HBO Max Ruins Mad Men With a Bad 4k Remaster

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The critically acclaimed television drama, often ranked among the best series ever made, is now streaming on . While this should have been a welcome update for Mad Men fans, it’s unfortunately become a frustrating experience, leading many to dust off their DVD collections instead.

Viewers watching Mad Men again on HBO Max are upset with the new 4k remaster. Many are complaining online that the colors and lighting have been changed, and one scene in particular is getting a lot of criticism for looking noticeably different.

I was rewatching Mad Men recently, specifically the episode “Red in the Face,” and something struck me as odd on HBO Max. You see Roger Sterling throw up, and it’s…very visible. Usually, shows use effects to hide things like that, and it’s clear HBO Max didn’t bother to replicate those subtle digital fixes. You can actually see the machine they used to create the effect, and the person operating it! It’s a bit jarring, and honestly, takes you out of the moment. Plus, HBO Max lists the episode as “Babylon,” which is a whole other confusing issue, but the visible effects were what really stood out to me.

It’s not unusual for older TV shows to look different when they’re added to streaming services. Shows like Friends, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons were originally filmed in a narrower format, but were stretched to fit modern widescreen TVs. Mad Men isn’t the first to experience this. Sometimes, these updates also create new problems – for example, early seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer were brightened in HD, which unintentionally revealed characters that were meant to be hidden in the shadows.

Interestingly, Mad Men was originally filmed in the widescreen 16:9 format, so the issue isn’t extra space appearing on screen. Instead, something seems to have been lost during the remastering process. It will be fascinating to see if fans notice other mistakes, like the visible prop, as they revisit the show on HBO Max – if they continue watching, that is.

Mad Men on HBO Max Falters In 4K

The recently released 4k version of Mad Men on HBO Max isn’t up to par, which is a letdown. Fortunately, you can still watch the show! Since Mad Men originally aired on AMC, all the episodes are available to stream on AMC+ in their original high definition, offering a better viewing experience than the disappointing 4k remaster.

If you prefer physical copies, all seven seasons of Mad Men are available on Blu-ray. They were originally released as eight sets, but now you can also find a complete collection. These Blu-rays include all the original episodes, plus lots of extra features, making them a great addition to any home media library.

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2025-12-02 22:36