My wife and I got into a “fight” last night over Mad Men in regard to why it has not pulled in a larger share of the 18-49 demographic. Mad Men (at least for the current generation of television viewers absorbed by reality television and crime scene dramas) is about our parents and a point in American history that smells “old”. Even Bobby and Sally Draper come across as old. As the history student in the family, I have a deep fascination with the period from its darker angles; political murder, racial tension, and living with Ivan and the bomb. Mad Men has not reached that moment in time yet (although the show did move past the Bay of Pigs as if it never happend with the exception of a brief mention of the bomb by Pete Campbell), and I'm sure that Matt Weiner will focus on it at the end of this season. My wife contends that the 18-30 viewer doesn't care anymore about Kennedy (although it will be interesting to see how the election in November with its historical implications factors in), civil rights, and Vietnam and as a result finds the entire period to be a bore. No internet. No cell phones. No Starbucks. Just our parents misbehaving. Is it the subject matter that no longer interests the audience or is the audience today just fixated on a story that provides instant gratification?

Pleased to stir the pot and offer my thoughts as a viewer and fan of Mad Men. I've been a fan since the very first show and it frustrates me that the show has taken it on the chin and that AMC can't get its act together.