Why the Mad Men Actresses Still Define the Peak TV Era

If you watch Mad Men today, it hits different. Back in 2007, everyone was obsessed with Don Draper’s suits and his stoic, whiskey-soaked silence. But honestly? The show wasn’t really about him. Not in the long run. It was about the women. The actresses of Mad Men didn’t just play supporting roles to a charismatic lead; they essentially hijacked the narrative of 1960s Madison Avenue and turned it into a masterclass on female survival.

Matthew Weiner’s writing was sharp, sure. But it was the casting that made it legendary. You had January Jones playing a literal "ice queen" who was actually burning alive with resentment, and Elisabeth Moss turning Peggy Olson into the ultimate underdog story of the 20th century. It’s wild to think that when the pilot filmed, some of these women were complete unknowns. Now, they are the blueprint for how you write—and act—complex women on screen.

Peggy Olson and the Rise of Elisabeth Moss

Peggy started as a mouse. That was the point. When we first meet her, she’s the "plain" secretary getting unsolicited advice from Joan on how to use her legs to get ahead. But Elisabeth Moss played Peggy with this specific, quiet intensity. You could see the gears turning in her head. She wasn’t just taking dictation; she was learning the language of power.

Think about the "Suitcase" episode. It’s arguably the best hour of television ever made. It’s just Don and Peggy, trapped in an office, screaming and eventually understanding each other. Moss didn't play Peggy as a girl boss. She played her as a person who was willing to give up a lot—maybe too much—to be taken seriously. She was messy. She was sometimes mean to her subordinates. She was human. Moss has gone on to dominate The Handmaid’s Tale, but Peggy remains her most grounded, relatable transformation.

The Tragedy and Precision of January Jones

People used to criticize January Jones for being "wooden" as Betty Draper. Those people were wrong. Betty was a woman who had been trained since birth to be a mannequin. She was a Grace Kelly clone living in a suburban nightmare. Jones played that repression with a terrifying kind of precision. The way her hands would shake while she held a cigarette, or that blank, haunting stare she’d give the birds in her backyard while she shot them with a BB gun—that’s top-tier acting.

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Betty wasn't "likable" in the traditional sense. She was often cruel to her children, particularly Sally. But she was a product of a specific time and a specific set of suffocating expectations. By the time the series reached its end in 1970, Betty’s arc felt the most tragic because she was finally finding her voice—enrolling in school, pursuing psychology—just as time was running out. Jones made us feel for a character who, on paper, should have been impossible to pity.

Christina Hendricks and the Power of Joan Holloway

You can't talk about the actresses of Mad Men without mentioning Christina Hendricks. Joan was the queen bee. She walked like she owned the building because, in many ways, she did. But the show did something brilliant with Joan: it used her physical beauty as a trap.

Joan was the smartest person in any room she entered, yet she was constantly reduced to her measurements. Hendricks played the role with a layer of armor. Every quip was a shield. The scene where she finally becomes a partner—at a horrific personal cost—is one of the most difficult things to watch in the series. It highlighted the grim reality of "making it" in a world that viewed women as commodities. Seeing her eventually start her own production company, Holloway Lassiter, was the catharsis the audience needed. It was a win that felt earned because it was so hard-fought.

The Evolution of Kiernan Shipka as Sally Draper

We literally watched Kiernan Shipka grow up on screen. Most child actors are, frankly, a bit distracting. Shipka was different. As Sally Draper, she became the moral compass of the show. She was the one who saw through Don’s lies and Betty’s pretenses.

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By the later seasons, Sally was the bridge between the old world of the 1950s and the radical shifts of the late 60s. Her relationship with her mother was a battlefield, but in those final episodes, they reached a truce that was genuinely moving. Shipka held her own against heavyweights like Jon Hamm and January Jones before she was even a teenager. That’s rare. It’s no wonder she transitioned so easily into leading her own shows later on.

The Supporting Players Who Built the World

The depth of the female cast went way beyond the leads. Look at what Cara Buono did with Dr. Faye Miller. She was the modern woman who didn't fit into Don’s idealized version of a wife, which is exactly why he left her. Or Jessica Paré as Megan Draper. Megan was the "New Hollywood" energy that 1966 desperately needed. Her "Zou Bisou Bisou" performance is still one of the most iconic (and cringeworthy, in a good way) moments in TV history.

Then there’s Alison Brie as Trudy Campbell. Trudy could have been a caricature of a bubbly housewife. Instead, she was a fierce negotiator and the only person who could truly handle Pete Campbell. Every one of these women added a layer of realism to the show’s period setting. They weren't just background dressing; they were the engines of the plot.

Why the Portrayal of Women in Mad Men Still Matters

Most shows about the past lean into nostalgia. They make the 60s look like a party. Mad Men made it look like a struggle. The actresses of Mad Men had to navigate a script that was intentionally sexist, playing characters who were constantly being talked over, belittled, or ignored.

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The brilliance was in the subtext.

A lot of the "acting" happened in the silences. It was in the way Peggy would adjust her skirt before walking into a meeting, or the way Joan would take a deep breath before putting on her "office face." These actresses captured the performative nature of womanhood in the mid-century. They showed us that the "good old days" were actually a minefield for anyone who wasn't a white man in a grey flannel suit.

How to Revisit the Series Through a Female Lens

If you're planning a rewatch, or if you're diving in for the first time, stop looking at Don. Seriously. Follow the women instead.

• Watch the background details: Notice how the costumes change for the women as the decade progresses. Peggy moves from Peter Pan collars to bold, geometric patterns. Joan’s silhouettes become more professional. These aren't just fashion choices; they are character arcs.
• Track the power dynamics: In early seasons, the women wait for permission. By Season 7, they are the ones making the calls, even if they have to work twice as hard to get people to listen.
• Observe the mother-daughter parallels: Compare Peggy’s relationship with her mother to Betty’s relationship with Sally. It’s a fascinating study in generational trauma and the desire to break free.

The legacy of these performances is visible in almost every prestige drama we see today. From The Crown to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the DNA of Mad Men's female characters is everywhere. They proved that you could have a show centered on a flawed man while the women actually held the heart and the brains of the story.

To truly appreciate the craft, look for the small moments of rebellion. It’s Peggy carrying her box out of the office with sunglasses on and a cigarette in her mouth. It’s Joan refusing to let a man tell her how to run her business. It’s Sally Draper making dinner for her brothers while her mother fights for her life. That’s where the real story lives.

Next Steps for the Superfan:

1. Read "The Fashion File" by Janie Bryant: The show’s costume designer breaks down how she used clothing to tell the stories of Peggy, Joan, and Betty. It adds a whole new layer to the performances.
2. Compare the Pilot to the Finale: Watch the first episode and the last episode back-to-back. Focus specifically on Peggy Olson. The transformation is one of the most satisfying in television history.
3. Explore the Actresses' Post-Mad Men Work: Watch The Handmaid's Tale (Moss), Good Girls (Hendricks), and Spinning Out (Jones) to see how they’ve taken the "complicated woman" archetype and evolved it even further.