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Highlights

• Mad Men set the bar for prestige dramas in the 1960s advertising world, with captivating characters and historical accuracy.
• The Mad Men cast, including Elisabeth Moss and Jon Hamm, delivered award-winning performances that reflected the era's social changes.
• From Joan Harris to Don Draper, each character's portrayal earned critical acclaim, with salaries reflecting their talent and impact.

Mad Men is a landmark television series that ushered in a new era of prestige dramas.

Set in the cutthroat world of 1960s advertising, the show captured imaginations with its stylish aesthetic, complex character portrayals, and unflinching look at the era's social changes.

Created by Matthew Weiner, this critically acclaimed series premiered in 2007, and ran for seven seasons, until 2015.

To this day, the series continues to make waves, as Mad Men episodes draw significant viewership on streaming platforms. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show maintains an average of 3.54 million viewers.

Mad Men received critical acclaim for its writing, acting, directing, visual style, and historical authenticity. It won many awards, including 16 Emmys and five Golden Globes.

It was also the first basic cable series to receive the Emmy for "Outstanding Drama Series," winning it each year of its first four seasons.

Reports suggest that Lionsgate Entertainment received an estimated $2.71 million from AMC for each episode — although the show's lavish production design and meticulous historical accuracy may have pushed the cost per episode closer to $2.84 million.

Headlined by Jon Hamm as Don Draper, with memorable performances from Elisabeth Moss, January Jones, Vincent Kartheiser, and Christina Hendricks, these actors transformed already iconic roles into unforgettable figures that reflected the period's social and cultural shifts.

While their characters grappled with professional and personal turmoil, the actor's performances rightfully mirrored their salaries for the show.

So how much was Mad Men cast paid per episode?

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4 Christina Hendricks

Salary Per Episode - $100,000

Christina Hendricks stole the show as Joan Harris (originally Holloway) on Mad Men.

Hendricks' Joan was a shrewd businesswoman, with a sharp wit and a no-nonsense attitude. Following her storyline, Joan's career trajectory mirrors the changing times.

She begins as the head of the secretarial pool and confidante to Roger Sterling, with whom she had a long-term affair — which resulted in a son.

Joan's talent propelled her to become a partner at the Sterling Cooper advertising firm, a groundbreaking achievement for a woman in the 1960s.

Hendricks' performance garnered her six consecutive Emmy nominations in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series."

Hendricks reportedly earned around $100,000 per episode during her time on the Mad Men cast.

Christina Hendricks' net worth sits at an estimated $8 million today.

3 January Jones

Salary Per Episode - $100,000

January Jones brought Betty Draper to life, the seemingly picture-perfect wife of Don Draper.

Initially presented as the embodiment of 1960s suburban womanhood, Betty grapples with an undercurrent of dissatisfaction and a yearning for a deeper sense of purpose.

Hailing from a wealthy Philadelphia suburb, Betty embodied the societal expectations of the era — beautiful, poised, and seemingly content with domestic life.

Beneath the flawless facade, Betty craved fulfillment beyond the confines of homemaking, and she struggled to find her place in a world that increasingly questioned traditional gender roles.

The character of Betty Draper inspired years of analyses and deep dives, examining the character's relationship to feminism and gender roles:

"From the outside, Betty Draper has it all: a lovely home, a family, beauty and money. However, as we see through her character, those things don’t necessarily fulfill a woman. What gives lasting fulfillment is purpose, which is what Betty seeks throughout the entirety of the show.

"She comes off as rash, naive, stubborn and vain because her purpose is caught in between what she wants and what society tells her she should want.

"Love her or hate her, Betty’s role elegantly portrays the complexity of womanhood in the 1940s through 60s, while still being relatable today. "

Jones masterfully conveyed Betty's complexities, from moments of quiet desperation to flashes of defiance.

Her performance earned her critical acclaim, including two Golden Globe nominations in the category of "Best Actress In A Television Series – Drama," and an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series."

Throughout her time on the show, Jones consistently earned a salary of $100,000 per episode.

Today, January Jones has an estimated net worth of $10 million.

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2 Elisabeth Moss

Salary Per Episode - $175,000

Elisabeth Moss delivers a star-making performance as Peggy Olson, a character who personifies the era's groundbreaking feminist movement.

Peggy starts as Don Draper's wide-eyed secretary, but through ambition, she breaks through the male-dominated world of advertising to become a respected copywriter.

Moss skillfully captures Peggy's growth – from maneuvering through office politics and sexism to finding her voice and ultimately asserting her place as a creative force.

Peggy's journey often mirrors the changing societal landscape of the 1960s.

Much like Jones' Betty Draper, Moss' Peggy Olson prompted significant discourse about the show, women's rights, and the trajectory of feminism:

"Mad Men has many powers, but here, at the end of the road, I've decided the thing it's best at is confusing the hell out of me. From a narrative perspective, I'm clutching dozens of loose ends that I really doubt can be wrapped up in two more episodes of television. And when it comes to the characters, seven seasons in, I still don't know who some of them are.

"And by some of them, I mean Peggy. You know when Stan looks at Peggy with that confused hippie lion expression? That's how I feel about Peggy on the inside. I can't figure her out, and, more important, I can't figure out what she means for women, for women in history, and for women in the workplace."

Moss's phenomenal work earned her six consecutive Emmy nominations in the category of "Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series," along with numerous other accolades like Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Moss was reportedly earning $175,000 per episode on the Mad Men cast.

Today, Elisabeth Moss is a celebrated actress both on stage and screen, with an estimated net worth of $30 million.

1 Jon Hamm

Salary Per Episode - $275,000

In simple words, Jon Hamm's masterful portrayal of Don Draper is one of the best things that has happened to television.

Draper is the brilliant creative director at the Sterling Cooper advertising agency (and later Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce) – a hard-drinking, chain-smoking executive with a troubled past shrouded in mystery.

Draper's carefully constructed facade occasionally cracks, revealing glimpses of inner turmoil. Despite his flaws, Draper consistently dazzles with genius-level advertising campaigns.

Don Draper was Hamm's break-out role for which he won numerous accolades, including an Emmy and two Golden Globes.

Hamm was paid $20,000 per episode for the first season of Mad Men, which increased to $25,000 in season two. By season three, his compensation quadrupled to $100,000.

Season four saw another raise for Hamm, to $125,000. By the end of the series, Hamm was making $275,000 per episode on Mad Men, totaling $4 million per season.

Hamm's producer credit on Mad Men ensures a continuous revenue stream from the show's syndication and streaming success, guaranteeing long-term financial rewards.

Hamm is currently worth an estimated $45 million, and he made the most per episode as part of the Mad Men cast.

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