The acclaimed drama Mad Men has returned to screens with a pristine 4K restoration, but the new transfer on HBO Max is marred by a series of glaring technical errors that have left fans baffled.
Visible Crew and Vomit Machine Blunder
Viewers quickly spotted one of the most conspicuous mistakes. In a scene from the first-season episode Red in the Face, where Roger Sterling (John Slattery) becomes violently ill, the 4K restoration accidentally reveals two crew members operating a fake vomit machine. The post-production edit that originally removed them from the frame is conspicuously absent.
"How is a mistake like that even possible lmao," one fan remarked on Reddit. The error, shared widely on social media platform X, prompted speculation that the change in aspect ratio for the 4K version required digital cleanup that was simply overlooked.
Episodes Airing Out of Sequence
The problems extend beyond a single production gaffe. Subscribers have discovered that several episodes in the first season are mislabelled and play in the wrong order on the newly rebranded HBO Max. For instance, a viewer watching sequentially would see the fourth episode, then jump to the seventh, followed by the fifth and sixth.
This disorganisation disrupts the narrative flow of Matthew Weiner's meticulously crafted series, which originally aired on AMC between 2007 and 2015.
HBO's History of On-Screen Goofs
This is not the first time HBO has faced very public post-production slips. In 2019, during the final season of Game of Thrones, a modern coffee cup was left in shot during a Winterfell feast scene, creating a viral moment. The company later digitally removed the anachronistic item.
The Mad Men restoration, errors included, arrived on HBO Max via a licensing deal with Lionsgate TV. All seven seasons of the award-winning show, which starred Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, and Christina Hendricks, remain available on AMC+, though not in 4K resolution.
The series, which won 16 Emmy Awards, was initially developed for HBO by creator Matthew Weiner before finding its celebrated home on AMC. The recent technical mishaps, however, have provided an unintentionally humorous new chapter in the show's legacy for both new and returning audiences.
