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Announcements Mar 19, 2026 at 1:26 AM

“Mad Men” has the greatest ensemble I’ve witnessed on television.

Posted by BradBrady

Obviously this is an opinion post I had the pleasure of watching mad men for the first time in my life and finished the last episode today which is a day before my 30th birthday. I feel bittersweet and empty. I was fully invested in this show I want to say that every single character in this show, whether they are a minor character or a major character, is absolutely stellar The acting, the characters, the dialogue, the music, etc is simply top notch. The show is an absolute masterpiece and if you actually just remove the plot of the show, you’ll find that just watching the characters interact with each other to be enough. I don’t remember the last time I was so delighted to watch every single episode knowing how good the actors are with each other and the characters they just build every single episode Bravo to the whole team. Bravo to the writers for creating such flawed and fun characters that you just love every second of I’m gonna miss this show so much. I’m taking a break from watching a TV series because the show was so heavy and poetic. I hope to do a rewatch in the future because this show absolutely deserves it.
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HomersApe Mar 19, 2026 +35
And one of the best parts of the cast is how your opinion of them shifts over time. In the beginning, you don't like Pete because he goes after Don. In the end, he's one of the most loyal people to Don. Perhaps the most likeable. Harry Crane is the inverse. Starts as a guy you like, and by the end, it's hard not to abhor him. The same can be said for multiple of the other characters. Who they are in the beginning and your opinion of them, most likely, will not be the same near the end.
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horsenbuggy Mar 19, 2026 +27
I just can't ever call Pete likeable, though I know why you said it.
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Chataboutgames Mar 19, 2026 +12
I think Pete, more than likable, becomes sympathetic. He stands out as someone who's actually trying to build something. Cooper has already made it and is like a professor with tenure. Don is so obscenely talented that he just does whatever the f*** he feels like and people throw money and opportunity and sex at him. Roger was born with a silver spoon and largely just coasts on what was handed to him. Pete's actually trying to hustle, and that becomes more and more apparent with time. "And then you walk away from me, and then you take a nap."
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horsenbuggy Mar 19, 2026 +1
I see that in business. But I have a really hard time with the Alexis Bledel storyline. And the student driver story. He's such a creep.
1
MrPotatoButt Mar 20, 2026 +1
What, you don't think [](#s "knocking up ") Peggy [](#s "while cheating on his wife") didn't scream "creep"? Or [](#s "raping the au pair in his building")? Or [](#s "pimping out Joan to the national Jaguar dealership owner")? If anything, I feel more sympathetic for Pete, even though he's cheating on his wife with another man's wife, because not just he became love sick, but Pete could even feel compassion for the character's depressive situation. I'm vaguely amused at how life gets shittier for Pete, and I have a little bit of compassion when he realizes he was fed a boatful of lies by society's conventional wisdom of the time period, but he's never really a better person, even when in California. I kind of begrudge his choice to remake his life in the midwest, because I don't believe people really change.
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horsenbuggy Mar 21, 2026 +1
No, I don't think Peggy was a creep. I do think Betty was a creep with Glen.
1
MrPotatoButt Mar 21, 2026 +1
I didn't say Peggy was a creep. (I guess hidden text blocking doesn't show on smartphones.)
1
mas1108 Mar 19, 2026 +6
A thing like that
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Chataboutgames Mar 19, 2026 +8
I mean, in the beginning you don't like Pete because even in a world of rampant sexism he stands out as an aggressive pig.
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Lower_Pass_6053 Mar 19, 2026 +7
Joan as well. Such a b**** the first season, then becomes incredibly likable and relatable.
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MrPotatoButt Mar 20, 2026 +1
You also didn't live in the time period. People were much more attune at "maintaining" their social position. Joan was a b**** because she had to "work" her attractiveness into a queen bee social pecking order, in order to stay employed in the office. When she's the HR "boss", she's "management", and she's there to address "problems" the higher ups don't want to be bothered with. Because she came from the secretarial pool, she doesn't want to lose her job to the next "up & comer", especially in that sexist, patriarchical society, where a senior enough "man" can get her fired on arbitrary whim, the way a newb 22 year old secretary can become the wife of a senior partner.
1
Kayyam Mar 19, 2026 +158
Mad Men is highly rewatchable I find and ages like fine wine. Just wait enough years. Watching those early seasons with the full knowledge of the characters is delicious. It's my comfort show.
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Kayyam Mar 19, 2026 +62
The show is also surprisingly quotable! One my favorites : "I can use my expense account if I say they are whores." — Pete Campbell
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Dorf_ Mar 19, 2026 +56
I told him to be himself. That was pretty mean of me I guess - Roger
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MrPotatoButt Mar 20, 2026 +2
Sterling's most striking feature was his rapier wit. That's not even his best line.
2
Lower_Pass_6053 Mar 19, 2026 +16
I've been trying to fit in something along the lines of "I saw the sunset this morning" and hoping someone would ask "how was it?" So i could respond with "average"
16
double_shadow Mar 19, 2026 +3
I swear half of all the quotable lines are Pete...what an amazing character/performance.
3
uraniummusic Mar 19, 2026 +33
On my 4th rewatch now and I’m still discovering nuggets of foreshadowing. Incredible character arcs. My holy trinity is The Sopranos, Mad Men, and The Wire. While I continue to watch new shows, I always have one of those three in rotation. Honorable mention to Halt And Catch Fire, it’s like the feminine touch that Mad Men needed.
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Ironhorse75 Mar 19, 2026 +7
Halt impressed me because it switched the formula every season but was able to maintain it's consistent level of quality.
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GimmeSomeSlack Mar 19, 2026 +9
Halt and Catch Fire is some of the best character growth in a TV show ever. The fact that I loved and cared about Joe so much by the end is a testament to the writing and the unbelievable talent that is Lee Pace.
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MrPotatoButt Mar 20, 2026 +1
I also loved Joe's character arc in the end. He spent his entire tech career trying to catch lightning in a bottle, always edged out by someone bigger than him, and after Comet concluded, [](#s "he just knew that was going to be the last opportunity as a startup guy to mold the future. So then he moved on to mold future minds at a private academy; the environment where he came from").
1
ElectricalDark8280 Mar 19, 2026 +1
I watch it when I go to sleep. I dream of cigs and whiskey every night.
1
mutual_raid Mar 19, 2026 +1
It's in my all time Top 5 and, as you say, is highly rewatachable like the Sopranos, which I've also watched numerous times. Compare this to other goated shows like Breaking Bad, which I still think is one of the greatest of all time, but I could not bring myself to watch again.
1
odkfn Mar 19, 2026 +1
Luckily when you set a show in the past time period it should age well as it’s true to its time
1
xamott Mar 19, 2026 +12
I agree with every word. And I miss Don Draper. Nothing else scratches that itch. I watched Friends and Neighbors just to have a sad grasp at some Draper energy.
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Overall-Bullfrog5433 Mar 19, 2026 +3
He was excellent in this but so damn tired of him in commercials. Carmax and something or other else.
3
GobsBeadsAndBeesShop Mar 19, 2026 +21
Mad Men is in rarified air in terms of a stellar cast, almost all of them went on to higher highs. I'd say The Wire is right up there. Also incredible ensemble, although underrated, is Skins.
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AdRoKa Mar 19, 2026 +17
Deadwood is like that. Everyone is acting their butts off.
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aktivate74 Mar 20, 2026 +2
Deadwood was just soooooooooo good. Feel sad again now.
2
Palmerstroll Mar 19, 2026 +13
Also the sets and costumes are top tier!
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longjumpingtote Mar 19, 2026 +17
It was! Other examples: Freaks and Geeks Taxi The Wire The D*** van Dyke Show Parks and Rec Band of Brothers The Mary Tyler Moore Show
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notches123 Mar 19, 2026 +18
Arrested Development.
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apprentice_talbot Mar 19, 2026 +12
The West Wing
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Thwipped Mar 19, 2026 +5
Star Trek TNG MASH Hill Street Blues Golden Girls ER Living Single
5
Uranus_Hz Mar 19, 2026 +4
Firefly
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MrPotatoButt Mar 21, 2026 +1
I think what pisses me off was that it was sooo good, it should have been easily renewed. Instead, the FOX executives at the time were so retarded, that when they didn't instantly see gold eggs being shat out, they killed the golden goose. And after those FOX executives got destroyed for missing such an easy hit, their replacements eventually gave Joss more carte blanche, but Dollhouse was just way more difficult to make relatable to a general audience, even though the casting was pretty good (but not as good as Firefly).
1
NilsofWindhelm Mar 19, 2026 +3
Succession
3
southernfirefly13 Mar 19, 2026 +1
Schitts Creek
1
Putrid_Loquat_4357 Mar 19, 2026
The ensemble in the first 4 seasons of game of thrones is hard to beat imo.
0
Chickenshit_outfit Mar 19, 2026 +4
Started watching over Christmas holidays and 4 episodes in Season 3 and loving it. Trying not to binge it and do couple episodes a week. Put off watching as always thought it wouldnt be my cup of tea but every episode so far is a banger, so many great characters like you say
4
BradBrady Mar 19, 2026 +5
Take your time with it cause you’re gonna miss it so much when it’s over. Embrace and soak in every episode
5
Dorf_ Mar 19, 2026 +4
I’m going through it again because I never did watch the last season. So good. I hate everyone at times and love them at other times. Don Draper is an all time S-tier tv character
4
BradBrady Mar 19, 2026 +9
Mad men has probably one of the best series finales I’ve ever watched. It was a perfect conclusion to the story Jon Hamm is unreal as Don Draper, crazy he only won 1 Emmy for it. Bryan Cranston made it tough but Hamm deserved a couple more
9
mutual_raid Mar 19, 2026 +3
tbf Mad Men was coming out during the PEAK of the Golden Age of Television (2004-2014 roughly) and had fierce competition back when the Emmys were arguably more culturally relevant than the Oscars (which were having some trouble due to a number of factors)
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Lower_Pass_6053 Mar 19, 2026 +1
Least he got one. Martin Sheen never got one because of gandolfini and James Spader most years... but then Michael Chiklis once as well as Kiefer Sutherland once... Absolutely robbed.
1
MrPotatoButt Mar 21, 2026 +2
> Don Draper is an all time S-tier tv character Jon Hamm was an S-tier casting for that role. I really have a problem imagining another actor that could have waltzed into that role at that time period. Part of it required his look, but really, looks alone could not deliver the deft acting.
2
benjaminovich Mar 19, 2026 +1
Exact same boat. They did that mid-season break in the last season and by that point the balloon had just deflated for me so I never ended up finishing the last half season. I
1
Lemesplain Mar 19, 2026 +12
Check out West Wing if you haven’t seen it.  Similar ensemble vibes. Every character is extremely well written with wonderful interplay amongst them. 
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Latke1 Mar 19, 2026 +3
Mad Men and West Wing. My two favorite shows. Witty, poignant office dramas that are very excitement for office dramas.
3
VicMackeyLKN Mar 19, 2026 +3
Just started since hbo added it, in season 2, show is great
3
horsenbuggy Mar 19, 2026 +1
Oooooh. I've been annoyed that it was behind an AMC pay wall. Good to know I can watch it. Daaaaang. I know what I'll be binging tomorrow.
1
callahan09 Mar 19, 2026 +3
Great show and it is a great cast, but The Wire immediately came to mind when I read the post title.  It’s pretty much a no contest “best ensemble” in TV history for me.
3
Ironyfree_annie Mar 19, 2026 +3
Alison Brie as Trudy is one of my most favourite guest roles. Every scene with her is so great in some way
3
BradBrady Mar 19, 2026 +2
I love me some Trudy! She was so great
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tequilasauer Mar 19, 2026 +5
It’s my top drama ever and Peggy Olson is my favorite arc for any character ever. Amazing show.
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BradBrady Mar 19, 2026 +9
Elizabeth moss not winning an Emmy is baffling. I read that only Hamm won once out of any actor which is baffling to me I loved Peter’s arc the most honestly January Jones was arguably the best actor/actress in the whole series as Betty Draper. Such a tragic character
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intecknicolour Mar 19, 2026 +1
jon only won once because breaking bad and cranston were on at the exact same time and were the awards darlings.
1
rjwalsh94 Mar 19, 2026 +1
It’s kind of surprising though in retrospect. Granted television is different and they did the same nonsense to Better Call Saul having it lose either to GoT or Succession, but that Emmy voters wouldn’t think Mad Men was as great as it was. If Mad Men were a movie, let’s say, it’d reap Oscars, so I’m not sure where it disconnected compared to Breaking Bad. I love both shows, and probably Breaking Bad more, but that doesn’t mean that Mad Men should have been snubbed as much as it was.
1
MrPotatoButt Mar 21, 2026 +1
> because breaking bad and cranston were on at the exact same time and were the awards darlings. No, they weren't. Mad Men had to create the momentum that Breaking Bad eventually took advantage of. Part of the reason why Jon won so few emmys was because his character was so less likeable than a "pathetic" school teacher turned part time drug dealer to survive cancer.
1
horsenbuggy Mar 19, 2026
TBH, Peggy is the main character. Don only thinks he is.
0
MrPotatoButt Mar 21, 2026 +1
Nah. Don got way more air time and story arcs. Feminists are just trying to rewrite history by narrating performance perception. Either them, or Scientologists.
1
theangryfurlong Mar 19, 2026 +5
Best show of all time IMO
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IMO2021 Mar 19, 2026 +2
Other great shows: Halt & Catch Fire, Six Feet Under, The Durrells in Corfu, Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Suits
2
MrPotatoButt Mar 21, 2026 +1
You should be ashamed trying to associate Suits with those other shows.
1
camarcuson Mar 19, 2026 +2
Can't watch the Carousel pitch without crying.
2
doobiedave Mar 19, 2026 +2
One of the producers had to be persuaded about casting Jon Hamm as she thought he wasn't s***.
2
MrPotatoButt Mar 21, 2026 +1
Hollywood is one fucked up industry...
1
hiker5878 Mar 19, 2026 +2
I have watched several shows on Netflix, Hulu, HBO etc... but none of them have I found more enjoyable than Mad Men as a re watch. I mean, I have knocked out the entire show at least 10 times.(for all Seasons) I liked Breaking Bad, but trying to re watch it never came close to the first time I watched it. Mad Men is the complete opposite for me. I am now 59 years old and fantasize about the characters stopping by my office and asking me if I want to go out for drinks? Is that weird, maybe I belong talking to Dr. Arnold Wayne? Lol...
2
WilfredNord Mar 19, 2026 +2
A thing like that…
2
KualaLJ Mar 19, 2026 +4
You’ve clearly never watch The Love Boat
4
rax_Tempus Mar 19, 2026 +3
Deadwood. Not knocking Mad Men at all, but Deadwood has the single greatest cast ever.
3
MrPotatoButt Mar 21, 2026 +1
I don't think the support castings matched Mad Men. Hell, who on Deadwood matched Jared Harris's performance arc?
1
Cobra52 Mar 19, 2026 +2
One of the best of all time. Given the background of the show there likely wont be something of its quality made for a very long time (if ever). Ive rewatched it 3 times now, and it hits just as hard as the first time I watched it. Other shows have higher highs (Sopranos, Breaking Bad, GoT) but none are as consistently high quality as Madmen. 
2
rjwalsh94 Mar 19, 2026 +1
Usually I can’t think of any Mad Men episodes I dislike when rewatching. Well, actually Duck and Chauncey. That episode is hard to watch but that doesn’t mean it’s not good.
1
rysker6 Mar 19, 2026 +2
You’ve obviously never seen WKRP in Cincinnati
2
MrPotatoButt Mar 21, 2026 +2
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!!!"
2
ilovebeetrootalot Mar 19, 2026 +2
My dream is to live in an appartment like Don's in the later seasons. One of my favorite shows. The plot doesn't even matter most of the time, it just looks and sounds amazing. The actors, the music, the outfits, the sets. It's all 10/10. As an European, it is also really interesting to see the historical moments play out in tbe background!
2
[deleted] Mar 19, 2026 +2
[deleted]
2
Kayyam Mar 19, 2026 +2
It's just not for you.
2
Brythephotoguy Mar 19, 2026 +1
I had the same experience when I first watched it - I got thru one episode and thought meh, it's not for me. Then someone gave us the DVD set of season 1 and we decided to keep an open mind and give it another shot. We were all in by episode 3. It may not be your thing, but the writing and character development are among the best in television IMO.
1
Historical_Theme_989 Mar 19, 2026 +1
I still to watch this show sounds good
1
vadergeek Mar 19, 2026 +1
I've been rewatching it recently and I keep thinking "I wonder if the execs ever pushed to trim the cast down". When you see Pete, Harry, Sal, Ken, and Paul all barge into Don's office you have to wonder how expensive it is to have this many characters.
1
MrPotatoButt Mar 21, 2026 +1
Sal, Ken, and Paul didn't get paid. They barely had any story arcs.
1
vadergeek Mar 21, 2026 +1
Recurring actors with speaking roles cost money whether or not they have arcs.
1
MrPotatoButt Mar 21, 2026 +1
I'm pretty sure they were paid scale. Almost everyone in that cast was there for the resume polishing or scene stealing opportunity; only the leads made money.
1
horsenbuggy Mar 19, 2026 +1
So, I agree that this show is a masterpiece. What's weird to me is that I don't really connect with Jon Hamm in anything else. I watch his other shows, but he hasn't risen to the other roles the way he did with Don. If you want a show that has a smaller cast that is every bit as fantastic, go watch Halt & Catch Fire.
1
BradBrady Mar 19, 2026 +2
Yeah I mean I think that’s pretty normal for actors who have an iconic role. He will never top Don Draper I do like “your friends and neighbors” though. He’s great in that and the show is fun lol
2
horsenbuggy Mar 19, 2026 +1
Yeah, I'm watching it. This is definitely the best role he's gotten since Mad Men.
1
rodelomm Mar 19, 2026 +6
Hamm is so good in the fifth season of Fargo. Basically just an unrelenting piece of shit the whole way through. I highly recommend it, but it does get pretty dark. Domestic violence is a strong running theme throughout the whole season.
6
TriscuitCracker Mar 19, 2026 +1
It is indeed one of the greats, as it were.
1
PanzerottiNinja Mar 19, 2026 +1
Arrested Development
1
GaryNOVA Mar 19, 2026 +1
r/Cheers is my favorite. But I loved Madmen.
1
LosIngobernable Mar 19, 2026 +1
Gonna do my first rewatch some time in the year.
1
Lee_Wilton_Manors Mar 19, 2026 +1
Have you seen Six Feet Under? For me that’s the ensemble show I liked the best.
1
iatemyredcrayon Mar 19, 2026 +1
The ultimate characters before plot show. Phenomenal television
1
CharacterWear1036 Mar 20, 2026 +1
Yeah man it’s got Cole Phelps and Annie Edison in it. How can you not love it
1
TheMurderCapitalist Mar 19, 2026 +1
I'm watching it for the first time right now and loving it. So many great actors with great chemistry. That said, I think there are a lot of strong ensembles on television (Lost, Community, The Office, Brooklyn 99, Parks and Rec)
1
RuneofBeginning Mar 19, 2026 +1
It’s on HBO Max right now, so if you get the chance to watch it, watch the whole thing. One of the few shows I’ve purchased all the blu ray of, but given the way of streaming that number will increase. Incredible show, and supposedly it’s very accurate in regards to realism. I remember showing my grandfather one of the episodes before he passed and while he said that he never had the lifestyle of the characters, their “attitudes” and way they talk are realistic. Joan and Peggy are written so, so well.
1
No_Development3496 Mar 19, 2026
That title is to Boardwalk Empire
0
um_yeahok Mar 19, 2026
Band of Brothers Parks and rec.
0
Cyrano_Knows Mar 19, 2026
No Ian McShane or John Noble or Gary Oldman or John Hurt or... but very very good I agree.
0
MrPotatoButt Mar 21, 2026 +1
Greatest ensemble. The closest cast show to match Madmen would be Deadwood, but it was a much smaller cast, and I didn't think the lead w**** was as strong as castings in other show. Didn't think Parnell Whitaker really carried his role either.
1
Scottywin Mar 19, 2026
I started watching it and kinda petered out and forgot about it about halfway through season 1. Is it a bit of a slow burn early on or is it more likely not up my alley?
0
rjwalsh94 Mar 19, 2026 +2
The whole show is really a slow burn. Things have payoffs, but they’re not exactly big events. They’re just days in their lives and it moves on to build to the next. Early on I feel like if you frame the show around the events of the 60’s, I found myself always waiting to see how they’d tackle the next event that happened at that time when the show was airing, and then you get lost in their lives as you’re waiting for the next moment to happen.
2
BradBrady Mar 19, 2026 +1
It’s kind of a slow burn and I’d say it picks up after season 2. I highly suggest you keep watching it. It’s an enjoyable journey
1
ShutupGustov Mar 20, 2026 +1
Show didn't click for me until end of Season 2. Then I was glued to it.
1
Certain-Singer-9625 Mar 19, 2026 -6
Babylon 5 and Gotham would like a word.
-6
YoutubeAmazonChatGPT Mar 19, 2026 +3
The 8 bit CGI On Bab 5 is pretty tough to get past
3
Certain-Singer-9625 Mar 19, 2026
Not to get too far off track, but we’re discussing that in the B5 sub. It was the first space CG on TV, so it’s not as sophisticated as today…but still better than early movies like “Lawnmower Man” and some of the effects in “Event Horizon”. I can tell from the downvotes though that although people have mentioned many other shows that also have ensemble casts, someone has never seen B5 or Gotham. Yes, the latter is a fantasy but it still has a huge, amazing cast. And if you can’t acknowledge the performances of Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik in B5 then I don’t know what to tell you.
0
MrPotatoButt Mar 21, 2026 +1
B5 was not \*that\* great a cast, but Gotham was absolutely amazing casting (with one meh casting, Fish Mooney). Even the alternative Barbara Kean character, that actress was amazing. And B. D. Wong as Dr. Hugo Strange! Too bad Gotham really suffered under a weak plot (Gordon, not BW was the lead protagonist) and garbage storylines. Particularly the botched Joker/Jerome story arc. I never thought Health Ledger's performance could even be matched, but the first Joker episode, that actor delivered. And hollywood tier actors like Jared Leto (or Barry Keoghan in the Joker cameo cut from The Batman) haven't come close since.
1
KennyShowers Mar 19, 2026 -2
It’s right behind The Wire and The Sopranos in terms of all-time great dramas, and the only reason I may think that is between an A+ movie/show about crime and an A+ movie/show not about crime I’ll personally always prefer the former. As for the ensemble it is one of the last real examples of a show that made stars, not cast established ones. But for a show that’s the latter example, for both about crime and having more established actors, I think Boardwalk Empire is the best cast for a recurring prestige drama type series. It’s just an okay show, but Buscemi, Michaels Shannon, Stuhlbarg, K Williams, Stephens Root and Graham, Bobby Cannavale, Kelly MacDonald, Jeffrey Wright, Charlie Cox, Christopher McDonald, Shea Whigham, and Ron Livingston are all people normies would know instantly by face if not name, if not some degree of actual star. And then you got old school Gs like William Forsythe and Dominic Chianese and regular HBO “that guys” like Dominick Lombardozzi, and Juliette Nicholson is killing it on Paradise, just stacked.
-2
IcyTransportation961 Mar 19, 2026 -2
You obviously haven't seen Burning Love
-2
WhattaTravesty Mar 19, 2026 -2
Feel like It's Always Sunny, Breaking Bad, Arrested Development, Community, and Mr. Robot should be mentioned. Always Sunny being highly underrated. Every side character fits into the show perfectly and I can't imagine anyone else playing any of the main cast
-2
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