==_Light spoilers ahead._==

This is the kind of show where the fanbase sticks its nose in the air and pretends you have no class because you can't understand that it's 'art'. Betty says "Only boring people are bored", and it's like the barb from the fanbase, maybe even the creators, at the people who can't sit through this slow burn of miserable assholes.

The show is boring because I don't care about 90% of the cast. I don't want to watch the subtleties because Don Draper is a such a complete asshole, that I just want to see him suffer, and yet he continues to succeed. There's a point midway through the series where there almost seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, and for a fun little season, Don Draper actually tries to be a better person. The show takes a bit of a turn, and there's fun to be had, before descending back into the bleak parade of miserable people doing miserable things again.

I wanted to quit a few seasons in, but stuck it out to see Kiernan Shipka's rebellious evolution, and appreciate the growth of Peggy (who is always a bit miserable as well, but started out being someone to at least root for), before she settles in to being just another asshole in the bunch.

Honestly, it speaks a lot to the show that maybe the most charming character in it is a man who still forces you to sit through an all too long scene of him with shoe polish on his face putting on a minstrel show.

In the end, this show is like Bert Cooper's painting, substituting subtlety for substance.

[EDIT to add: I wrote this review while I was near the end of Season 7, and the ending was truly lame. It was about as subtle as a 6-year-old playing spy, and being the most obvious kid on the playground while 'hiding'. Another in the tradition of bad TV endings like _Lost_ that feel like the writers were trying too hard to be clever or deep.]