Hold onto your hats, Mad Men fans, because the highly anticipated 4K debut on HBO Max was less 'sterling' and more… well, a bit of a mess. The promise of experiencing the iconic series in a whole new light quickly dimmed, revealing a series of technical hiccups that would make even Don Draper raise an eyebrow.
The streaming service hyped the arrival of Mad Men in glorious 4K, a first for the show. But the launch on December 1st wasn't quite the smooth, sophisticated affair everyone expected.
First off, the episodes were out of order and mislabeled. Can you imagine the chaos? It's like serving a Manhattan before the hors d'oeuvres!
But here's where it gets controversial... The real blunder came in the seventh episode of season one, titled "The Hobo Code." During a scene where Roger Sterling, in a state of inebriation (as was often the case), is supposed to be vomiting oysters, viewers were treated to an unexpected behind-the-scenes glimpse. A crew member was clearly visible, operating a 'barf hose' behind John Slattery. To add insult to injury, another staffer was in the frame, assisting with the puke-hose technology.
So, what went wrong? According to reports, Lionsgate delivered the wrong 4K files to HBO Max. The non-4K versions were, thankfully, unaffected.
As soon as the issue was discovered, Lionsgate worked to get the correct files to HBO Max, with the swap-out happening around 10 a.m. PT on December 2nd.
Neither Lionsgate nor HBO Max immediately offered a comment on the situation.
The new 4K transfer of Mad Men on HBO Max somehow lacked post-production edits, resulting in the crew member and the barf hose being visible.
HBO Max had heavily promoted its acquisition of Mad Men, emphasizing the series' 4K debut. The launch didn't go as planned.
“Mad Men is a great addition to the HBO Max library of iconic content,” said Royce Battleman, executive vice president of global content acquisitions at Warner Bros. Discovery, in a previous announcement. “We are thrilled that HBO Max will provide fans the opportunity to enjoy the series in a fresh way with an enhanced 4K viewing experience.”
“Enhanced” is certainly one way to put it, especially for viewers of episode 107.
“Mad Men continues to show truly remarkable staying power with audiences a full decade after concluding its network run, and we couldn’t imagine a better home for it than HBO Max,” said Jim Packer, the president of worldwide television distribution at Lionsgate. “HBO sets the bar for premium entertainment, making it the perfect place to celebrate one of television’s defining series while introducing Mad Men to new viewers and reintroducing it to longtime fans in 4K.”
Mad Men has been available on AMC+ since 2020, and the non-4K version remains there.
What do you think? Did this technical glitch ruin the viewing experience, or did it add a touch of unexpected charm? Share your thoughts in the comments!
