'Mad Men' fans notice mistakes in HBO's flawed 4K remastering

HBO Max's newly released 4K version of AMC's acclaimed series Mad Men has drawn attention for overlooked post-production errors. Viewers watching the remastered episodes, which premiered on December 1, 2025, have spotted several noticeable mistakes that were not corrected in the new transfer.

On social media platform X, user @bigrackspart7 highlighted a scene from Season 1 where John Slattery's character, Roger, vomits after eating oysters. In the 4K version, crew members operating the rig for the vomit effect are clearly visible on screen. The fan confirmed by checking the original episode that the crew should not appear in that scene.

The same user also noticed a Season 2 sequence showing Elisabeth Moss' character, Peggy, walking through a darkened New York street. The remastered version unexpectedly includes contemporary advertisements for a Los Angeles restaurant and SIM cards, which are anachronistic for the 1960s setting of the show.

As of December 3, 2025, these errors remain uncorrected in the streaming version. AMC responded to the fan's post with a GIF of Jon Hamm's Don Draper giving mock applause. According to an unnamed source familiar with the situation, HBO received incorrect files for the remaster and is working to obtain the proper versions.

Mad Men originally aired from 2007 to 2015, and this HBO release marks the first time the Emmy-winning series is available in 4K resolution.

HBO has previously faced criticism for production mistakes in other high-profile projects. For example, the final season of Game of Thrones included a mistakenly visible Starbucks cup in one episode. Remastering and AI upscaling have also led to complaints from viewers of other streaming services.

Author: Ethan Caldwell