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137-486: Mad Men is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television . It ran on cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, with seven seasons and 92 episodes. It is set during the period of March 1960 to November 1970. Mad Men begins at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency on Madison Avenue in Manhattan , New York City, and continues at

274-484: A diegetic song dissolving into the credits music. Apple Corps authorized the use of The Beatles song " Tomorrow Never Knows " for the Season 5 episode "Lady Lazarus", and the same track was used over the closing credits. Lionsgate , which produces Mad Men , paid $ 250,000 for the use of the song in the episode. Bob Dylan's " Don't Think Twice It's All Right " ended the last episode of Season 1. In addition to creating

411-456: A pay-per-view distributor of special event programming. In 1990, Showtime ventured into acquiring and premiering independent films exclusively for the channel as part of the 30-Minute Movie short film anthology series . One of its first premieres, 12:01 PM , was nominated for an Academy Award ;1992's Session Man won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film . In the years that followed, Showtime expanded its acquisitions into

548-489: A video on demand service (Paramount+ with Showtime On Demand). Paramount+ with Showtime broadcasts its primary and multiplex channels on both Eastern and Pacific Time Zone schedules. The respective coastal feeds of each channel are usually packaged together (though most cable providers only offer the east and west coast feeds of the main Paramount+ with Showtime channel), resulting in the difference in local airtimes for

685-530: A 22.58% stake in the two networks, with American Express owning a 9.68% minority interest. In addition, the consortium would appoint a management team separate from those employed by the two channels–which continued to operate as separate services–to operate the joint venture. However the deal ran into regulatory hurdles because Warner, Universal, and Paramount received 50% of their respective total revenue from film releases and licensing fees from premium services. Also Showtime and TMC combined would control about 30% of

822-618: A 50% of Showtime to the TelePrompTer Corporation . On July 4, 1981, Showtime began a 24-hour programming schedule (rival HBO followed suit in December of the same year). In 1982, Group W Cable, a subsidiary of Westinghouse Electric Corporation (which acquired TelePrompTer the previous year), sold its 50% stake in Showtime back to Viacom for $ 75 million. The sale of Group W's stake in the channel happened shortly after

959-832: A backdrop of historical events. A period piece may be set in a vague or general era such as the Middle Ages , or a specific period such as the Roaring Twenties , or the recent past. In different eras different subgenres have risen to popularity, such as the westerns and sword and sandal films that dominated North American cinema in the 1950s. The costume drama is often separated as a genre of historical dramas. Early critics defined them as films focusing on romance and relationships in sumptuous surroundings, contrasting them with other historical dramas believed to have more serious themes. Other critics have defended costume dramas, and argued that they are disparaged because they are

1096-442: A black-and-white silhouette. The titles, created by production house Imaginary Forces, pay homage to graphic designer Saul Bass 's skyscraper-filled opening titles for Alfred Hitchcock 's North by Northwest (1959) and falling man movie poster for Vertigo (1958); Weiner has listed Hitchcock as a major influence on the visual style of the series. In a 2010 issue of TV Guide , the show's opening title sequence ranked No. 9 on

1233-458: A bundle offer with the service. In August 2022, the Paramount+ apps were updated with the ability to upgrade a subscription to the "Paramount+ with Showtime" bundle, and for subscribers to the bundle to access Showtime content from within the Paramount+ apps. Showtime would continue to be offered as a standalone service and application. However, in September, the company was in talks of moving

1370-675: A clause in the agreement that allowed either company the option of buying out their partner's stake in Warner-Amex), Warner Communications exercised an option to acquire American Express' 50% share of Warner-Amex Cable Communications for $ 450 million. Among the options, barring that it chose to sell Viacom a 50% interest in the company for $ 450 million, the deal originally excluded Warner-Amex's 19% interest in Showtime-The Movie Channel, Inc.; that interest would have reverted to Warner, which intended to operate Warner-Amex as

1507-528: A distinct programming imprint. On May 20, 2023, Paramount Global announced that the merger of both services would take place on June 27, with the standalone Showtime app being shut down on April 30, 2024. The primary Showtime channel was rebranded as Paramount+ with Showtime on January 8, 2024, although the former name remains in use as a standalone brand for its multiplex channels. Paramount+ with Showtime's programming schedule currently consists largely of theatrically released feature films—which occupy much of

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1644-732: A final full crew production meeting where Matt again tells us how he envisions it ... The pilot episode was shot at Silvercup Studios in New York City and various locations around the city; subsequent episodes were filmed at Los Angeles Center Studios . It was available in high definition for showing on AMC HD and on video-on-demand services available from various cable affiliates. The writers, including Weiner, amassed volumes of research on Mad Men ' s time period, so as to make most aspects of it—including detailed set design, costume design, and props—historically accurate, producing an authentic visual style that garnered critical praise. On

1781-545: A genre directed towards women. Historical dramas have also been described as a conservative genre, glorifying an imagined past that never existed. Historical drama may include mostly fictionalized narratives based on actual people or historical events, such as the history plays of Shakespeare , Apollo 13 , The Tudors , Braveheart , Chernobyl , Enemy at the Gates , Les Misérables , and Titanic . Works may include references to real-life people or events from

1918-400: A graphical upgrade to the network's presentation to include computer-generated graphics. On August 10, 1985, after Time Inc. and cable provider Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) jointly submitted a bid to buy the company for $ 900 million and the assumption of $ 500 million in debt as well as an earlier offer by American Express the previous month to buy out Warner's share of the company (under

2055-515: A list of TV's top 10 credits sequences, as selected by readers. David Carbonara composed the original score for the series. Mad Men – Original Score Vol. 1 was released on January 13, 2009. At the end of almost every episode, the show either fades to black or smash cuts to black as period music, or a theme by series composer David Carbonara, plays during the ending credits ; at least one episode ends with silence or ambient sounds. A few episodes have ended with more recent popular music, or with

2192-418: A little less than the $ 2.84 million each episode cost to produce. In March 2011, after negotiations between the network and the series's creator, AMC picked up Mad Men for a fifth season, which premiered on March 25, 2012. Weiner reportedly signed a $ 30 million contract which would keep him at the helm of the show for three more seasons. A couple of weeks later, a Marie Claire interview with January Jones

2329-435: A major drinking problem. In the sixties, bad behavior resulting from drinking was often considered macho and even romantic, rather than a result of addiction. One reviewer called the fourth season a "sobering tale of drunken excess" as Don Draper struggled with alcoholism. Ad executive Jerry Della Femina said of the show: [I]f anything, it's underplayed. There was a tremendous amount of drinking. Three-martini lunches were

2466-546: A morning block of shows aimed at younger children (such as OWL/TV , A Bunch of Munsch and The Busy World of Richard Scarry ) during the early and mid-1990s, and a weekday mid-afternoon and Sunday morning film block called "Showtime Familytime" that ran during the 1980s and 1990s. The main Showtime network also carried, unusually for a premium channel, news programming; the now-defunct All News Channel (partially owned by Viacom) produced 90-second long news updates that aired during Showtime's primetime promotional breaks in

2603-529: A multichannel television provider (28.318 million of which receive Showtime's primary channel at a minimum). Showtime was launched on July 1, 1976, on Times-Mirror Cable systems in Escondido , Long Beach , and Palos Verdes, California through the conversion of 10,000 subscribers of the previous Channel One franchise. Exactly a week later Showtime launched on Viacom Cablevision's system in Dublin, California ;

2740-587: A new holding company , Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc., which was majority owned by Viacom (controlling 50% of the venture's common stock as well as investing $ 40 million in cash), with Warner Communications (which owned 31%), and Warner-Amex (which owned the remaining 19% interest) as minority partners. As the consolidation of its operations with The Movie Channel was ongoing, in 1983, Showtime increased its national distribution on cable providers when competing premium service Spotlight ceased operations, effectively absorbing that channel's subscriber base. In 1984

2877-418: A particular movie or program between two geographic locations being three hours at most. Subscribers to the separate premium film service The Movie Channel, which is also owned by Paramount, do not necessarily have to subscribe to the linear Paramount+ with Showtime service in order to receive TMC; both The Movie Channel and co-owned fellow movie service Flix are typically sold together in a package (although in

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3014-480: A pay television licensing agreement for its other releases with Showtime rivals HBO and Cinemax, and Participant ), A24 , and Bleecker Street . Despite being corporately reunited with Paramount Pictures in 2019 as a result of the ViacomCBS merger, that film studio maintains an existing output deal with MGM+ (formerly Epix, which Paramount co-owned with Lionsgate and MGM from its 2009 launch until 2018) until

3151-423: A period of decline. The show follows the people in his personal and professional lives, most notably Peggy Olson ( Elisabeth Moss ), who is introduced as Don's secretary but soon discovers her passion for copywriting. It also focuses heavily on the characters of Pete Campbell ( Vincent Kartheiser ), a young executive at the firm; Betty Draper ( January Jones ), Don's wife; Joan Holloway ( Christina Hendricks ),

3288-420: A service featuring comedy films and series called Showtime Comedy Television; and an all-movie channel called Showtime Film Festival. This planned extension to the multiplex did not come to fruition–although a third multiplex service, Showtime 3, would make its debut in 1996. The multiplex would eventually expand over time with the launch of the action film channel Showtime Extreme on March 10, 1998, followed by

3425-531: A service that provided DVD -style interaction of its entertainment offerings. The following year in 2001, Showtime became one of the first cable networks to launch a high definition simulcast feed (with Star Trek: Insurrection becoming the first film on the network to be broadcast in HD); Showtime also began to provide Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound on select programs. On June 14, 2005, Viacom decided to separate itself into two companies (only five years after

3562-466: A similar attempt by MCA, Gulf+Western, 20th Century Fox , and Columbia Pictures to create a competing pay service, Premiere, in an antitrust case ruling two years earlier in January 1981. On January 7, 1983, Viacom International (adding itself as a partner) drafted an amendment to the proposal to consolidate The Movie Channel with Showtime. Under the revised proposal, the four studios would each own

3699-412: A spokesman for Fillmore Auto, after Fillmore Auto faced a boycott for not hiring black employees. Colby also pointed to an exposé published in a 1963 issue of Ad Age that revealed that "out of over 20,000 employees, the report identified only 25 blacks working in any kind of professional or creative capacity, i.e., nonclerical or custodial." Colby wrote, " Mad Men isn't cowardly for avoiding race. Quite

3836-619: A standalone offering without the requirement of having an existing television subscription to use (in the manner of competitor HBO's OTT offering, HBO Now ). The service, which used the same branding as the linear television channel, was officially launched on July 7, 2015 (coinciding with the season premieres of Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex on July 12). The service was initially available for purchase through Apple Inc. (to Apple TV and iOS devices), Hulu , Roku , PlayStation Vue , and Amazon Prime as well as through Showtime's website (SHO.com). The Showtime streaming service

3973-459: A standalone traditional subscription video on demand service; the channel's programming catalog and livestreams of its primary linear East and West Coast feeds are also available via an ad-free subscription tier of Paramount+ of the same name, which is also sold a la carte through Apple TV Channels , Prime Video Channels , The Roku Channel and YouTube Primetime Channels . (Subscribers of Paramount+'s Prime Video add-on also receive access to

4110-400: A visual style "influenced more by cinema than television." Alan Taylor , a veteran director of The Sopranos , directed the pilot and also helped establish the series's visual tone. To cast an "air of mystery" around Don Draper, Taylor tended to shoot from behind him, or frame him partially obscured. Many scenes set at Sterling Cooper were shot lower-than-eyeline to incorporate the ceilings into

4247-698: A wholly owned subsidiary. Two weeks later on August 26, Viacom acquired Warner Communications and Warner-Amex's combined 50% ownership interest in Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc. as well as full ownership of the Warner-Amex and public shareholder interests in MTV Networks for $ 671.7 million, giving Viacom exclusive ownership of both networks and once again making it the sole owner of Showtime through its $ 500 million cash payment and acquisition of 1.625 million shares from Warner for

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4384-541: Is a high definition simulcast feed of Showtime that broadcasts in the 1080i resolution format . In addition to its main channel, all of Showtime's multiplex channels also broadcast in the format, though availability of all of the HD feeds varies by provider. Showtime HD is available through virtually all providers which carry Showtime, along with Showtime's streaming services. Films shown on Showtime's HD simulcast feeds are broadcast in their domestic aspect ratio if that version

4521-500: Is a key theme in Mad Men , and nobody is ever quite who they appear to be. Each one is filled with thwarted ambitions and frustrated dreams, none more so than Don Draper himself, whose closet, it's gradually revealed over Seasons 1 and 2, is filled with proverbial skeletons." The show presents a workplace culture in which it is frequently assumed that female employees are sexually available for their male bosses, and in which jokes about

4658-546: Is generally included on critics' lists of the greatest television shows of all time. The American Film Institute selected it as one of the top ten television programs in each year it aired: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and was singled out for the "Special Award" in 2015 to honor the show's final season and legacy. It was named the best television show of 2007 by the Television Critics Association and several national publications, including

4795-414: Is part of work, sexual banter isn't yet harassment, and America is free of self-doubt, guilt, and countercultural confusion." The Los Angeles Times said that the show had found "a strange and lovely space between nostalgia and political correctness." The show also received critical praise for its historical accuracy – mainly its depictions of gender and racial bias, sexual dynamics in the workplace, and

4932-537: Is provided by the studios that maintain pay television distribution rights with the channel. Showtime operates a subscription video-on-demand television service called Showtime on Demand , which is available at no additional charge to Showtime subscribers. Showtime on Demand offers feature films, episodes of Showtime's original series, adult programming and sports events. Showtime on Demand's rotating program selection incorporates select new titles that are added each Friday, alongside existing program titles held over from

5069-541: The Chicago Tribune , The New York Times , the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , Time , and TV Guide . The show appeared on multiple year-end "most acclaimed" lists published by critics throughout all of its seasons. According to Metacritic 's aggregate of such lists, it was the most acclaimed show in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, the second most acclaimed in 2012, the fourth most acclaimed in 2013,

5206-542: The Viacom name took Paramount Pictures , the MTV Networks and BET Networks cable divisions, and Famous Music (the latter of which was sold to Sony-ATV Music Publishing (CBS once owned its sister company ) in May 2007). On August 13, 2019, the announcement was made that CBS and Viacom would merge into a new entity known as ViacomCBS (now known as Paramount Global). Viacom CEO Bob Bakish would be president and CEO of

5343-579: The composition of frame , reflecting the photography, graphic design and architecture of the period. Taylor felt that neither steadicam nor handheld camera work would be appropriate to the "visual grammar of that time, and that aesthetic didn't mesh with [their] classic approach"; accordingly, the sets were designed to be practical for dolly work . According to a 2011 Miller Tabak + Company estimate published in Barron's , Lions Gate Entertainment received an estimated $ 2.71 million from AMC for each episode,

5480-492: The pilot of what would later be called Mad Men . Television showrunner David Chase recruited Weiner to work as a writer on his HBO series The Sopranos after reading the pilot script in 2002. "It was lively, and it had something new to say," Chase said. "Here was someone [Weiner] who had written a story about advertising in the 1960s, and was looking at recent American history through that prism." Weiner and his representatives at Industry Entertainment and ICM tried to sell

5617-419: The "After Hours" block, though adult films have been absent from Showtime's primary channel since the mid-2000s; the network began broadcasting a limited amount of original erotica series (such as Beach Heat: Miami ) on its main channel in 2010, after having been removed for most of the previous decade. The network's multiplex channels Showtime 2 and Showtime Extreme also occasionally feature adult films during

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5754-478: The $ 71 to $ 100 million estimated to come from a Netflix streaming video deal announced in April 2011. The opening title sequence features credits superimposed over a graphic animation of a businessman falling from a height, surrounded by skyscrapers with reflections of period advertising posters and billboards, accompanied by a short edit of the instrumental "A Beautiful Mine" by RJD2 . The businessman appears as

5891-466: The 1960s because: [E]very time I would try and find something interesting that I wanted to do, it happened in 1960. It will blow your mind if you look at the year on the almanac . And it's not just the election [of JFK ]. The pill came out in March 1960, that's really what I wanted it to be around.… That's the largest change in the entire world. Seriously, it's just astounding. Especially if you look at

6028-453: The 1960s, including cigarette smoking, drinking, sexism , feminism , adultery , homophobia , antisemitism and racism . Themes of alienation , social mobility and ruthlessness set the tone of the show. MSNBC noted that the series "mostly remains disconnected from the outside world, so the politics and cultural trends of the time are illustrated through people and their lives, not broad, sweeping arguments". According to Weiner, he chose

6165-426: The 1970s about the 1950s, provided a "touchstone for culture" and a way to "remind people that they have a misconception about the past, any past." He also said, " Mad Men would have been some sort of crisp, soapy version of The West Wing if not for The Sopranos ." Peggy's "psychic scar for the entire show, after giving away that baby," Weiner said, is "the kind of thing that would have never occurred to me before I

6302-653: The East Coast feeds of Paramount+ with Showtime's seven multiplex channels.) In addition, the Showtime brand has been licensed for use by a number of channels and platforms worldwide including Showtime Arabia (it has been merged into OSN ) in the Middle East and North Africa , and the now-defunct Showtime Movie Channels in Australia . As of September 2018 , Showtime's programming was available to approximately 28.567 million U.S. households which subscribed to

6439-539: The East and West Coast television feeds of the linear Showtime channel (live streams of Showtime's multiplex services, and sister networks The Movie Channel, The Movie Channel Xtra, and Flix were not available on the service; live streams of Showtime's multiplex channels were available for Amazon Prime users as part of the Showtime add-on subscription). The Showtime streaming service co-existed with Paramount Global's flagship streaming service Paramount+ , and became part of

6576-631: The Sci-Fi Channel (now Syfy ) for the remainder of its run); Dead Like Me ; Californication ; Gigolos ; Nurse Jackie ; The Tudors ; Brotherhood ; Soul Food ; Queer as Folk ; The L Word ; The Big C ; Penn & Teller: Bullshit! ; and United States of Tara . In mid-2017, the channel aired the critically acclaimed third season of David Lynch 's TV series Twin Peaks . From 2007 to 2013, multiplex service Showtime 2 broadcast an original program exclusive to that channel,

6713-519: The Showtime direct-to-consumer service (which was sold directly to streaming-only consumers) with the premium tier of the Paramount+ streaming service; the combined service would be branded as Paramount+ with Showtime , replacing a streaming bundle of the same name that launched in August 2022. The merger commenced on June 27, 2023, with the cable-specific Showtime Anytime TV Everywhere app (which

6850-453: The U.S. President Obama said "Peggy Olson gave him insight into how his strong-willed grandmother dealt with life in a man's world." As the show's time progresses into the 1960s, the show portrays a world of liquor-stocked offices, boozy lunches and alcohol-soaked dinners. One incident in Season 2 finds advertising executive Freddy Rumsen being sent to rehab after urinating on himself. During the fourth season, Don Draper starts to realize he has

6987-542: The ad woman who's cut out of the after-hours wheeling and dealing—gives the characters purpose and shape. In Salon , Nelle Engoron argued that while Mad Men seemed to illuminate gender issues, its male characters got off "scot-free" for their drinking and adultery, while the female characters were often punished. Stephanie Coontz of The Washington Post said that women "portrayed the sexism of that era so unflinchingly, they told me, that they could not bear to watch." Some women interviewed mentioned that they had experienced

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7124-572: The advent of the full-blown culture wars." One reviewer was excited that the fourth season, through Peggy, brought "the introduction to the Counterculture ( Andy Warhol as the King of Pop and Leader of the Band), with all the loud music, joint-passing, underground movies so present in those times. Peggy's visit to a loft, with a Life Magazine photo editor-friend, placed her squarely in the center of

7261-583: The advisory ratings featured in program guides distributed by the major premium cable services—was in response to concerns from parents and advocacy groups about violent content on television, allowing Showtime Networks and other premium services discretionary authority to assign individual ratings corresponding to the objectionable content depicted in specific programs (and categorized based on violence, profanity, sexuality or miscellaneous mature material). A revised system—centered around ten content codes of two to three letters in length—was implemented by Showtime and

7398-656: The agency in talks with the American Cancer Society . In the series's penultimate episode, Betty Draper is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, after having been depicted as a heavy smoker throughout the series. The actors smoke herbal cigarettes , not tobacco cigarettes; Matthew Weiner said in an interview with The New York Times that the reason is that "you don't want actors smoking real cigarettes. They get agitated and nervous. I've been on sets where people throw up, they've smoked so much." Mad Men received widespread critical acclaim throughout its run, and

7535-498: The ages of 18 and 34 years old) and Showtime Women (a channel featuring movies, specials, and Showtime original programs that appeal toward a female audience). The programming format of Showtime 3 was overhauled five months later on July 1, 2001, to focus on theatrical movie releases and Showtime's original made-for-cable films, that under the new name Showcase. Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next and Showtime Women do not have distribution by most pay television providers as extensive as

7672-608: The app utilizes Automated Content Recognition technology to generate interactive content regardless of whether it is being watched live, on-demand or by DVR ; the app also displays heat maps depicting viewer reactions throughout the duration of an episode at the conclusion of the program. The app–which was renamed SHO Sync on September 13, 2012–was originally released for Apple iOS devices (iPad and iPhone), with an app for LG -manufactured Smart TVs being released on August 15, 2013. On July 9, 2015, Showtime announced it would discontinue SHO Sync, immediately discontinuing support of

7809-765: The block. Programs that aired under the Showtime After Hours banner carried either a TV-MA or R rating (usually the former), primarily for strong sexual content and nudity . The block had often been the subject of both scrutiny in the media and a source of humor in popular culture , with references to Showtime's late night programming being featured in various films and television shows. As of 2024 , Showtime–and sister channels The Movie Channel and Flix –maintains exclusive first-run film licensing agreements with Amblin Partners (including releases produced in conjunction with DreamWorks Pictures , which maintains

7946-402: The boundaries of programming without censorship, as well as offer the type of exciting programming that appealed to subscribers), and a bold red-and-black color scheme was instituted, with promotions and bumpers feature surrealistic imagery; the campaign was created by the newly formed in-house marketing and advertising agency, "Red Group". In 2000, Showtime launched "Showtime Interactive 24.7",

8083-620: The case of Flix, this depends on the channel's provider availability), though DirecTV and Dish Network alternately sell TMC through a separate film tier. For unexplained reasons, live feeds of The Movie Channel and Flix have not been included alongside the other Showtime multiplex channels on its proprietary streaming services (including the Paramount+ premium tier) or its add-on tiers that are sold through live-TV streaming providers (such as Hulu , YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream ), restricting their distribution to traditional cable, satellite and telco/ fiber optic television providers. From 1999 to 2005,

8220-495: The case. The Department's decision–citing concerns, including some expressed by HBO management, that combining the assets of Showtime and TMC would stifle competition in the sale of their programming and that of other pay cable services to cable providers–was despite the fact that under the original proposal, MCA, Gulf+Western and Warner had each agreed to continue licensing films released by their respective movie studios to competing pay television networks. The partners involved in

8357-520: The cast was a series of historical stereotypes that failed to do anything except "congratulate the present." In a February 2011 review of the show's first four seasons, critic Daniel Mendelsohn wrote a critical review that called Mad Men a "drama with aspirations to treating social and historical 'issues'—the show is melodramatic rather than dramatic." Historical drama Historical drama can be differentiated from historical fiction , which generally present fictional characters and events against

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8494-479: The channel discontinued producing television films in 2007. Showtime is also one of only two premium cable services (alongside Disney Channel during its existence as a premium channel prior to 1997) that has produced original movies aimed at family audiences; these films were originally broadcast under the separate banner "Showtime Original Pictures for Kids" from 1995 to 1997 and "Showtime Original Pictures for All Ages" from 1997 to 2005. A signature feature of Showtime

8631-489: The channel was originally owned by Viacom . The first program to be broadcast on Showtime was Celebration , a concert special featuring performances by Rod Stewart , Pink Floyd , and ABBA . By the end of its first year on the air, Showtime had 55,000 subscribers nationwide. On March 7, 1978, Showtime became a nationally distributed service when it was uplinked to satellite , becoming a competitor with Time Inc. 's HBO and other pay cable networks. In 1979, Viacom sold

8768-461: The company began a partnership with Walt Disney Productions (now The Walt Disney Company ) to develop a competing premium service, The Disney Channel . Group W left the joint venture in September, due to disagreements over creative control and financial obligations. In 1982 Showtime broadcast its first made-for-cable movie Falcon's Gold and its first original series and children's program Faerie Tale Theatre . In August 1982, MCA Inc. (then

8905-448: The company's acquisition of CBS ), both of which would be controlled by Viacom parent National Amusements , amid stagnation of the company's stock price. When the split was completed on December 31, 2005, the original Viacom was restructured as CBS Corporation and kept Showtime Networks along with the original Viacom's broadcasting assets (which included the CBS television network, UPN and

9042-471: The company's broadcast group, which became CBS Television Stations ), Paramount Television (now the separate arms CBS Studios for network and cable production, and CBS Media Ventures for production of first-run syndicated programs and off-network series distribution), advertising firm Viacom Outdoor (renamed CBS Outdoor ), Simon & Schuster , and Paramount Parks (which was later sold to Cedar Fair, L.P. on June 30, 2006). A new company that assumed

9179-474: The debut of the science fiction channel Showtime Beyond in September 1999; the Showtime Unlimited name for the Showtime multiplex, TMC and Flix came into use around this time. Three additional themed channels made their debut in March 2001: Showtime Family Zone (which carries films intended for family audiences), Showtime Next (a channel featuring films and series that appeal toward adults between

9316-415: The decision to "hubris." Weiner then moved on to Showtime , which also passed. Lacking a suitable network buyer, they tabled sales efforts until years later, when a talent manager on Weiner's team, Ira Liss, pitched the series to AMC Vice President of Development Christina Wayne . The Sopranos was completing its final season, and the cable network was in the market for new series programming. "The network

9453-440: The desirability of one's wife dying are told by husbands in front of their own wives. Most of the main characters have cheated on their wives. Marie Wilson, in an op-ed for The Washington Post , said that: [I]t is difficult and painful to see the ways in which women and men dealt with each other and with power. It's painful because this behavior is not as far back in our past as we would like to think. Our daughters continually get

9590-472: The early 1980s, Showtime has run an adult-oriented late night programming block on its main channel called "Showtime After Hours" (which was briefly branded as "Showtime Late Night" during the mid-1990s) each night after 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time; programs featured within the block include feature films, series produced specifically for broadcast during the block and occasional stand-up comedy specials. Softcore erotica programming has previously aired during

9727-553: The early 1990s (ANC also produced news updates for fellow Viacom network VH1), in part as a response to the first Gulf War . Showtime has become known in recent years for the network's original television programs, the most popular of which include the crime drama Dexter , the dark comedy drama Weeds , family dramas Ray Donovan and Shameless and the drama/thriller series Homeland . Other notable past and present original series include Stargate SG-1 (which ran on Showtime for its first five seasons, before moving to

9864-889: The end of 2025. New films from Paramount Pictures will not be able to air on Showtime until 2026 unless further negotiations are made. Showtime also shows sub-runs – runs of films that have already received broadcast or syndicated television airings – of theatrical films distributed by IFC Films , Sony Pictures (including content from Columbia Pictures , TriStar Pictures , Screen Gems , Revolution Studios and Morgan Creek Productions ), Warner Bros. Pictures (including content from New Line Cinema ), Universal Pictures (including content from subsidiary Focus Features ), Open Road Films , Screen Media , Oscilloscope (select films), Summit Entertainment (for films released prior to 2013), Paramount Pictures (for films released prior to 2020), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (including content from subsidiary United Artists ), Lionsgate (sub-run rights with

10001-591: The entire Showtime content within Paramount+. By December 2022, Paramount CEO Bob Bakish said that it "didn't make sense to run Showtime as a 100% stand-alone organization". On January 30, 2023, Paramount Global confirmed the two services would be fully merged in the near future in the United States, with both the Showtime service and the current Paramount+ Premium tier to be rebranded "Paramount+ with Showtime", echoing similar integrations in other international markets. The "Showtime" brand will remain active as

10138-539: The exciting creativity so rampant in the underground and also so rebellious against the mainstream." The Huffington Post focused on one scene where "Peggy joins her new beatnik friends in the lobby while Pete stays behind with the SCDP partners to relish…his newly captured $ 6 million account. As they embark on their opposite trajectories, the camera lingers on their knowing glances. Here is where we find emotional truth." Critics contend that post-racial beliefs complicate

10275-491: The firm's office manager; Roger Sterling ( John Slattery ), one of Don's partners; and in later seasons, Sally Draper ( Kiernan Shipka ), Don's oldest child. As the series progresses, it depicts the changing moods and social mores of the United States throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. Mad Men received widespread critical acclaim for its writing, acting, directing, visual style and historical authenticity. It won many awards, including 16 Emmys and five Golden Globes . It

10412-415: The first premium television multiplex service in the United States, Showtime followed with the testing of its own secondary service–Showtime 2–on October 1 of that year. In April 1994, Showtime announced the creation of a new themed multiplex service, consisting of five channels: Spanish service Showtime En Espanol; family-oriented Showtime Family Television; action-oriented service Showtime Action Television;

10549-552: The first season. Scott Hornbacher (who later became an executive producer), Todd London , Lisa Albert , Andre Jacquemetton , and Maria Jacquemetton were producers on the first season. Palmer, Albert, Andre Jacquemetton, and Maria Jacquemetton were also writers on the first season. Bridget Bedard , Chris Provenzano , and writer's assistant Robin Veith completed the first-season writing team. Lisa Albert, Andre Jacquemetton and Maria Jacquemetton returned as supervising producers for

10686-481: The former name of its main channel from 1976 to 2024, but still used for certain marketing and channel branding contexts), is an American premium television network and the flagship property of Showtime Networks , a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global . Paramount+ with Showtime's programming includes original television series produced exclusively for

10823-490: The high prevalence of smoking and drinking. The Washington Post agreed with most other reviews in regard to Mad Men 's visual style, but disliked what was referred to as "lethargic" pacing of the storylines. A review of the first season DVD set in the London Review of Books by Mark Greif was much less laudatory. Greif stated that the series was an "unpleasant little entry in the genre of Now We Know Better" as

10960-477: The iPad app with the iPhone and LG apps to be discontinued at a later date. However, the channel hinted that the core interactive functions of SHO Sync may be restored in a different form, with the possibility of being incorporated into Showtime Anytime and the Showtime over-the-top streaming service. On June 3, 2015, then-Showtime parent CBS Corporation announced that it would launch an over-the-top subscription video on demand service that would be distributed as

11097-407: The inconvenience of modernity in a man's world." A Chicago Sun-Times reviewer described the series as an "unsentimental portrayal of complicated 'whole people' who act with the more decent 1960 manners America has lost, while also playing grab-ass and crassly defaming subordinates." The reaction at Entertainment Weekly was similar, noting how in the period in which Mad Men takes place, "play

11234-506: The late-1950s writings of James Kelly, an advertising executive and writer.) The series's main character is charismatic advertising executive Don Draper (played by Jon Hamm ), who is initially the talented creative director at Sterling Cooper. Though erratic and mysterious, he is widely regarded throughout the advertising world as a genius; some of the most famous ad campaigns in history are shown to be his creations. In later seasons, Don struggles as his highly calculated identity falls into

11371-425: The latter two studios are for films released prior to 2015), and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (including content from Pixar , 20th Century Studios , Walt Disney Animation Studios , Walt Disney Pictures , and Marvel Studios ). The window between a film's initial release in theaters and its initial screening on Showtime and sister channels The Movie Channel and Flix is wider than the grace period leading to

11508-570: The latter's 31% stake in Showtime/The Movie Channel and Warner-Amex's 19% interest in the unit and its 60% interest in MTV Networks (Viacom owned Showtime alone or jointly with other companies– TelePrompTer Corporation , and later briefly, its successor Group W Cable–from the time it launched in July 1976). The buyout, part of an option given by Warner in its purchase of American Express' interest in MTV,

11645-453: The linear network and developed for the co-owned Paramount+ streaming service, theatrically released and independent motion pictures , documentaries , and occasional stand-up comedy specials , made-for-TV movies , and softcore adult programming. Headquartered at Paramount Plaza in the northern part of New York City 's Broadway district, Paramount+ with Showtime operates eight 24-hour, linear multiplex channels and formerly

11782-424: The main character, Don Draper, is built on a lie. Just like one of his campaigns, his whole identity is a sweet fabrication, a kind of candy floss spun out of opportunity, innuendo, and straight-up falsehood. The New Republic writer Ruth Franklin said that "The show's method is to take us behind the scenes of the branding of American icons— Lucky Strike cigarettes, Hilton hotels , Life cereal —to show us not how

11919-676: The merger would also set standard prices for films that were acquired for broadcast on The Movie Channel and Showtime, either those produced by the studio partners or by unassociated film studios. To address the Justice Department's concerns over the deal, the four partners submitted a revised proposal for consideration on July 19 which included guarantees of conduct agreeing that Paramount, Universal, and Warner Bros. would not receive higher residual licensing payments for films acquired by Showtime and The Movie Channel than those paid by other studios, and that all four partners would not permit

12056-417: The merger, by allowing other premium services to enter the market should the venture significantly raise licensing fee prices for films–led the Justice Department to drop its challenge to the merger agreement on August 12; the department formally approved the deal the following day on August 13. When the deal was completed on September 6, 1983, the operations of The Movie Channel and Showtime were folded into

12193-602: The messages that power still comes through powerful men. And unfortunately being pretty is still a quality that can get you on the ladder—though it still won't take you to the top. According to the Los Angeles Times : [T]he sexism, in particular, is almost suffocating, and not in the least fun to watch. But it's the force against which the most compelling female characters struggle, and the opposition that defines them. The interaction with everyday misogyny and condescension—the housewife whose shrink reports to her husband,

12330-441: The movies from the 50s. Once it was acceptable to talk about this idea that teenagers were having sex, which they have been doing, obviously, since time immemorial, there were all these movies like Blue Denim and Peyton Place .… [T]he central tension in every movie that does not take place on the battlefield is about a girl getting pregnant. So all of a sudden that entire issue [of pregnancy ] has been removed from society. That

12467-480: The network's first major promotional campaign, "We Make Excitement" (also referred to, particularly in bumpers and program introductions, as "Showtime Excitement") was created by the J. Walter Thompson company and utilizing an adapted version of the Pointer Sisters song " I'm So Excited ". The campaign lasted into 1986 and coincided with both the exclusivity deal signed with Paramount for films (see below) and

12604-657: The new company, while Ianniello would become chairman and CEO of CBS and oversee CBS-branded assets. Shari Redstone would also serve as chairperson of ViacomCBS. On October 29, 2019, National Amusements approved the re-merger deal. It closed on December 4, 2019. As part of the new structure the Showtime Networks unit and its assets—Showtime, The Movie Channel and Flix —became part of the Premium Network Group division of ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks , along with BET and temporarily Pop TV (which

12741-467: The new firm of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (later named Sterling Cooper & Partners) in the Time-Life Building at 1271 Sixth Avenue . According to the pilot episode, the term "Mad men" was coined in the 1950s by advertisers working on Madison Avenue to refer to themselves, "Mad" being short for "Madison". (In reality, the only documented use of the phrase from that time may have been in

12878-402: The norm…while we were still looking at the menu, the third would arrive.… The only thing that saved us was that the clients and agencies that we were going back to drank as much as we did.… Bottles in desk drawers were not the exception but the rule. The Los Angeles Times opined that Mad Men excels at "stories of characters fighting to achieve personal liberation in the restless years before

13015-402: The opposite. It's brave for being honest about Madison Avenue's cowardice." Cigarette smoking , more common in the United States of the 1960s than it is now, is featured throughout the series; many characters can be seen smoking several times over the course of an episode. In the pilot, representatives of Lucky Strike cigarettes come to Sterling Cooper looking for a new advertising campaign in

13152-504: The other Showtime multiplex channels. The availability of either of the three channels on cable providers varies depending on the market; Dish Network only carries Showtime Family Zone, and DirecTV carries Showtime Next and Showtime Family Zone, but not Showtime Women. Depending on the service provider, Paramount+ with Showtime provides up to sixteen multiplex channels –eight 24-hour multiplex channels, all of which are simulcast in both standard definition and high definition –as well as

13289-428: The other participating premium services on June 10, 1994. In 1997, the channel's first major rebrand since the 1980s was introduced, with a new logo emphasizing the "SHO" part of the network's name within a circle (intended to be a spotlight), playing into the channel's common acronym in listings services like TV Guide . A new slogan, "No Limits" (in reference to the fact that as a premium channel, Showtime could push

13426-440: The overnight hours, though this has become less commonplace since late 2011. Until the formation of Showtime Family Zone in 2001, Showtime heavily incorporated programming (both American and foreign) aimed at children and teenagers as part of its daytime schedule; in particular, the main channel ran a late afternoon block of teen-oriented series on Sundays (such as Ready or Not , Chris Cross and Degrassi High ), as well as

13563-677: The owner of Universal Pictures ), Gulf+Western (then the owner of Paramount Pictures ) and Warner Communications agreed to acquire The Movie Channel (TMC). The three companies combined acquired a controlling 75% interest in the service (with each holding a 25% ownership stake) from Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment. The deal was spurred by the studios wanting to increase their share of revenue for licensing rights to their films to premium television services, as well as concerns that HBO's dominance of that market and its pre-buying of pay cable rights to films prior to their theatrical release would result in that service holding undue negotiating power for

13700-695: The package encompassing Showtime and its sister networks was marketed as "Showtime Unlimited"; the broader tier sometimes included the Sundance Channel (now SundanceTV ) during this period, by way of the stake Showtime Networks held in the network from its 1996 inception until Sundance's 2008 purchase by Rainbow Media (now AMC Networks). SHO×BET now focuses on programming aimed at African American audiences and incorporating original scripted content targeted at that demographic from Showtime and BET's respective libraries, in addition to BET+ programming to drive viewers to that streaming service. Showtime HD

13837-523: The pay cable marketplace, creating an oligopoly with HBO (which in conjunction with Cinemax controlled 60% of the market). After a four-month investigation resulted in the Department of Justice filing a civil antitrust lawsuit against the five parties to block the Showtime-TMC merger on June 10, 1983, the Department asked Warner and American Express to restructure the deal during hearings for

13974-418: The pilot script to HBO, which expressed an interest, but insisted that David Chase be executive producer. Chase declined, despite his enthusiasm for Weiner's writing and the pilot script. HBO CEO Richard Plepler later became a fan of the show and congratulated AMC on their success with it. In 2017 he named passing on Mad Men as his biggest regret from his time at HBO, calling it "inexcusable" and attributing

14111-414: The previous one to two weeks. The service began to be test marketed in 2001 and was officially launched in July 2002. On October 27, 2010, Showtime launched Showtime Anytime , a website that featured around 400 hours of streaming program content available in standard or high definition that was accessible to subscribers of the Showtime television service with TV Everywhere login. Content available on

14248-442: The products themselves were created, but how their 'very sexy…very magical' images were dreamed up." She went on to say that, "In this way, we are all Don Drapers, obsessed with selling an image rather than tending to what lies underneath. Draper's fatal flaw is his lack of psychological awareness: He is at once perfectly tuned into the desires of America and entirely out of touch with his own character." One reviewer said that "Identity

14385-466: The realm of feature-length fare, including the Adrian Lyne -directed 1997 remake of Lolita . On March 1, 1994, Showtime and The Movie Channel in conjunction with rivals HBO and Cinemax implemented a cooperative content advisory system to provide to parents specific information about pay-cable programming content that may be unsuitable for their children; the development of the system—inspired by

14522-612: The relevant time period or contain factually accurate representations of the time period. Works that focus on accurately portraying specific historical events or persons are instead known as docudrama , such as The Report . Where a person's life is central to the story, such a work is known as biographical drama , with notable examples being films such as Alexander , Frida , House of Saddam , Lincoln , Lust for Life , Raging Bull , Stalin , and Oppenheimer . Showtime (TV network) Showtime , also known as Paramount+ with Showtime (with "Showtime" being

14659-485: The same "numbness of Betty Draper" and witnessed the "sense of male entitlement similar to Don's." Aviva Dove-Viebahn wrote that " Mad Men straddles the line between a nuanced portrayal of how sexism and patriarchal entitlement shape lives, careers and social interactions in the 1960s and a glorified rendering of the 'fast-paced, chauvinistic world of 1960s advertising and all that comes with it.'" Melissa Witkowski, writing for The Guardian , argued that Peggy's ascendancy

14796-404: The scenes featuring smoking, Weiner said: "Doing this show without smoking would've been a joke. It would've been sanitary and it would've been phony." Each episode had a budget between US$ 2–2.5 million; the pilot episode's budget was over $ 3 million. Weiner collaborated with cinematographer Phil Abraham and production designers Robert Shaw (who worked on the pilot only) and Dan Bishop to develop

14933-533: The seasonal late night reality series Big Brother After Dark , a companion to sister broadcast network CBS ' American adaptation of Big Brother ; the program moved to TVGN (which has since been renamed Pop ) starting with the June 26, 2013, premiere of Big Brother ' s 15th season . Showtime formerly produced its own original made-for-cable movies , originally branded as "Showtime Original Movies" until 1994 and "Showtime Original Pictures" thereafter until

15070-447: The second season. Veith also returned and was promoted to staff writer. Hornbacher replaced Palmer as co-executive producer for the second season. Consulting producers David Isaacs , Marti Noxon , Rick Cleveland , and Jane Anderson joined the crew for the second season. Weiner, Albert, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Veith, Noxon, Cleveland, and Anderson were all writers for the second season. New writer's assistant Kater Gordon

15207-410: The series groundbreaking for "luxuriating in the not-so-distant past." Regarding season 3, Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe wrote "it's an absolutely gorgeous, amber-tinted vision of the early 1960s" and added "detailed with enough 1950s-era accoutrements to seem authentically Camelot." The San Francisco Chronicle called Mad Men "stylized, visually arresting…an adult drama of introspection and

15344-422: The series, Matthew Weiner was the showrunner , head writer , and an executive producer; he contributed to each episode through writing or co-writing the scripts, casting various roles, and approving costume and set designs. He was notorious for being selective about all aspects of the series, and maintained a high level of secrecy about production details. Tom Palmer served as a co-executive producer and writer on

15481-790: The series. Matthew Weiner directed each of the season finales. Cast members John Slattery , Jared Harris and Jon Hamm also directed episodes. As of the third season, seven of the nine writers for the show were women, in contrast to Writers Guild of America 2006 statistics that showed male writers outnumbered female writers by 2 to 1. As Maria Jacquemetton noted: We have a predominately [ sic ] female writing staff—women from their early 20s to their 50s—and plenty of female department heads and directors. [Show creator] Matt Weiner and [executive producer] Scott Hornbacher hire people they believe in, based on their talent and their experience. "Can you capture this world? Can you bring great storytelling?" Mad Men depicts parts of American society of

15618-427: The service included Showtime original programming, feature films, comedy specials, documentaries and sports programming. It was available nationally to Showtime subscribers of satellite provider AT&T DirecTV , and regionally by Comcast Xfinity; Spectrum ; Optimum; Cox Communications; CenturyLink Prism ; Grande Communications ; Mediacom ; AT&T U-verse ; and Verizon FIOS . The Showtime Anytime app (which

15755-750: The service's daily schedule, varying in quantity depending on channel—and original series targeted at adult audiences (including, as of June 2020 , dramas like Shameless , Homeland , Yellowjackets , Billions , The Chi , The L Word: Generation Q , and Penny Dreadful: City of Angels ; comedies such as Black Monday , Our Cartoon President and Kidding ; and docuseries including The Circus and Vice ). In addition, Showtime has documentary films, boxing matches, sports-centric magazine series, occasional original stand-up comedy specials, and short-form behind-the-scenes specials centered mainly on theatrical films (either running in their initial theatrical or Showtime Networks broadcast window). Since

15892-444: The seventh most acclaimed in 2014, and the second most acclaimed in 2015. On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the first season scored 77/100; the second season scored 88/100; the third season scored 87/100; the fourth season scored 92/100; the fifth season scored 89/100; the sixth season scored 88/100; the seventh season, part one scored 85/100; and the seventh season, part two scored 83/100. A New York Times reviewer called

16029-493: The show by only visualizing people of color at work and rarely in their homes or from their point of view. Several writers have argued that the show distorts history by not showing black admen, noting real-life successful African American advertising executives who got their start in the 1960s such as Clarence Holte, Georg Olden , and Caroline Robinson Jones. Latoya Peterson, writing in Slate magazine 's Double X, argued that Mad Men

16166-414: The show's leitmotiv , calling Don Draper "a man who's been living a lie for a long time. He's built to be a loner. And over the course of three seasons we've watched him carry this existential angst through a fairy-tale life of his own creation." As noted by Gawker : Not only is the agency of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce in the business of spinning them—or at least warping the truth—to sell product, but

16303-448: The television rights, resulting in a lower than suitable licensing fee rate the studios would be paid for individual films. The three companies announced an agreement in to acquire interests in TMC on November 11, 1982. In late December of the same year, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a routine preliminary inquiry into the proposed partnership. The Department of Justice had blocked

16440-508: The two channels in the venture to pay lower fees for films produced by three studio partners than those paid by smaller pay television services for the same films. After the revised proposal was rejected on July 28, Warner Communications and American Express restructured the purchase to include only Viacom as a partner, bowing Gulf+Western and MCA out from the partnership. The changes – which Justice Department officials acknowledged would "prevent any anti-competitive effect from arising" following

16577-524: The wake of a Reader's Digest report that smoking will lead to illnesses, including lung cancer. Talk of smoking being harmful to health and physical appearance is usually dismissed or ignored. In the fourth season, after Lucky Strike fires Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce as its ad agency, Draper writes an advertisement in The New York Times titled "Why I'm Quitting Tobacco", which announces SCDP's refusal to take tobacco accounts. The finale finds

16714-421: Was a late-night block known as Showtime After Hours , which featured softcore pornographic films and original series. Showtime did not have set start or end times for the block, as they varied depending on the mainstream feature films–and original series on certain nights–that aired prior to and following it, and also depended on the number of programs and programs in particular that were scheduled to air within

16851-475: Was also the first basic cable series to receive the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series , winning it each year of its first four seasons (2008–2011). It is widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time and as part of the early 21st century Golden Age of Television . In 2000, while working as a staff writer for Becker , Matthew Weiner wrote the first draft as a spec script for

16988-465: Was exercised in part to finance much of the buyout of Showtime/The Movie Channel without borrowing any money (ironically, Warner Communications would eventually acquire rivals HBO and Cinemax , when the company merged with Time Inc. in 1990 to form Time Warner , which is now known as Warner Bros. Discovery ). The subsidiary was renamed Showtime Networks, Inc. in 1988. Also in 1988, the company formed Showtime Event Television (now Showtime PPV) as

17125-487: Was glossing over racial issues. Slate writer Tanner Colby praised the show's treatment of race and Madison Avenue as historically accurate, especially the storyline in the third season episode "The Fog" in which Pete Campbell's idea to market certain products specifically towards African-Americans is struck down by the company. Slate also referred to the fourth season episode, "The Beautiful Girls", in which Don shoots down Peggy Olson's suggestion of Harry Belafonte as

17262-555: Was identical to Showtime Anytime; it offered a back catalog of episodes of various past and present Showtime original series (with new episodes of Showtime original series being made available for streaming the same day as their original broadcast on the main linear Showtime channel), feature films and documentaries, and sports events and analysis programs. Subscriptions were also available over Amazon Prime (Amazon Channels), Hulu, The Roku Channel, and Apple TV (Apple TV Channels) as add-ons. Unlike HBO Now, Showtime also provided live streams of

17399-631: Was joined by new consulting producer Frank Pierson . Dahvi Waller joined the crew as a co-producer. Weiner, Albert, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Veith, Noxon, and Waller were all writers for the third season. New writer's assistant Erin Levy , executive story editor Cathryn Humphris , script co-ordinator Brett Johnson and freelance writer Andrew Colville completed the third season writing staff. Alan Taylor , Phil Abraham , Jennifer Getzinger , Lesli Linka Glatter , Tim Hunter , Andrew Bernstein , and Michael Uppendahl were regular directors for

17536-520: Was looking for distinction in launching its first original series," according to AMC Networks president Ed Carroll, "and we took a bet that quality would win out over formulaic mass appeal." Weiner cited Alfred Hitchcock as a major influence on the series' visual style, especially the film North by Northwest . He was also influenced by director Wong Kar-wai in the music, mise en scène , and editorial style. Weiner noted in an interview that M*A*S*H and Happy Days , two television shows produced in

17673-447: Was marred because the show "strongly implies that no woman had ever been a copywriter at Sterling Cooper prior to Peggy, but the circumstances of her promotion imply that this was merely because no woman had ever happened to have shown talent in front of a man before," pointing out that Peggy's career path bore little resemblance to the stories of successful ad women of the time such as Mary Wells Lawrence and Jean Wade Rindlaub . In 2013,

17810-621: Was offered as a free download) was initially released on the iOS App Store for the iPad and iPhone on October 3, 2011. On October 1, 2012, an Android app became available through the Google Play platform for Android devices. In September 2017, it was discovered that the Showtime Anytime website was injected with code that mined the cryptocurrency Monero using the viewer's CPU, which would potentially cause degraded performance for other websites and applications. The code

17947-457: Was offered to subscribers of the linear Showtime television service) ceasing operations on December 14, and the standalone Showtime app being discontinued on April 30, 2024; the primary Showtime channel was rebranded as Paramount+ with Showtime on January 8, 2024, although the former name remains in use as a standalone brand for its multiplex channels and for marketing of the network's original programs. In 1991, after HBO and Cinemax debuted

18084-442: Was on The Sopranos ." Tim Hunter , the director of a half-dozen episodes from the show's first two seasons, called Mad Men a "very well-run show." He said: They have a lot of production meetings during pre-production. The day the script comes in we all meet for a first page turn, and Matt starts telling us how he envisions it. Then there's a "tone" meeting a few days later where Matt tells us how he envisions it. And then there's

18221-524: Was published, noting the limits to that financial success when it comes to the actors: "We don't get paid very much on the show and that's well-documented. On the other hand, when you do television, you have a steady paycheck each week, so that's nice." Miller Tabak analyst David Joyce wrote that sales from home video and iTunes could amount to $ 100 million during the show's expected seven-year run, with international syndication sales bringing in an additional estimated $ 700,000 per episode. That does not include

18358-426: Was removed as soon as it was discovered. The Anytime app and website viewing were shut down in December 2023. On September 22, 2011, Showtime launched Showtime Social , a second screen interactive app providing interactivity with Showtime programs including viewer-participant polls and trivia questions as well as real-time aggregation of Twitter , Facebook and blog comments about particular Showtime programs;

18495-418: Was the season's other writer. Isaacs, Cleveland, and Anderson left the crew at the end of the second season. Albert remained a supervising producer for the third season but Andre Jacquemetton and Maria Jacquemetton became consulting producers. Hornbacher was promoted again, this time to executive producer. Veith returned as a story editor and Gordon became a staff writer. Noxon remained a consulting producer and

18632-451: Was transferred to the Youth & Entertainment Group division the following month, later named MTV Entertainment Group), to be overseen by SNI CEO David Nevins . ViacomCBS renamed itself as Paramount Global on February 16, 2022; the company's domestic networks division became Paramount Media Networks on the same day. On January 30, 2023, Paramount Global announced plans to fully integrate

18769-463: Was what I was interested in in 1960. Television commentators have noted the series's study of identity . This theme is explored most candidly through Don Draper's identity fraud during and after the Korean War , in which he takes on the name of an officer, whom he had accidentally killed, to desert the army and enter a more prestigious and successful lifestyle. Tim Goodman considers identity to be

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