Amongst the Mad Men mania, I started thinking if its popularity is accidental (it never is). mostly, why is the show that takes place in the '60 and is self-reflexive about an ad industry at that particular time so popular NOW when that industry almost does not exist anymore. and the answer is exactly because of it. it's about "glorious past", "legendary times", and "mythical events". every group (nation, culture, etc) has them. what's more interesting is when they start to dig them out. and it's usually just before the final turmoil & disappearance of one order and its replacement with something else. WWII Germany dug up its mythical past just before the war and crash of the Weimar Republic, Churchill called for memories of Nelson before difficult battles, and New York is trying really hard to evoke the memory of old New York (think "The Wackness" and "Nick and Norah Infinite Playlist") amid all the new condos. Hard times call for glorious past. If history offers any lesson, epic memories come forth when they need to help us face the end. (p.s. I bet that a show on digital agencies would be way less popular).