's just a random time period for them. You're also taking my argument out of context by saying the 60's thing is the only reason people watch the show. What i'm saying is, the 60's thign is what makes this show so popular

No, you're just spinning fiction to support your point without even having one. War movies don't have to be historic. They don't have to depict actual events and they don't have to even be about actual wars. Sci-fi is not necessarily fantasy, much of it has a factual basis. There doesn't have to be major crime, war or violence for a drama to succeed. Look at Nothern Exposure, Little House on the Prairie, Lou Grant, Thirtysomething, Twin Peaks, Six Feet Under, The Waltons, etc etc etc. All set in different times, different places, situations to which the audience had no connection and all successful with crime, war or violence driving the storyline. Your idea falls apart as surely as OP. A viewer does NOT need to have any connection to the culture or era of a TV show to become invest in it and it doesn't need to have some sort of hook. History proves that time and time again. All it takes is a good story and characters that the audience either likes or hates. Mad Men has both. You don't have to be from that era, you don't have to be white or northeastern or educated.

I disagree to a degree - look at it from the opposite perspective: Americans mock indian or asian cinema as a whole, unless it's a kick ass kung fu movie. We don't get the humor or the ideals, so we find them ironically hilarious. However, a movie like "Monsoon Wedding" or "Slumdog Millionaire" crosses over because they're written by western writers, and reflect western values, filtered through exotic scenery.

 

[TehMac]

Originally posted by: swbsam
1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

1. Fuck you.

2. My parents were born late '40's, late '50's, I find it an enthralling period in American history, it was the zenith for white males, or at least is perceived as such.

The writing is top notch, it's enjoyable to see Draper be such a baller, it's a hit amongst my mates and we're all heterosexual males. With one ambiguity I think though.

Maybe it's because we're all into business and enjoy seeing "business-topia" presented on TV. This agency back in the 1960's had almost 0 accountability with very limited analytics- pretty easy job.

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: TehMac

Originally posted by: swbsam
1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

1. Fuck you.

2. My parents were born late '40's, late '50's, I find it an enthralling period in American history, it was the zenith for white males, or at least is perceived as such.

The writing is top notch, it's enjoyable to see Draper be such a baller, it's a hit amongst my mates and we're all heterosexual males. With one ambiguity I think though.

Maybe it's because we're all into business and enjoy seeing "business-topia" presented on TV. This agency back in the 1960's had almost 0 accountability with very limited analytics- pretty easy job.

I agree that the show is a top-notch production. Kudos to all involved, I just don't get the spiritual appeal. It's hard to put into words.. Hmm.. Like.. The Beatles - I acknowledge that they are immensely talented and changed the world, but I don't cry when "Hey Jude" is on the radio.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

I was not alive during that time and still enjoy the show. The writing is first-rate.

Where were your parents born? My wife is 27 but her frame of reference includes music/movies/pop culture that I've never witnessed, being born to Indians.

Northeast, so perhaps I'm more attuned to the cultural thing. But I don't agree with the rationale that you need to be somehow connected to a certain time and place to enjoy fiction. I'm not from space, but I enjoy sci-fi. WWII was well before my time, but I like a good war flick. I have no connection to the frontier and still like westerns. Never hired a 40s private eye to solve a mystery for me, but I watch film noir. I don't live in California or study physics and I can laugh at The Big Bang Theory.

Your reasoning is faulty.

Not true. You're setting up strawmen to knock down. People watch scifi because the hook is that you get to see fantasy, people watch WWII to see war and stuff they've read about in history books. Mad Men is just a drama set in the 60's. Theres no major crime story, no war, no violence. That's not its hook, it's hook is that it's set in the 60s. People from other cultures would not find it nearly as interesting because they never grew up being exposed/reminded to these kind of things and never read about them in books or movies. It's just a random time period for them. You're also taking my argument out of context by saying the 60's thing is the only reason people watch the show. What i'm saying is, the 60's thign is what makes this show so popular

No, you're just spinning fiction to support your point without even having one. War movies don't have to be historic. They don't have to depict actual events and they don't have to even be about actual wars. Sci-fi is not necessarily fantasy, much of it has a factual basis. There doesn't have to be major crime, war or violence for a drama to succeed. Look at Nothern Exposure, Little House on the Prairie, Lou Grant, Thirtysomething, Twin Peaks, Six Feet Under, The Waltons, etc etc etc. All set in different times, different places, situations to which the audience had no connection and all successful with crime, war or violence driving the storyline. Your idea falls apart as surely as OP. A viewer does NOT need to have any connection to the culture or era of a TV show to become invest in it and it doesn't need to have some sort of hook. History proves that time and time again. All it takes is a good story and characters that the audience either likes or hates. Mad Men has both. You don't have to be from that era, you don't have to be white or northeastern or educated.

So what you're saying is, if Mad Men was set in 2000, it would be just as popular? And are you also saying the viewership demographics of this drama is comparable to the dramas you just listed?

No, what I'm saying, for the THIRD time, for the people that were too ignorant to understand the first two times, is that the ERA itself is irrelevant. People are not watching it because it's specifically about that era and they're not turned off because they are not children of that era. It's popular because it appeals to a wide demographic of viewers of different ages and different backgrounds. Seriously, I can't explain this in any more simple terms and I can't dumb it down to whatever level is necessary around here. OP thinks he doesn't get the show because of it's era and culture and that is pure, unadulterated bullshit. I have cited example after example to prove that it doesn't matter. People like shows pertaining to eras and places and cultures to which they have no connection and if a person doesn't like Mad Men the era and the culture is not the reason. Would it help you understand better if I act this out with a puppet show?

 

[fatpat268]

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

I was not alive during that time and still enjoy the show. The writing is first-rate.

Where were your parents born? My wife is 27 but her frame of reference includes music/movies/pop culture that I've never witnessed, being born to Indians.

Northeast, so perhaps I'm more attuned to the cultural thing. But I don't agree with the rationale that you need to be somehow connected to a certain time and place to enjoy fiction. I'm not from space, but I enjoy sci-fi. WWII was well before my time, but I like a good war flick. I have no connection to the frontier and still like westerns. Never hired a 40s private eye to solve a mystery for me, but I watch film noir. I don't live in California or study physics and I can laugh at The Big Bang Theory.

Your reasoning is faulty.

See, culturally, WWII movies don't appeal to me partly because my parents raised me in a way that doesn't embrace heroism/selflessness over the needs of yourself and (in particular) your family. For example my mom would say "Boy, that Tom Hanks character in Saving Private Ryan needs to forget about that Ryan guy and go home and take care of his family!" The Americana aspects of war movies don't make me cry or feel patriotic, because of being born into the mentality that family comes before State. Westerns as well - culturally, the appeal is pretty nil to my parents, but I personally enjoy them.

But, yeah, movies - regardless of era or history, that speak about the human experience while not making obvious references, appeal to me, of any genre.. Revolutionary Road was pretty outstanding and took place in the same time as Mad Men, but that was about 2 people, not an era

I'm not sure why you have to be "born into" a certain way of life to appreciate certain movies and shows as you suggest. My personal upbringing has very little to do with what movies I enjoy. My taste in movies has evolved over time. I used to like what my parents liked when I was young, but as I got older, I've moved away from that.

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: swbsam
I feel so dumb, my wife watches Mad Men all the time, and the critics adore the show. But I just don't get it - the writing and direction are great and all high class all around, but I find it boring.. Like a period soap opera..

I had 2 theories, chime in because I'm stumped:

1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s

It's odd that an acclaimed show does absolutely nothing for me, how about you?

It's a show for white americans that look back at those times w/ lots of fond memories

I was not alive during that time and still enjoy the show. The writing is first-rate.

Where were your parents born? My wife is 27 but her frame of reference includes music/movies/pop culture that I've never witnessed, being born to Indians.

Northeast, so perhaps I'm more attuned to the cultural thing. But I don't agree with the rationale that you need to be somehow connected to a certain time and place to enjoy fiction. I'm not from space, but I enjoy sci-fi. WWII was well before my time, but I like a good war flick. I have no connection to the frontier and still like westerns. Never hired a 40s private eye to solve a mystery for me, but I watch film noir. I don't live in California or study physics and I can laugh at The Big Bang Theory.

Your reasoning is faulty.

Not true. You're setting up strawmen to knock down. People watch scifi because the hook is that you get to see fantasy, people watch WWII to see war and stuff they've read about in history books. Mad Men is just a drama set in the 60's. Theres no major crime story, no war, no violence. That's not its hook, it's hook is that it's set in the 60s. People from other cultures would not find it nearly as interesting because they never grew up being exposed/reminded to these kind of things and never read about them in books or movies. It's just a random time period for them. You're also taking my argument out of context by saying the 60's thing is the only reason people watch the show. What i'm saying is, the 60's thign is what makes this show so popular

No, you're just spinning fiction to support your point without even having one. War movies don't have to be historic. They don't have to depict actual events and they don't have to even be about actual wars. Sci-fi is not necessarily fantasy, much of it has a factual basis. There doesn't have to be major crime, war or violence for a drama to succeed. Look at Nothern Exposure, Little House on the Prairie, Lou Grant, Thirtysomething, Twin Peaks, Six Feet Under, The Waltons, etc etc etc. All set in different times, different places, situations to which the audience had no connection and all successful with crime, war or violence driving the storyline. Your idea falls apart as surely as OP. A viewer does NOT need to have any connection to the culture or era of a TV show to become invest in it and it doesn't need to have some sort of hook. History proves that time and time again. All it takes is a good story and characters that the audience either likes or hates. Mad Men has both. You don't have to be from that era, you don't have to be white or northeastern or educated.

So what you're saying is, if Mad Men was set in 2000, it would be just as popular? And are you also saying the viewership demographics of this drama is comparable to the dramas you just listed?

No, what I'm saying, for the THIRD time, for the people that were too ignorant to understand the first two times, is that the ERA itself is irrelevant. People are not watching it because it's specifically about that era and they're not turned off because they are not children of that era. It's popular because it appeals to a wide demographic of viewers of different ages and different backgrounds. Seriously, I can't explain this in any more simple terms and I can't dumb it down to whatever level is necessary around here. OP thinks he doesn't get the show because of it's era and culture and that is pure, unadulterated bullshit. I have cited example after example to prove that it doesn't matter. People like shows pertaining to eras and places and cultures to which they have no connection and if a person doesn't like Mad Men the era and the culture is not the reason. Would it help you understand better if I act this out with a puppet show?

You're just a rude tool...

 

[dbk]

You don't get it because you don't want to get it.
The bigotry is strong in this one...

Case in point:
1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s"

"Everyone I know who watches the show is white/female/and or gay... "

I feel sorry for you.

 

[TehMac]

Originally posted by: swbsam
I agree that the show is a top-notch production. Kudos to all involved, I just don't get the spiritual appeal. It's hard to put into words.. Hmm.. Like.. The Beatles - I acknowledge that they are immensely talented and changed the world, but I don't cry when "Hey Jude" is on the radio.

I have some friends who think the show is gay, etc. At a cursory glance it is lame, and if you start watching at Season 3 episode 2, yes it will look boring.

Like all shows, you have to start at the beginning for it to make real sense, although some tv shows like Dexter and Entourage make it easier for you to just "get into it."

Mad Men requires you to start at the beginning to fully get it. It reminds me of Entourage set in an office with Ari Gold-like quotes setting the norm, not being the exception.

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: dbk
You don't get it because you don't want to get it.
The bigotry is strong in this one...

Case in point:
1. I'm a heterosexual male, the show wasn't meant for me
2. My parents were not born here, so I don't have passed down nostalgia for the 50s/60s"

"Everyone I know who watches the show is white/female/and or gay... "

I feel sorry for you.

1. I'm a strong supporter of gay right issues and am a card carrying member of the LGBT Community Center of NY. I have a love for the gay community but understand, superficially and culturally, that I may not relate to some things that LGBT audiences may relate to. I.E. I hate to use stereotypes, but I don't get Donna Summers.. But it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with Donna Summers

2. I'm so integrated into white culture that I haven't seen a non-white person, other than visits to my parents, in weeks. My friends are all white, my wife is white, my children will be half white... I'm not saying anything against white people, but I also understand that we have different backgrounds so I don't get certain things.. Like Full House.. And it took me far too long to get the genius that is Seinfeld

I'm not a bigot, we all have different point of views