Mad Men's Premiere: The First Retcons Explained

Mad Men’s Premiere Made The Show’s First 2 Retcons Necessary

By John Orquiola Published 8 minutes ago John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 4,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Mad Men came out of the gate fully-formed, but a pair of significant retcons were implemented after its pilot episode. Created by Matthew Weiner, the Emmy-winning Mad Men became the signature series of AMC from 2007-2015. Mad Men is now streaming in 4K on HBO Max.

Mad Men begins in 1959 and centers on the magnetic ad men of the Madison Avenue agency Sterling Cooper. Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is Sterling Cooper's handsome and enigmatic Creative Director. Positioning himself as Don's foil and scheming to rise up the ladder is the ambitious and unscrupulous Peter Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser).

Nearly all of Mad Men's main characters are introduced in its series premiere, including Roger Sterling (John Slattery), Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks), Betty Draper (January Jones), and Peggy Olson (Elizabeth Moss), who marks her first day at Sterling Cooper as Don Draper's secretary.

Pete Campbell’s Wife In Mad Men’s Series Premiere Led To A Trudy Campbell Retcon

Mad Men's series premiere, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," happens on the day of Pete Campbell's bachelor party. Pete's first appearance sees him on the phone to his fiancée, Trudy. Pete then picks up the framed photo of Trudy on his desk, and it's not the woman who would eventually be cast as Mrs. Campbell.

After Pete returns from his honeymoon in Niagra Falls, Trudy Campbell debuts in the flesh in Mad Men season 1, episode 4, "New Amsterdam." Trudy was now played by Alison Brie, who would play Pete's wife for the rest of Mad Men.

The switch from a placeholder photo to Alison Brie is Mad Men's first retcon.

The switch from a placeholder photo to Alison Brie is Mad Men's first retcon. In the same Mad Men episode where Brie debuted, a photo of Alison as Trudy even replaced the previous Trudy on Pete's desk.

Alison Brie was excellent casting, as the charismatic and versatile actor split her time between her recurring Mad Men role and starring in Community as the bright and winsome Annie Edison.

Trudy was dedicated to her marriage to Pete despite his insecurity and promiscuity. After their daughter Tammy was born, Trudy kicked Pete out of their home when she learned of his affair with their neighbor. However, Trudy and Pete reunited and moved to Kansas for his new job at Lear Jet when Mad Men ends.

Don Draper's Daughter Was Recast After Mad Men's Series Premiere

Mad Men's series premiere ends with the twist that Don Draper is married and has two young children living in Upstate New York. After Don greets his wife, Betty, he visits his kids in their bedroom, where his daughter, Sally, and son, Bobby, are sleeping.

However, Sally was played by the daughter of director Alan Taylor, who helmed Mad Men's pilot episode. Mad Men's pilot was filmed in 2006, and a year would go by before AMC ordered Mad Men season 1, which necessitated Sally Draper be recast.

Kiernan Shipka's casting as Sally Draper was Mad Men's second significant retcon. Sally became a major character in Mad Men, with Shipka embodying Sally as a confused melting pot of the best and worst aspects of her parents, especially as Sally grew into a despondent teenager.

Mad Men's near flawless series premiere that builds an irresistible foundation for what would become one of the finest prestige TV shows of the 21st century.

Still, Mad Men had to adjust when it became an ongoing series, and both retcons were brilliant decisions that enhanced executive producer Matthew Weiner's creation.

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Mad Men

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-14 Drama Release Date 2007 - 2015-00-00 Network AMC Showrunner Matthew Weiner Directors Michael Uppendahl, Jennifer Getzinger, Scott Hornbacher, Matthew Weiner, Lesli Linka Glatter, Tim Hunter, John Slattery, Alan Taylor, Andrew Bernstein, Jon Hamm, Barbet Schroeder, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Ed Bianchi, Jared Harris, Matt Shakman, Lynn Shelton Writers Jonathan Igla, Robin Veith, Carly Wray, Kater Gordon, Bridget Bedard, Cathryn Humphris, Chris Provenzano, Brett Johnson, Rick Cleveland, Tracy McMillan, Andrew Colville, David Iserson

Cast

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Jon Hamm Don Draper
Elisabeth Moss Peggy Olson

Genres Drama Creator(s) Matthew Weiner Powered by

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Mad Men

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