Mad Men: The Complete Collection [DVD + Digital]

I recently purchased the Mad Men: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray and I have to say, it was worth every penny. As a longtime fan of the show, I was ecstatic to have all seven seasons in one comprehensive set. The first thing that impressed me about this collection was the packaging. The box set is beautifully designed, with a sleek and minimalist look that is reminiscent of the 1960s era that the show is set in. The individual seasons are housed in slim and sturdy cases, making it easy to store and organize. The picture and sound quality of the Blu-ray discs are top-notch. The colors are vibrant and the detail is crystal clear, bringing the show to life in a whole new way. The remastered episodes also have enhanced sound, making the dialogue and music more crisp and clear. One of the best things about this collection is the bonus features. There are hours of behind-the-scenes footage, cast and crew interviews, and insightful commentaries from creator Matthew Weiner. These extras provide a deeper understanding and appreciation for the show and its characters. The digital HD copies of the episodes are a great addition to this set. It allows for easy access to the show on any device, making it convenient to watch on the go. As for the show itself, Mad Men is a masterpiece. The writing, the acting, and the attention to detail in every aspect of the production are all top-notch. The show delves into the complex and often dark world of advertising in the 1960s, while also exploring the personal lives and struggles of the characters. Overall, I cannot recommend this collection enough. It is a must-have for any fan of the show and a great way for new viewers to experience the brilliance of Mad Men. The Complete Collection on Blu-ray is a true gem and a worthy addition to any home entertainment collection.

Great show. Worst DVD case known to man

Come on past complaintents regarding the difficulty of disc removal. Not rocket science. VERY simple and makes disc storage secure. EXCELLENT packaging (for anyone older than 5 years old), easy to navigate menu, and superb playability. Coasters & tumblers are a bit cheesy, but will appeal to the aforementioned 5 year old that can't get the disc's out.

Fantastic design. Everything looks beautiful, from the artwork to the hardcover disc sleeve book that houses the discs themselves to even the highball glasses. Until you take a closer look. Like many of the reviews state, the disc book, though it's pretty to look at, is almost impossible to remove the discs from. You have to physically grip each disc and yank it out, which leaves a fat fingerprint on the disc. Not a huge deal, but still an inconvenience. Hopefully over the years this doesn't affect the quality of the discs/playback. The highball glasses look great at first glance, but once you take a closer look you realize they're kind of flimsy. They're the highball glasses with the silver rim much like Don uses in the show. But the craftsmanship is poor, to say the least. The silver rims on both my glasses were not straight, but slanted up and down across the rim. Unless that's the design, which I doubt. Also, the coasters that come with the set aren't great. They have cork on the bottom, which is fine. But the top is made of printed cardboard, which is not. I'm almost certain that after I use it for 4 cold drinks that the cardboard will start to fall apart. Honestly, if you're looking for quality glassware for your imbibing needs or quality coasters, you shouldn't be looking for them in dvd box sets. But it would've still been nice to have some better quality control for these extra items. The playback for me hasn't caused any problems as of yet. I love Mad Men the show. But as they say, the medium is the message. And this poor product design across the board is a bit of a turnoff.

It's an excellent show - you know it - and that is why you are contemplating buying this Blu-Ray DVD box set. I bought it - and I am extremely happy I did - the quality of the package design is also excellent. It's true - at first the DVDs appear to be difficult to remove - but after you succeed with the first two - you will get the hang of it - and will be able to pop them right out - without having to tear anything - it is actually a clever design. You will eventually develop a technique - I learned using my thumb and index finger: my right thumb touches the top of the DVD and my right index finger is bent and touching the bottom of the disc - then pull and the disc pops right out - wipe the DVD with a clean cloth - and you're good to go. Unlike the show - not a lot of drama involved.

My review concerns the design of the collection rather than the content. The content is of course great, and if you're a fan of MadMen you will not be disappointed by it. The design of this complete collection is terrible however. The box has all the marks of something that was thrown together quickly to get it out in time for the holidays. The discs are so tightly crammed into the sleeves that it takes a great amount of effort to pry them out (and is nearly impossible to do so without getting your fingerprints, or worse, scratches, all over them). And it is equally difficult to get them back into their sleeves. Secondly, the packaging of the box itself is poorly considered. It's obvious they threw on some pictures from the final season on the box and called it a day. No pictures of Sal or Lane for example. If someone is viewing the series for the first time, it would be a fairly obvious spoiler if they examined the box and couldn't find those characters. Plus the inside of the box is just a mess - the book of discs is nice (aside from the inability to get the discs out) but they just threw in a box with some glasses from the set (which are nice) and some cheap cardboard coasters that are similar in quality to what you would get at your average bar. I can't help but compare the horrible design of this disc collection to that of Breaking Bad, which was very cleverly and thoughtfully designed. I understand that Matt Weiner was a stickler for detail on the set of Mad Men. Too bad he wasn't such a stickler when it came to offering a product for the show's fans.

The discs are ridiculously hard to get out because the packaging is way too tight. The slipcase is about 2-1/4" wide. If they had made it about 1/2" wider it probably would not be a problem. As it is, inside the slipcase is a binder, which itself is hard to get out of the slipcase. Inside the binder are 12 "leaves" bound together like a book, of which the first 11 "leaves" comprise 2 back-to-back cardboard sleeves and the 12th "leaf" is just one cardboard sleeve. Each sleeve holds one disc. A semi-circular 1/2" cutout in the side of each sleeve is provided to pull out the respective enclosed disc. The biggest problem is that the discs are ridiculously hard to pull out of its sleeve. You have to pinch or grip the disc very firmly as you try to work it out with some combination of pulling and rotating the disc. You can't avoid smudging the disc as you pull it out, unless you use something like a Kleenex to grab the disc. Over time, as you pull out and put back each disc, smudges probably will go all the way around the disc. Once you pull out a disc from one sleeve in a "leaf", the disc in the other sleeve of that leaf is a little easier to pull out. When you return a disc to the sleeve, there is no resistance until the last 7/8" or so, indicating there is something in the rear 7/8" of the sleeve used to grip the disc tightly. I suppose you could insert a disc back into a sleeve only until that point in order to make it easier to pull out the disc next time, but then you won't be able to fully push the binder back into the slipcase. But that might not be so bad since that would make it easier to pull the binder out of the slipcase next time.

This is a review of the Complete Collection and not of the show. As you can see by the Verified Purchase, I bought this and have opened it up and looked it over. To start with, the packaging for this is great. Not too big so that it doesn't fit on the shelf easily. And not too small that you think it was cheaply made and they skimped on materials. The box itself is beautiful with different images on each side so that you're tempted to turn it around every so often to get a new image to view. It looks like they were taken in a photobooth, which is pretty cool. There's a Red/White/and Black theme. Almost as if the designers of the packaging were in love with the joke - What is White and Black and Re(a)d all over? This Mad Men Box! Inside you will find the blu-rays as well as some really cool extra stuff. Starting from the least interesting (for me), there are four coasters. All four focus on Don Draper though one of the coasters is confusing to me as I am not sure what it actually represents - feet on a tightrope to represent the balancing act Don Draper had throughout his career? But three are definitely Don Draper. Next there is the Blu Ray Book. Other shows have done similar things where each season fits into the "pages" of the book and you thus have to pull out the blu-ray. I happen to like cases like that. For each season we see photos from the season as well as the titles and descriptions of the episodes on the disc. There are also quotes from the episodes. And finally are the two period glasses from Don Draper's early office days which he kept around long after others had transitioned to more modern glasses. So now when you rewatch the series you can drink like Don Draper. Well hopefully not too much like him! The show itself is exquisitely crafted. From lighting to costumes to design and music, I loved it all. These are characters and stories that I will want to share with people I love. And while Mad Men is not my favorite show (Six Feet Under holds that place in my heart), Mad Men is still in the top three. Watching these characters and knowing I won't have any more stories about them actually causes me sadness and a little pain. This is a fitting case to remind me of the show. When I see these pictures on the case I feel like I am transported back in time to the story from which these pictures came.