Talk:Mad Men

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A discussion is taking place to address the redirect SCDP. The discussion will occur at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2021 September 8#SCDP until a consensus is reached, and readers of this page are welcome to contribute to the discussion. ✗plicit 03:55, 8 September 2021 (UTC)[reply]

This section isn't at all about the cast (other than parenthetically stating their names). It's about the characters—and boy, is it ever. These character "bios" exceed anything I've seen in other series articles. (That said, more flamboyant examples may very well exist—by definition, there's no limit on overwriting [LOL].)
Can someone tell me what useful purpose these über-extended character "bios" is supposed to serve? They'd mean little to people who haven't seen the show; and to those who have, they'd be redundant. Frankly, they seem like something for a fan forum, where endless discussion is not only appropriate, but encouraged—not an encyclopedia.
I like MM as much as anyone, and can understand people's enthusiasm for it. But in this reference context, could enthusiasm have obscured the principles of functionality? Seems like. – AndyFielding (talk) 02:57, 10 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed, WP:MOSTV clearly states:"Try to avoid using the section as a repository for further "in-universe" information that belongs in the plot summary" for cast and characters sections. Those mini-bios have season-by-season details and even character arc conclusions, things which are much more fit to be included in List of Mad Men characters or the character-specific articles, which every major character has. They even link to specific major episodes to point out plot points. Two places to put the long-winded details, yet they make this article harder to navigate.

Looking at The Sopranos or The Wire, their cast and characters section is prose-like, which is fine, but note that they merely describe the personality of characters and the relationships they hold to other characters. Specifically in The Wire, where new characters are introduced every season, the characters section is much more digestible than in this article. The sections of those articles do not hold fine details.

The cast and characters section should provide the reader an overview of the personalities, motives, and overall development of the characters, but not list out detailed development for a person who is reading the article to learn about the show. Fuser55 (talk) 04:37, 5 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I believe this article can be improved by summarize sections of this article and reducing overall length per guidelines set under

current prose length is 13,120 words per https://xtools.wmcloud.org/articleinfo/en.wikipedia.org/mad%20men Pdubs.94 (talk) 00:14, 6 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The problem is the cast section which is way too long, as every character has a large paragraph description, when realistically it should just be a short description (a few sentences). Especially since List of Mad Men characters exists, which allows for longer character summaries. I'm in the midst of a Mad Men rewatch, so I'll try and pare that section down, which is long overdue anyway. Drovethrughosts (talk) 00:19, 6 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

this is where i identified an easy opportunity to trim as well, and wasn't even aware of the list article. thanks in advance Pdubs.94 (talk) 01:24, 6 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Pdubs.94:  Done Drovethrughosts (talk) 19:26, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

(1.) Why is that section called "Identity and memory"? Identify, certainly, but memory? I've read the section a few times and don't get how that term applies to it.
(2.) In the Cast section, the Sal Romano character entry describes his repressed sexuality, superficial marriage, and how he was fired after being falsely accused of making advances on another man (who hid his own orientation)—such common and believable aspects of life as a gay man at that time. Yet "Themes and motifs" > Gender and sexuality" says nothing about this entire theme. What if the character description were more general, so the thematic events could be moved to a sub-subsection of their own? (I haven't presumed to do so.)
– AndyFielding (talk) 10:49, 25 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The redirect Mad Men (TV series has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2024 February 11 § Mad Men (TV series until a consensus is reached. Utopes _{(talk / cont)} 04:28, 11 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]