If you loved
Mad Men
Matthew Weiner · Series · 2007
If you loved Mad Men, you are drawn to stories where personal identity is constantly negotiated against rigid social hierarchies.
Books on the same thread
The Women's Room
Marilyn French · Book · 1977
Shares a thread with Mad Men: Gender Roles.
Much like the female characters in Mad Men, the women in this novel grapple with the stifling expectations of their era and the search for autonomy amidst changing social norms.
The Ginger Man
J. P. Donleavy · Book · 1955
Shares a thread with Mad Men: Moral Ambiguity.
This narrative mirrors the hedonism and existential restlessness found in Mad Men, capturing a similar sense of disillusionment through a protagonist who defies the conventional path of his time.
The Road
Cormac McCarthy · Book · 2007
Shares a thread with Mad Men: Moral ambiguity.
You will recognize the deep moral ambiguity and existential dread that defined the darker moments of Mad Men, here stripped down to the raw struggle for survival in a desolate world.
The Glass Menagerie
Tennessee Williams · Book · 1999
Explores: dysfunctional family, escapism, memory.
The focus on the tension between illusion and reality echoes the carefully constructed facades maintained by the characters in Mad Men as they attempt to suppress their painful family histories.
Films on the same thread
The Devil Wears Prada
Film · 2006
Explores: Workplace dynamics, Ambition, Fashion industry.
The cutthroat office dynamics and personal transformation of this story parallel the corporate ambition and competitive environment that drove the narrative engine of the advertising world in Mad Men.
Manhattan
Woody Allen · Film · 1979
Shares a thread with Mad Men: Moral Ambiguity.
This film shares the cynical, intellectual exploration of infidelity and moral ambiguity that characterized the complex personal lives of the men and women inhabiting the world of Mad Men.
The Apartment
Film · 1960
Shares a thread with Mad Men: Office Politics.
The corporate ladder climbing and moral compromise depicted here serve as the perfect companion to the office politics and secret double lives prevalent throughout the run of Mad Men.
Anchorman
Adam McKay · Film · 2004
Explores: Male Ego, Workplace Sexism, Absurdity.
This satire exposes the same workplace sexism and fragile male ego that the characters in Mad Men navigated, though it approaches these heavy themes with a much more absurd lens.
Podcasts on the same thread
Bag Man
Rachel Maddow, MS NOW · Podcast · 2023
Explores: corruption, political scandal, accountability.
The investigation into systemic failure and political scandal captures the same sense of hidden corruption that often simmered just beneath the polished surface of the American Dream in Mad Men.
S-Town
Serial Productions · Podcast · 2024
Explores: small-town isolation, eccentricity, social decay.
This intense character study mirrors the way Mad Men peeled back the layers of a complex, troubled individual to reveal the isolation and social decay hidden behind a public persona.
Keep exploring
Common questions
What time period does Mad Men cover?
Mad Men is set in New York between the years 1960 and 1970. The drama explores the lives of advertising professionals during this specific decade, focusing on the competitive nature of the industry and the personal lives of those working on Madison Avenue.
What is the premise of Mad Men?
Mad Men is a stylized and provocative drama centered on the ruthlessly competitive world of Madison Avenue advertising. It follows the professional and personal lives of the men and women working in the industry within the backdrop of 1960s and 1970s New York.
Is Mad Men considered a drama?
Yes, Mad Men is classified as a drama. It is a stylized, provocative series that examines the lives of individuals working in advertising in New York. The show focuses on the competitive environment of the industry throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Where does the story of Mad Men take place?
The story of Mad Men takes place in New York. The series centers on the advertising industry on Madison Avenue, following the lives of the competitive men and women who work there during the period spanning from 1960 to 1970.