Mad Men

During one of my workshops, some of the participants started discussing the TV show Mad Men. I had vaguely heard of it, but never seen an episode (I still haven’t). Today, though, I read an article that attempts to explain the show’s popularity, calling it a “soap opera” with weak writing and acting. The appeal, argues the author, is to people who are in their 30s and 40s today, who get to see what it was like in their parents’ day – before the rise of feminism, when everyone chain-smoked and drank at the office, etc.

The New York Review of Books always has well-written, thought-provoking articles...