Jon Hamm is a man working with a double-edged sword. On the one hand, his introduction to the world was Mad Men, a defining role that showcased his prodigious talent on some of the best TV ever made. That’s a great way to make a first impression. On the other hand, it put him in a tough spot for actors. It can be very difficult for anyone to see you as anything but “Don Draper” when your first role was Don Draper.
But surely it can’t be that hard to find a new groove, right? Does he need a new agent or something?
Since Mad Men‘s final bow, Hamm has kept busy, popping up in plenty of well-liked films from The Wolf of Wall Street to Baby Driver to this year’s No Sudden Move and Top Gun: Maverick. And he’s going to stay busy, between those Apple TV Plus commercials and his upcoming work on the next season of Fargo. And now we get word that he’ll be showing up on the next season of The Morning Show too.
The Morning Show? You know, The Morning Show! That TV series with Jennifer Anniston? Reese Witherspoon? Steve Carell? Billy Crudup? Pretty good cast, right? So why aren’t you watching it?
The reason is that there’s a lot of television right now and while The Morning Show is perfectly serviceable TV, it hasn’t exactly lit a fire under the American public. It’s fine. That’s alright. Not every show has to light a fire. But it remains strange that an actor of Hamm’s caliber keeps getting saddled with these low-flying projects in which he is rarely given an opportunity to make an impact.
Admittedly, not every role can be Don Draper. It’s unlikely that Hamm will get another Mad Men. But it would be nice to see him get something that lets him stretch his wings a little. Fortunately, he’s reuniting with fellow Mad Men alum John Slattery in an upcoming revival of the old Chevy Chase mystery-comedy franchise Fletch, which will give Hamm a chance to flex those comedy muscles. Let’s hope this is finally a chance for Jon Hamm to shine again.
