Mad Men is a cable programmed made by AMC in America, which is showed on Sky Atlantic in England, which is a paid for view satellite channel. Mad Men does not get billions of viewers for every episode, it gets around 2 million viewers per episode, compared to the 20 million viewers that watch American Idol for example. Although it does not get the most viewers, Mad Men has won numerous Emmy Awards, including the Best Drama 4 years in a row. John Hamm, Elizabeth Moss and Christina Hendricks (Don Draper, Peggy and Joan) all submitted Episode 11 of Season 5, 'The Other Woman', for the Emmy Awards, with the intention of winning Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. The Advertising for Mad Men included a line saying 'the four time Emmy winner is back', which shows that although the programme doesn't get the most views when compared to its competitors, it has won awards and has a strong fan base behind it that appreciate the programme for it's representations of the 60's, its nostalgia and its stylish approach.
Mad Men appeals to its audience by being sophisticated and stylish. With it being set in the 60s, Mad Men will attract an audience that may have been from that era or are interested in history for example. The 60s has been very influential in television, with the 60s being iconic. It was also the time that women rose up, and started fighting for equal rights, and it was also the time of great change, with Martin Luther King fighting for 'black rights' and feminism, as well as JFK and many other things. Mad Mens audience will also be interested in the style of the 60s, as the style is coming back into fashion.
Mad Men could also be critically analysed along the lines of Propps theory. Propp theorised that there are certain roles in films and programmes - there's the hero, the villain, the femme fatale etc. Don Draper, portrayed by John Hamm, is certainly the hero majority of the time. Especially in the episode i am referring to - episode 11, season 5, The Other Woman. Draper is portrayed as chivalrous and heroic when he tried to persuade Joan not to go through with her plans with the Jaguar dealership. By trying to stop Joan from selling herself, Draper comes across as respectable and a gentleman. But when his wife, Megan, goes for an acting job that involved travelling for long periods of time, he becomes very much a dominant male, and tries to throw his weight around. Draper also comes across as respectable when he trusts Peggy to land a deal with a company for him. Although Peggy is a very important part of Drapers company and his life, he takes her for granted and treats her terribly. When Peggy stands up for herself about the campaign she landed, and why she can't help with the Jaguar campaign that Draper throws money at her. This belittles Peggy and makes her feel unappreciated and taken for granted and so she takes an offer of another job at a rival company. It is when Megan stands up to Draper, and when we find that Joan has already gone through with her plans and when Peggy leaves the company that it is clear that women are gaining strength, and rising up, becoming feminists. This rise in 'girl power' will attract a female audience in the way that they will like to feel empowered and they will appreciate watching how feminism came about as they are the product of feminist campaigns and equal rights. Men will be interested in Mad Men because the women are all very attractive and strong and dress to their advantage, they look appealing and nice at all times and they will like to look at them. Men will also want to be Don Draper, in the way that he is strong and powerful and successful.
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