Speaking of BBC Dramas starring former cast members of The Wire who are surprisingly British:

I am perplexed by why people who write about The Hour, a six part BBC drama series, can't seem to avoid comparing it to Mad Men. (Now here I go, calling the kettle black.) Truly, the only comparison I can see is that it's set in the past. Well, and I guess that I enjoy them both.

Early reviews from the UK were pretty critical, The Telegraph and the Guardian both found fault with the script and the overt internal criticisms of the racism and sexism of the mid 1950s. American reviewers, given the benefit of watching the first four episodes (not the pilot alone) were much more gracious in their reviews, though still perseverate on Mad Men comparisons. Yes, people (in the UK and the US) smoked a lot in the 50s and 60s. Yes women had a harder time carving out careers for themselves than they do now, yes, men wore suits and parted their hair on the side. Didn't we already know these things? How is this so distracting?

A couple actors I don't know star alongside Dominic West (McNulty from The Wire [I already knew he was British]) he, along with the other two leads, kills it. The cast in general is pretty great, and after a clunky start the writing evens out and is good if not great after is hits stride. The Hour's plot is jumpy and scattered moving where Mad Men's is plodding and deliberate, it involves murder, spies, journalism, extra-marital affairs, unrequited love. Stuff that Mad Men (rightly) wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole, I mean, excluding the extra-marital affairs, those are mother's milk for Mad Men.

Anyway, I suspect people who can't get into Mad Men because they find it boring and lacking direction will probably like The Hour. While those who love Mad Men for its subtlety and attention to detail may not love The Hour, certainly not for the same reasons. The Hour won't be the last show to be judged against AMC's flagship series, Mad Men has been that important to the television game. But to be honest, I was hooked by The Hour in a way that I never have been by Mad Men, I wanted more after every episode, and was a bit sad to realize the first season only consists of six parts. A couple weeks ago I recommended Luther with an enthusiastic thumb up. The Hour is a lot better. You should watch Luther if you have some time to kill. You should make time to watch The Hour.