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. In terms of critical reception, it outperforms 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.