Mad Men: Every Season Ranked

As much a character study of Don Draper as it is television’s answer to the Great American Novel, Mad Men not once loses its quality over the course of seven seasons. While some seasons are of course better than others, Mad Men manages to make each distinct enough where there’s something each season does better than the rest. 

At the same time, there’s something to be said for how Mad Men’s narrative progresses. Such a character driven story, it can be argued that Mad Men only improves the more the audience gets to know the main cast. And while this is true to an extent, the earlier seasons still have immense value. The closest TV has come to emulating the Great American Novel, Mad Men’s seven seasons are television excellence from top to bottom. 

7 Season 2

Season 2 has something of an awkward start (Don’s little speech to Peggy isn’t nearly as empowering as everyone thinks and Bobbie Barrett is Don’s worst love interest by a country mile,) but back half is some of the best content in Mad Men. Between Don losing control of his affairs, Betty finally gaining agency, and Duck trying to stage an internal coup at Sterling Cooper, & season 2 outright surpasses season 1 in some regards. 

But only some. When it comes down to it, season 2 is missing some polish and both Don & Peggy (the series’ two main characters) are paired with fairly dull characters for most of the plot– Don with the aforementioned Bobbie, and Peggy with Father Gill. If nothing else, Pete has some of his finest development in season 2. 

6 Season 1 

Even though season 1 ultimately doesn’t compare to what Mad Men becomes, it’s still an incredible freshman season. Season 1 has the benefit of the smallest scope in the series, focusing almost exclusively on Don Draper (with brief flashes to the supporting cast.) More than any other season, S1 is a deep examination of who Don Draper– rather, Dick Whitman– really is. 

Peggy’s arc also parallels Don’s incredibly well, showing her coming into an identity she’s crafting for her in contrast to the one Don appropriated. While the tone is a bit more “60s period piece,” lacking the nuances later seasons would have, season 1 has an old Hollywood charm that’s simply missing from the rest of the series. 

5 Season 3

The term “Camelot Era” is used to refer to John F. Kennedy’s presidency, with his assassination resulting in an era of considerable change for the United States. Season 3 sets itself exactly in this era, framing its story through the era. Mad Men uses its third season as a means to break down everything the characters have come to know. 

Sterling Cooper faces dissolution (with a number of characters exiting the show this season) and Don finds his marriage at the final breaking point, with both he and Betty actively cheating on each other. Season 3 divided Mad Men into “before” & “after,” and while not necessarily the best, it’s arguably the show’s most important. 

4 Season 6

Season 6 is Mad Men at its strangest and most surreal. Most of the season feels like a fever dream, paralleling just how far gone Don is in the wake of: giving up on his marriage with Megan and dealing with his passive role in Lane’s suicide. It’s no coincidence season 6 spends so much time dissecting who Dick Whitman was– it’s all in tandem with Don Draper unraveling. 

All the attention given to Don’s Madonna Complex can be uncomfortable, but it’s an important detail in understanding who he is. Similarly, the experimental nature of most episodes (see: The Crash) can be off putting after 5 seasons of general normalcy (save the odd hallucination or two,) but season 6 is nothing if not stylish. 

3 Season 7

Mad Men’s final season was split in two for syndication, resulting in season 7 juggling two very distinct halves. 7A marks the beginning of the end for Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce and sees a slight redemption arc for Don as he tries to make up for his failings in season 6. It’s an intimately personal story, and the last time the series feels like “classic Mad Men.” 

7B pushes this even further by throwing Don out of his comfort zone, putting him on the receiving end of the way he treats women (see Don & the Waitress,) and ultimately forces him to recognize he’s not Dick Whitman anymore and he’s been Don Draper long enough to embrace it. Focus is a bit scattershot as everyone in the main cast gets a fleshed out sendoff, but that’s not a luxury every show can afford. 

2 Season 5

Like season 3, season 5 of Mad Men is a transitional period, albeit on a much smaller scale (essentially serving as the first domino that ultimately leads Don to where he is at the start of season 7.) Don’s marriage to Megan quickly begins spiraling, and while he spends all season keeping his vices in check, Don allows himself to emotionally disconnect from Megan by the end.

Season 5 also places a surprising amount of focus on Lane, who’s arguably the season’s standout character. Lane’s arc is one of Mad Men’s darkest, holding nothing back when it comes to commenting on Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce’s work culture. Lane’s suicide warps Don for the rest of the series. 

1 Season 4

The leap in quality from season 3 to 4 is almost staggering, and while Mad Men never loses the shine that season 4 gave it, the series never quite matches it either (though season 5 comes incredibly close.) Following his divorce to Betty and the creation of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, Don finds himself at odds– his career is at a high, but his personal life is the worst it’s ever been.

Like season 1, season 4 is very Don heavy (even pushing Betty out as a main character.) It’s all in the benefit of the show, though, and makes for what’s arguably the greatest of television ever made. From Don picking himself up, re-evaluating his priorities, and actually confronting his demons in a mature manner, season 4 is Mad Men at its very best. 

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