This is absolutely real. The current HBO Max version of this "Mad Men" episode "remastered for 4K" did not include an updated visual effects shot, which originally painted out the crew and equipment. Not just that, the HBO Max episode titles/order is jumbled for s01.
In addition, it seems like "Mad Men" season one titles/episodes are jumbled on HBO Max. The vomit scene is in "Red in the Face", but on HBO Max it's labeled "Babylon". (The one labeled "Red in the Face" is actually "5G", too.) Some interesting QC issues afoot.
To be clear - "Mad Men" was originally mastered in HD in 16:9, so this isn't an issue of "exposing more film negative to fit a new aspect ratio", like "Friends" and "Seinfeld".
live shot of me, wondering what other things got screwed up on this show, one of the most prestigious shows in the history of television
sorry but you know i had to do it
The "Mad Men" in 4K on HBO Max Debacle
Reader warning: there's gonna be a lot of pretend puke photos in this post. If you've fired up HBO Max recently, you've probably seen that o...
Put together a new comparison... from the very first scene of s01e01.
updated blog post: http://fxrant.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-mad-men-in-4k-on-hbo-max-debacle.html
I found another one. Modern Los Angeles hotel lobby signs removed... but are visible in the HBO Max version.
http://fxrant.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-mad-men-in-4k-on-hbo-max-debacle.html
@tvaziri It’s almost like you know what to look for in these shots…
😉
Todd Vaziri
Craig Hockenberry