From the off, Mad Men was reaping plaudits and acclaim, as critics and audiences lined up to declare it one of the best new modern drama series that television has brought us. What’s perhaps even more impressive, though, is that it’s kept this going. That, four seasons in, it’s not just managed to keep up the elegant stylings that got many to sit up and take notice in the first place. But that it’s delivering some terrific television as it does so. Season four puts added emphasis onto Don Draper, expertly played by Jon Hamm, and this in turn throws the spotlight onto the people closest to him. Furthermore, Mad Men, as always, finds room to explore the supporting characters, with several compelling threads to follow. Without giving too much away, the show also picks up from the events at the end of season three, and the characters concerned find the ride just a little bumpier than they might have been expecting. It’s a terrific show. Played by a cast of characters who inhabit their roles expertly, Mad Men is what happens when a group of people who are genuinely expert at their jobs come together at just the right time. In a decade that has seen a collection of excellent television series laying claim to our time and attention, Mad Men stands proud as one of the finest of the lot. --Jon Foster