Mad Men: 10 Spinoffs Fans Would Love To See

The glamorous world of 1960s advertising may have drawn audiences to Mad Men, but what really made them stay was the characters. The aloof Don Draper was the epitome of the complicated antihero of Peak TV, while female characters Peggy, Joan, and Betty stood out as they contended with the sexism of the era, both in the workplace and at home.

While most spinoffs aren’t nearly as good as their parent series, Mad Men had such rich storylines, any successors could be the exception. If nothing else, a spinoff would give fans the chance to catch up with a few of their favorite characters, and there are several options.

10 Joan’s Agency

After seven seasons of Joan waging lowkey war on the sexism in her office, she decided they didn’t deserve her talents anymore and walked away. Joan began Mad Men looking for a husband and even though she ended with a rich boyfriend who adored her, she decided she didn’t want to be a kept woman and instead created her own production company.

Many series finales see a character’s journey wrapping up, but Joan’s was just beginning, making hers an obvious choice for a spinoff. Don Draper himself, Jon Hamm, even told Buzzfeed he’d watch a Joan series.

9 The Characters… Today

A big selling point for the show was that it was a 1960s period piece. It allowed Mad Men viewers to revel in the lavish, cocktail-swilling world of Manhattan’s advertising elite while also exposing a warts-and-all depiction of the decade’s ugliness. If the characters were still alive in 2021 (for context, Don would be about 95), what would they think of today’s society? And what would society think of them?

It would be fascinating to see a spinoff through the eyes of the show’s youngest characters. What if Peggy and Pete’s baby tried to find their birth parents? Or Kevin Harris learned that Roger was his father? Maybe Eugene Draper could discover secrets about his father’s dramatic past. The three characters — now in their fifties and sixties — could all meet each other.

8 Roger And Marie In Paris

Given his hard-living lifestyle, it’s unlikely Roger Sterling would make it to a spinoff set in the present day. But what about catching up with him where he left the series? Despite being an over-privileged womanizer, there was a certain charm to Roger due to his boyish excitement about life’s adventures. But he met his match in Megan’s mother, bonne vivante Marie Calvet. The show ended with the two of them married and honeymooning in Paris.

What if the newlyweds had such a grand old time in Paris that they decided to stay? A bedroom farce comedy centered around Roger and Marie’s sexual misadventures could be a hoot. Just imagine Megan coming for a visit, mouth agape at her mother and new stepfather’s antics.

7 Betty’s Modelling Past

Unlike the other female characters, Betty’s future was grim at the end of Mad Men. A heavy smoker throughout most of her life, Betty was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in the show’s final season. The finale saw her preparing for the inevitable and passing the reins as woman of the house over to Sally.

But once upon a time, Betty’s life was full of excitement. Before she married Don and packed up for the suburbs in Mad Men, Betty was a successful model. One episode saw her running into a former roommate from her modeling days, and it certainly made viewers curious about Mrs. Draper’s past. A prequel spinoff about Betty and her roommates modeling in Manhattan could have a vintage, ’50s Sex and the City vibe.

6 The Counterculture

Many of Mad Men‘s main characters were privileged men who liked the world just the way it was. But since the show took place in the ’60s, a pivotal decade in American culture, hippie counterculture and the civil rights movement were explored.

Instead of having the counterculture in the background and the ad world in the foreground, this spinoff could flip the two. The main characters could be about junior copywriters at the ad firm and their friends who have eschewed the 9-to-5 lifestyle.

5 A Day In The Life Of Don’s Exes

Don had dalliances with his fair share of women, most of whom were far too good for him. After the affair was over, most of these characters were never heard from again — which is a tragedy because they were so great. Whether it be pioneering department store magnate Rachel Menken or whip-smart strategist Faye Miller, these women deserved far more screen time.

What about an anthology miniseries with each episode centered on one of Don’s exes? While some like artist Midge faced great hardships, surely others are thriving. Thanks to Don, they know what not to look for in a man — and that would be fun to see.

4 Megan In Hollywood

One of Don’s exes, Megan, was really put through the wringer in her marriage. Don really thought that he was a changed man because of Megan, but he couldn’t alter his destructive ways. Though she wasn’t as outwardly fierce a character as, say, Joan, Megan still had the courage to go after what she wanted, which was a career as an actress in L.A.

Though an NYC-based show, California played a special role in Mad Men. It would be intriguing to see a West-coast set spinoff with similar themes as seen through Megan’s eyes. The series could show Hollywood in the ’70s as Megan tries to make it big in the movies and encounters setbacks and the ever-present sexism and toxicity in the industry. Maybe she and Joan could even team up.

3 Sally Comes Of Age

Sally Draper was a big fan-favorite character, as viewers got to see her grow up right before their eyes. The sassy little girl may have spent most of Mad Men as the anti-Betty, but the end saw Sally canceling a trip to Madrid and essentially assuming her mother’s role in the house after Betty’s cancer diagnosis.

This is a heartbreaking fate for the brave girl who questioned everything around her and took big risks. Of course, she loves her brothers and wants to be there for them, but how fantastic would it be to see a spinoff where Sally spreads her wings? At the very least, audiences want to see her go to Spain.

2 Pete Meets Kansas

A jerk with a silver spoon, Pete Campbell was perhaps Mad Men‘s most unlikeable character. But perhaps he more than any other man realized that his selfish ways had consequences. After he and Trudy separated, Pete realized he actually missed his simple, domestic life. When a job opportunity in Kansas offered a fresh start, Pete begged Trudy to give things another shot. She accepted, and the finale saw the couple and daughter Tammy boarding a plane on the way to their new life.

A lot of Mad Men viewers were turned off by Pete’s privilege and the way he abused it. But what if his new life in Kansas saw him as a fish out of water? What if instead of being celebrated for his East-coast high society ways, he was mocked for them? Pete already seemed to be on the journey to becoming a better person; maybe he could continue that in Wichita.

1 Literally Anything Don And Peggy

The relationship between Don and Peggy was the beating heart of Mad Men. Yes, he treated her terribly, but Peggy rose above it, and by the end of the series, she was a far cry from the timid secretary who first walked into Sterling Cooper. These two were so close that when Don’s world was unraveling before his eyes, he called Peggy because she was such a grounding presence in his life.

Any continuation of these characters’ stories would be pure fan service. Her ending was definitive and triumphant; his was ambiguous. It worked. But who doesn’t miss these two together? Perhaps their spinoff could be a miniseries of them reuniting for drinks or sharing more phone calls if Don decides to stay in California. These characters have chemistry in spades, and surely audiences want more.

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