Mad Men's 10th Anniversary - Read the Pilot

by ScreenCraft on July 25, 2017

A decade ago last week, Matthew Weiner’s hugely influential Mad Men aired for the first time on AMC. Ten years and seven award-winning seasons later, and the show's impact on the modern TV landscape is hard to overstate, matched only by iconic heavy-hitters like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad and The Wire.

The show, which depicts the 1960’s advertising industry as seen through the eyes of enigmatic ‘ad-man’ Donald Draper, is routinely cited for its in-depth, multi-seasonal character arcs, and complex, literary themes. And upon re-watching the show now that all is said and done, it becomes clear just how surprisingly novelistic its overlying structure is.

It’s this bridge between “film” and “the novel” that makes the sort of serialized television of peak TV so appealing to writers. Unlike most movies, great television has the ability to take its time in a way that simply isn’t feasible for a 120 page screenplay. It’s why shows like Mad Men are full of tangents, detours, and side characters, all in service of a richer, more literary canvas.

So, in honor of the show’s tenth anniversary, and its contributions to TV writing as a whole, let’s take a look at the script for Mad Men’s essential first chapter: the pilot. Check it out below! And don't forget to submit your pilot to the ScreenCraft Pilot Launch 2017 TV Script Contest by September 13th!