I don’t know why it is, but I like TV shows about advertising. (Except “Bewitched,” which was on when I was very young and made me nervous, but that could have been because the night it came on was bath night and I hated taking baths.) When people know you’re in the ad biz, they want to know what you think of the profession’s depiction on TV. On balance, it’s not bad. I know doctors and police officers who cringe every time “ER” or “Law and Order” comes up in a conversation. I don’t have that reaction with ad shows. Back in the 1980’s I liked “Thirtysomething,” even though it was fashionable to say it was whiney. The show wasn’t much about advertising, but towards the end the two main characters ended up working for this guy who was the consummate evil slimy ad guy. (They do exist, though not at TMA+Peritus.) His name was Miles Drentel. I’ll never forget the guy. I feel like I worked for him. Even before that there was the “Bosom Buddies,” which was Tom Hanks before he was Tom Hanks. Oh, yeah, and in a dress. Don’t ask.

But it seems like we haven’t had a show that was really about advertising until “Mad Men,” which is on AMC and has won a bunch of awards. There are many cool things about “Mad Men,” but whereas most people are mostly impressed with the way the clothes and furniture and sets nail the look and feel of the early 1960’s, I’m mostly impressed with how they nail the advertising part of advertising. It’s obvious to me they have real advertising people helping them write the advertising parts of the show.

In “Mad Men” the creative process isn’t a game. And it’s not easy. Don Draper, the creative director, sees (or gets on his own) lousy or mediocre ideas and improves upon them. It’s a process. And it’s work. And then, sometimes, even after the creative group gets a good idea, they realize it’s not such a good idea because it’s creative but it doesn’t address the target in way that’s meaningful to them. So they start over again.

Advertising has changed completely since the days of “Mad Men.” Thankfully, smoking is out. Websites are in. Bottles of Scotch on the office credenza have been replaced by cans of Red Bull in the office fridge. But the process hasn’t changed. A good idea is still simple. It still speaks more to the emotions than the brain. And it still needs to get thrown away once in a while because it’s cool, but it’s not right. The media have changed, but the fundamentals of good communication are timeless.

I’ll drink to that. But not in my office.

What do you think? Any good ad shows I missed?