Mad Men (2007–2015)

Mad Men mastered slow-burn character drama, earning four successive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, a feat achieved only by two other shows before 2020. The series delivered 92 episodes over seven seasons, with its final episode attracting 3.3 million live viewers, 25% above the season average. In terms of critical reception, it outperforms #8 Sherlock by maintaining a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score across all seasons, and its period-specific production design cost an average of $2.5 million per episode, 40% more than the typical 1960s-set drama.