Why "Mad Men" makes my friend sad

A friend of mine has been watching the show Mad Men recently and he has found that the show makes him sad. The show does not make him sad because it is a bad show, in fact he really likes the show. No, it makes him sad because of the era in which the show takes place.

Mad Men takes place in the sixties. In the sixties, people were less concerned with people breaking into their homes or stealing their cars. But most importantly, at least to my friend, smoking was a social norm. If you watch Mad Men, you will see almost all of the major characters smoking. In addition to that, all of the smokers are smoking in their offices, their homes, restaurants, etc. These days it is nearly impossible to find a public place where smoking is allowed outside of a designated smoking area that is located a decent distance from where you're working or sitting. Also, more and more movies and TV shows are not allowing their characters to be shown smoking because it is believed that it sends the wrong message to their viewers (Mad Men escapes this because it is a period drama on a cable network).

While I don't smoke, my friend does and he smokes almost as heavily as the characters on the show. So for him, watching Mad Men makes him nostalgic for a time that he may not have lived in, but wishes that he had and that makes him sad.

Review: Running Wilde Pilot

When I first heard about Running Wilde, I had high hopes for the show. The creator, Mitchell Hurwitz, is someone whose previous sitcom work I have enjoyed and the show was going to be starring one of my favorite comedic actors so I thought that it would a well put together and smart show. Well, the pilot met my expectations and more.

Running Wilde centers around Steven Wilde (played by Will Arnett), an incredibly rich man who only does things for personal gain. As the pilot begins, Steven is preparing to receive a humanitarian of the year award. The only catch is that he is giving the award to himself just so that he can have an award. Meanwhile, Steven is also trying to reconnect with the first, and it seems like only, woman he ever loved.

The woman in question is Emmy (played by Keri Russell), a real humanitarian, who, when we first see her, is trying to stop Steven's family from drilling for oil in a rainforest. When she receives an invitation to Steven's award ceremony she decides to take her daughter, Puddle, with her to the ceremony and see if Steven has actually changed into a caring human being since the last time that she had seen him. Instead, typical comedic hijinks ensue (although in this case it is not really a bad thing).

Both Arnett and Russell really delivered in this pilot. The role of Steven really plays to Arnett's strengths. He acts both spoiled and egotistical which he perfected on the (sadly) canceled Arrested Development. While, I am not all that familiar with Russell's work, I thought that she was excellently cast in the role of Emmy. While her character is not as crazy as Arnett's, she is very believable in the role of a woman out to change a ridiculously spoiled man.

The supporting cast is also great. My personal favorite is Steven's neighbor Fa'ad (played by Peter Serafinowicz), who is constantly one upping Steven, much to Steven's annoyance.

Anyway, I thought Running Wilde did not suffer from being a pilot. This probably in large part due to the fact that it is a half hour sitcom instead of an hour long show. So if you are in the mood for a new sitcom that is at times smart, in addition to being funny, check out Running Wilde every Tuesday on Fox at 9:30.