Is ‘The Hour’ The British Mad Men?
Well they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery – so Mad Men, consider yourself suitably complimented.
Yep, since Don Draper and co pretty much single handedly launched a network here in the US, several other channels are trying to get in on the serialized 50′s / 60′s drama game! In the Fall we’ll be seeing Pan Am on ABC and The Playboy Club on NBC – but over in Britain they’ve already launched their ‘copycat’ show – The Hour, on BBC Two.
The Hour is set behind the scenes of a current affairs show in 1956, using television as the vehicle to chart the changing times and attitudes of the time. There’s a whole lot of smoking and sexism – of course - but the show has also grafted on a thriller element with a trail of murders and clues linked to the unfolding behind the scenes drama.
On board for the ride are Dominic West (Chicago and Mona Lisa Smile), Ben Whishaw (Perfume, A Love Story) and Juliet Stevenson (who’s been in a whole heap of Brit TV and movies). Early response has been mixed to positive – but you can bet that BBC America already have their sights set on this one…
Here’s the first look trailer:
And a clip from the show…
So what do you think? Intrigued? Or are you starting to tire of the whole 50′s / 60′s era drama?
| Print article | This entry was posted by Richard Drew on July 21, 2011 at 10:15 am, and is filed under DRAMA, PREVIEWS, VIDEOS. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
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I think The Hour is a fine example of what great television the BBC are capable of making. Three episodes in, and I am loving the programme, it is so gripping! I can’t see any similarities between The Hour & Mad Men apart from the both being set in a similar time era. However, I don’t think The Hour is getting the publicity that it duly deserves, compared to shows like Mad Men.
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I think the BBC are definitely OK with people presuming this is a British Mad Men given by how they are marketing it, but it is actually very different. Apart from the era and the smoking it pretty much goes very much in its own direction and the style and pacing of the show aren’t Mad Men-esque at all.