Mad Men was a loved show among fans and one aspect that drew them to the series was the near-accurate portrayal of the ’60s. The Jon Hamm series not only covered the small details of the time but also often delved into the politics of the period. During the sixth season portraying the year 1968, creator Matthew Weiner made sure to include many references from the country’s political history.
When asked about the historical references in Mad Men Season 6, Weiner shared that he wanted to address these issues primarily because of the political landscape of the country during the time of the airing of the series. The political events of 1968 are accurately reflected in the series, where the characters struggle to adjust to the changing office dynamics.
Matthew Weiner of Mad Men opened up about portraying America of the 1960s in the series
Mad Men got some of the 1960s pretty accurately on-screen and received widespread appreciation for it. For a sense of how accurate the show was, one Reddit user shared that their father, who was an ad exec during the time, found it hard to watch the show. The reason was that it felt too close to reality and all the trauma from the stress of the business would come back to him.
Matthew Weiner didn’t shy away from bringing some real-world politics into his show from the ’60s. The assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy and the rise of counterculture made it into the sixth season of the show, which took place in 1968. It was the year when masses, mostly students, protested across the world against military states and bureaucracies.
These movements were characterized by the rise of left-wing politics, anti-war sentiment, civil rights movements, and counterculture. Weiner was able to subtly include many of these themes into the show and portrayed how characters struggled to adjust to these changes. Weiner had so much ground to cover in terms of political history in the sixth season.
When he was asked about it during an interview with Time Magazine, he shared that he wanted to address the events of the time. He shared that he felt like telling this story because of the political “vibe” in the country during the time of airing the series. Weiner shared:
I didn’t have to address it. I wanted to address it. There was plenty of history every year in the ’60s. It is as they say ‘a turbulent time.’ Some years I was into it and some years I wasn’t. But 1968, because of the vibe in our country last year, I was like ‘I’m going to tell this story.’
Mad Men Season 6 had so much of this story intertwined into the tale of the advertising executives of Sterling Cooper Draper & Pryce. Weiner did extensive research on the year and the events that made an impact on people’s lives.
How did Matthew Weiner bring the events into the series?
Matthew Weiner couldn’t just ignore that the world was undergoing a significant change at the time that made an impact on people’s lives. He shared, “1968, as I researched it, I realized I cannot pretend like this is not going to have an impact on people’s lives.”
He talked about the major events of the year, “Martin Luther King is killed and that’s so shameful but it could be the thing that galvanizes the movement. And then you see Bobby Kennedy is killed.” The assassination of Martin Luther King made it into episode five of the sixth season, titled The Flood.
In the episode, the office shuts down because regular TV programming is replaced with news reports of the assassination and resulting riots. There are some tense moments in the aftermath of the tragedy as Pete calls Harry a racist for being concerned about losing money over the tragic death.
RFK’s assassination also makes it into the show, with a distraught Megan watching it on the news. Weiner further touched upon the events at the Democratic convention, sharing, “Finally to the Democratic convention where, on U.S. soil, we see a protest that looks like it’s happening in the third world.” The tenth episode of the season was set against the backdrop of this convention and the ensuing confrontations.
Weiner received appreciation for how he brought the past into the show. Jace Lacob of the Daily Beast wrote in his review about the sixth season, “Weiner is both archeologist and astronaut, and Season 6 of Mad Men is no exception, a beautifully realized and dazzling re-creation of our collective past and a glimpse of the infinite and unknowable.”
Mad Men is now available for streaming on AMC+.
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