Not being a guy who watches much TV — I tend to watch shows after they’re canceled, on DVD — I was very pleased when I started watching “Mad Men” (which hasn’t been canceled yet, but with me watching it it’s only a matter of time) and saw 
“Joan Holloway.” And pleased for reasons other than the obvious.
This was the only time I had ever seen her other than her two appearances on the tragically short-lived “Firefly,” as “Our Mrs. Reynolds” — a.k.a. Saffron, a.k.a. Bridget, a.k.a. Yolanda — and “Trash.”
So my reaction on seeing her in the current series was to think, “Where’s she been?” Turns out she was on TV all the time.
Her specialty is playing a “bad girl” with a certain amount of wit. For instance, she’s the only actress I can think of offhand who can pull off a line like “But I’m really hot!” (spoken to Capt. Mal Reynolds) in a way that makes you laugh and agree with her at the same time (and yell at the TV, “Look out, Mal!”). Anyway, I’m glad to see she’s working…
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It’s “Mad Men”–two words. Like Ad Men, except they work on Madison Avenue and are possibly insane.
Probably the best show on TV, since The Wire is over.
It’s pretty good. In terms of production values, it’s right up there with “The Sopranos.” But not as enjoyable. Why? No sympathetic characters.
As horrible as Tony Soprano was, you at least cared what happened to him.
On Mad Men, even the characters you might feel a bit sorry for — such as Don Draper’s wife — fail to give you emotional hooks to hang onto. For instance, take Mrs. Draper’s sessions with her therapist. The guy never says anything, and the sessions therefore have a sort of sterility.
By contrast, the initial episodes of “The Sopranos” are largely built around this rich human interaction between Tony and Dr. Melfi, so that you care about what happens to both of them. And Carmela is far, FAR more engaging as the long-suffering wife.
I’ve got to have sympathetic characters — even on shows about homicidal thugs — to fully engage.
“Nurse Jackie” — start watching it.