If you’re a fan of Mad Men, then you already know how complex and hypnotic Matthew Weiner’s ambitious depiction of privileged New York life in the ’60s can be. Now, with the show’s seven-year reign over auteur television finally coming to an end, Google Play has partnered with Lionsgate to deliver a gorgeous multimedia overview of the show and its complicated and inspiring run.
The platform is also offering viewers a chance to stream the first episode of the series for free.
Called “The Mad Man Experience,” the new website is brimming with special features and highlights from each season of the show, including exclusive interviews with Weiner, excerpts from the musical soundtrack, storyboards, and much more.
Screengrab via Mad Men/WithGoogle
Here’s Weiner, in an exclusive video, describing the way Jon Hamm delivered the first ep’s famous monologue, in which Don Draper pitches a room full of skeptical Lucky Strike executives on a slogan (“It’s toasted”) using a brilliant mix of creativity and sentiment:
“He did it well in the auditions, but there was just a moment in here—and luckily, we were filming—when the whole character clicked in… There was no selling going on—this was about a man revealing himself.”
The website design uses an interactive choose-your-own-adventure approach that lets you travel through the show chronologically, by timeline, or by exploring various overarching themes like identity and ambition. You can also just take a tour of the show’s famous soundtrack—yes, including “Zou Bisou Bisou”—or examine the platform’s exclusive content.
Mad Men/WithGoogle
It’s worth noting that this is the first time Google Play has ever partnered with a series for an interactive website like this. Though there are some notable omissions in the overview—the infamous lawnmower episode, for example—there’s more than enough evidence on display to make a case for Mad Men as one of the greatest series to arise from the much-touted “golden age” of television.
The Mad Men Experience is part of an upcoming panel and webcast celebrating the series, which will be held at the Television Academy on May 17 featuring the cast and crew. Even if you’re not a fan of Mad Men, from a design standpoint, the exhibit is still worth checking out.
And if you are a fan, this is the perfect supplemental send-off for one of the best shows on TV.
H/T TheNextWeb | Screengrab via MadMen/WithGoogle
