‘Mad Men’ Season 7 Premiere Rating Fails; Don Draper Still Brilliant, But Lonely?
"Mad Men" season 7 premiere rating was a huge letdown as last Sunday's episode only generated 2.3 milion viewers against the 3.37 million debut last year. The seventh season premier, however, still brings back the old Don Draper, brilliant yet totally alone.
According to Nielsen, the debut figures are even lower compared to the June sixth season finale last year which generated 2.69 million viewership.
The numbers showed that last Sunday's premiere averaged 0.8 rating compared to the average of 0.9 rating for the 12 episodes last year in adults 18-49 demographic.
But Nielsen noted that the series "is the most upscale-skewing show on ad-supported television in adults 18-49" and this didn't change a bit for the "Mad Men" season 7 premiere.
However, Variety said while the series " has never been a ratings juggernaut," the "Mad Men" season 7 premiere's ratings were even down compared to its standards.
The series seemed to have reached its ratings apex on the season 5 premiere in March 2012, which generated 3.54 million viewership.
Meanwhile, the "Mad Men" season 7 premiere showed audience the old Don Draper, still brilliant and still very much troubled.
Ashley Fetters, associate editor of Entertainment Channel, said that while Don Draper still wants to be the best in the advertising business but he finds himself at a crossroads: his wife is now trying to become an actress in Los Angeles while he's in New York and could't even land a stable job.
She wrote in a roundtable discussion for the Atlantic that Don Draper in "Mad Men" season 7 premiere feels like the same man in season 1, except when before the credit rolls. In "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," Don Draper still had a young wife and kids, which means he "spends his days lying to and fooling other people."
Last Sunday's "Time Zones" ended with Don Draper alone and miserable and this time, "it looks more like he spends most of the day consciously fooling himself," Fetters wrote.