A Definitive Ranking of Every 'Mad Men' Character Ever

We've reached Mad Men's twilight, and it's harder than we ever imagined to say goodbye. When the series finale airs, we'll be leaving behind eight years, seven seasons and a decade of growth for these characters.

Yet it's the characters who make this ending so difficult to swallow. Creator Matthew Weiner and his team crafted an ensemble of some of the most lovable, wonderful and real characters on TV. As the series comes to a close, we look back at the men, women and children who populated one of the greatest series ever. Some of these characters will stay with us long after the series is done. Some we miss already.

To give us the catharsis we need, we ranked every character in Mad Men history. No, not just the main characters, or just characters in the opening credits. We ranked 130 characters from Mad Men. Who comes out on top? Who do we love to hate? Who do we hate to hate? Read on to find out.

Note: This list is restricted to named, credited characters who appeared in three or more episodes — though exceptions were made in cases of significant players in fewer episodes.

1. Peggy Olson

It's always been a bit surprising that the most compelling character in a show called Mad Men would be a woman. Yet for a show filled with white men in suits, Mad Men has always favored its outsiders. When Peggy Olson walks in on Day One, wearing a cute yellow dress and looking the part of a meek girl, no one could have guessed how she would grow. 

From Don's secretary to junior copywriter to copy chief to creative supervisor, she fights tirelessly against a world that doesn't want her in it. Her victories, from successful pitches to moments of happiness to drunken connections with her friends and co-workers, are so fulfilling. Peggy is the audience advocate, and she's never failed at making viewers feel like part of the story. Elisabeth Moss has never won an Emmy for her work as Peggy, which is up there with the Television Academy's greatest crimes. Peggy is more than an award, though. She's legendary.

Best episode: God, how can you pick? Season 4's "The Suitcase" feels like a safe pick, but let's go with season 7's "Waterloo" instead. Seeing Peggy give the pitch of her lifetime to Burger Chef is a heartwarming and affecting experience. Our girl's all grown up.

2. Don Draper

Mad Men is Don Draper's story. Almost unintentionally, creator Matthew Weiner crafted one of the finest ensemble shows on TV, yet this was always about Don. Born Dick Whitman, the son of his abusive father and a prostitute, he seizes his moment when he unintentionally kills a man named Donald Draper and assumes his identity. Over eight seasons and 10 in-show years, Don seeks answers about who he really is.

He's a fascinating character, even in his worst moments. He's not an audience avatar like Peggy, but he's the man that we all want to figure out. He shares our goal, of course, which is what pulls him west. He wants to know who lies deep beneath Don Draper's suit of armor. It's been a wild ride, and one we'd go on with Don (and his expert vessel Jon Hamm) in a heartbeat.

Best episode: Like Peggy, he gives an enormously affecting pitch in season 1's "The Wheel." But season 3's "The Gypsy and the Hobo," when Betty confronts him about his true identity, is a stand-out. Stunning, subtle work from Jon Hamm, and one of the only chances to see Don truly vulnerable.

3. Joan Holloway

When people remember Mad Men in 20 years, redheaded bombshell Christina Hendricks will be one of the first images they see. Joan is the icon of the show, more than Peggy or Don could ever be. She's a fan favorite thanks to her delicious one-liners, but her story arc has been one of the most heart-wrenching to watch. Over the course of seven seasons, she is raped, objectified, emotionally abused and reduced to nothing more than her looks. Almost every time, she's come back and won. Standing up for her right to her work in season 7's "Lost Horizon" was cheer-worthy, even if it doesn't go as planned.

Best episode: "The Other Woman," season 5's stunning Joan showcase, shows her making the choice to prostitute herself for a partnership at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. It's a heartbreaking decision, just devastating to watch. "The Other Woman" is one of Mad Men's finest episodes, and that is almost exclusively thanks to Joan and Hendricks.

4. Roger Sterling

Who couldn't love punchline machine Roger Sterling? He's been with us since the start, quick with a wisecrack and a wry smile. He's avoided being a cold guy with no snark thanks to John Slattery's warm portrayal. He may not always show it, but he loves the people around him. Thank goodness he didn't die in season 1 — we'd have missed seven years of laughs with everyone's favorite silver fox.

Best episode: "Far Away Places" gives us Roger on LSD. If you're not already running to Netflix to watch, we don't know what you want.

5. Lane Pryce

We remember Lane Pryce not for how he starts, as a prickly British miser sent to get Sterling Cooper's finances in order. We remember him not for how he dies, by hanging himself in his office. We remember him as the surprisingly kickass, dynamite man he revealed himself to be in the season 3 finale, when he helped the Sterling Cooper partners escape McCann Erickson's grasp. And of course, we remember when he punched out Pete Campbell. That was too delicious a moment to forget.

Best episode: While season 5's "Commissions and Fees," his suicide episode, gives actor Jared Harris plenty to do, it's season 3's finale "Shut the Door. Have a Seat" that shows him off at his most delightfully subversive.

6. Sally Draper

Sally Draper has, quite literally, grown up right in front of our eyes. She's gone from a child to a confident young woman realizing exactly how fucked up the world around her is. Sally has vain parents she hates at times, but she ultimately loves them both dearly. Seeing her come to terms with that has been lovely to watch. Her mother's final letter to her is heartbreaking but too true: "Sally, I always worry about you because you marched to the beat of your own drum. Now I know that's good. Your life will be an adventure."

Best episode: The most obvious example of Sally "growing up" is during season 5's "At the Codfish Ball." Excited about going to a party in the city, Sally gets a rude awakening when she sees her grandmother giving Roger Sterling a blowjob. "It's dirty," she angrily says of the city. No one has quite gotten Mad Men more than Sally Draper did in that moment.

7. Pete Campbell

Bumbling, hot-headed Pete is one of Mad Men's funniest characters, though he would never think it was funny. He's very serious about this, and about business. The moments when he cuts loose, like a Charleston dance with his wife in season 3's "My Old Kentucky Home," are a delight to watch. Yet there's something even better about watching him struggle and grow. 

Pete is a surprisingly progressive guy (thinking of appealing to black consumers before anyone else does) living in a world that always seems a step behind him. When he defies Don's prediction that he'd become a mid-level cog in an agency a decade after Don makes it, you can't help but cheer.

Best episode: It's a wild one, but season 5's "Signal 30" is basically a character examination of Pete Campbell. What happens when a man is emasculated at every turn, ending with a fistfight with the British partner in the conference room? For Pete, it leads to a total breakdown. It's hard not to pity Pete — which could be said for any episode, really.

8. Rachel Menken

Rachel Menken is too good for Don Draper. The department store owner presents the first real challenge for Don that we see in Mad Men. She's a woman who knows what she wants, and her agency is what makes Don fall for her. After refusing to go away with him, Rachel and Don's affair ends at the end of season 1, and she only appears in season 2 in a brief scene with her new husband. 

Throughout the series, more and more brunette love interests for Don suggest shades of Rachel, indicating he never forgot her. Unfortunately, as we learn from Don, she passes on from leukemia in season 7 after one final appearance in Don's dream. She is truly the one who got away.

Best episode: She's great in every episode she's in, in large part due to Maggie Siff's first-rate performance, but her monologue in season 1's "Babylon" stands out. She meditates on the idea of utopia as an allegory for her relationship with Don. It's good, but it cannot be. As we find out later, it can truly never be.

9. Anna Draper

Anna Draper is a truly generous spirit, a beautiful woman inside and out. Before she dies of cancer — a shocking bit of foreshadowing in Don's life — the woman married to the real Don Draper acts as one of his only true friends. Their relationship was unlike anything else we'd seen on the show. She saw Dick Whitman for who he is, something literally no one else has ever seen. It's no wonder her death in "The Suitcase" affects him the way it does — he sees it as losing the only person who actually knows him.

Best episode: Her introductory episode, season 2's "The Mountain King," makes a compelling case why a guy like Don would want to trade it all away for a simple life with her in California. Don spends much of the rest of the series trying to get back to that peaceful place.

10. Betty Draper Francis

January Jones has been unfairly criticized for her work as Betty Draper over the years, and it's never made sense. Is Jones the most expressive actress? No, but that's not what this role calls for. Her subtlety is her greatest asset, giving this difficult woman a beautiful arc of growth over seven seasons. From her petulant early days to her glimmers of being a great mother, she's one of the only characters who ends the series in a better place personally than where she started. That makes it all the more tragic that the end of Mad Men is the end of Betty as well.

Best episode: Until the series' end, Betty's best episode was season 3's "The Gypsy and the Hobo," in which she confronts Don about being Dick Whitman. But the show's penultimate episode, "The Milk and Honey Route," takes the cake. Watching Betty slowly come to terms with her own mortality and decide to spend the last year of her life learning was beautiful. Even more so: her final words to her daughter. Heartbreaking work from Jones.

11. Trudy Campbell

Trudy is just the best. She's delight in human form, perfectly portrayed by Alison Brie. She's the perfect match for Pete, expertly avoiding his whiny side while boosting him to become his best self. Though it was easy to cheer when she tossed his cheating ass out, the end of their marriage was always a bummer.

Best episode: With honorable mention to hers and Pete's simply spectacular Charleston in season 3's "My Old Kentucky Home," her best moment comes in "Shut the Door. Have a Seat." When Pete's being obstinate with Don and Roger in their home, she intones from the kitchen, "Peter, may I speak to you for a moment?" It's a credit to Brie and to Trudy as a character that that line is the funniest moment in a madcap blast of an episode.

12. Bert Cooper

It's lovable Bert Cooper, he of the eclectic taste in artwork and insistence on removing shoes in his office. He never had much of an arc on the show — Bert's role was to be a father figure to Don and Roger. Through his time with them, they grow into great businessmen, if not the best men personally. He dies knowing they'll carry on his legacy as long as they can.

Best episode: Yes, Mad Men's senior statesman passes away in the season 7 mid-season finale, but he's not easily forgotten. "Waterloo" gives him a great dance number to cap off his time on the show (it makes sense in context). We're left as teary-eyed as Don.

13. Dr. Faye Miller

There are better characters than Faye, and better love interests for Don than Faye. Yet Don has never been with a better person than Faye. She's not perfect, not suited for motherhood in the way Don wants. She is, however, a kind, intelligent woman with a great sense of self and a passion for her work. When the strategist is first seen, her personal questionnaire for the employees of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce threatens Don. She never stops being a threat to him — and sadly, their love is doomed.

Best episode: Faye's best episode is also the death knell for her relationship with Don. In season 4's "The Beautiful Girls," the illusion of a perfect new relationship with Faye is wrecked the second Don sees how she interacts with Sally at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Meanwhile, a random receptionist named Megan handles Sally's emotion perfectly. She knows she fails too, making the episode all the more heartbreaking.

14. Stan Rizzo

When Peggy first meets Stan, he's a sexist pig who doesn't respect her authority. Over the years, their relationship grows into one of mutual respect, and Stan becomes one of Mad Men's finest characters. Jay R. Ferguson should take major credit for taking a one-note jerk and developing him into someone still rude, but with a heart of gold.

Best episode: "Time & Life" takes everything we've known about Stan and Peggy's relationship and gives it the final stroke. These two have blossomed into great friends, and hearing Peggy tell Stan her greatest secret, of the child she gave up for adoption ten years before, is astonishing. It's a stunning reminder that the biggest decisions we make never leave us, especially if we don't make peace with them.

15. Ken Cosgrove

Ken Cosgrove always wants to be doing something else. He's a writer at heart stuck in an accounts world. He's a happily married man in an industry that uses its marriages for professional gain. Even when he's finally decided to get out of advertising, a desire to stick it to Sterling Cooper & Partners sucks him back in again with a job at Dow Chemical. He gets his sweet comeuppance when he screws Pete and company's plan to start a new firm again, but he's left doing a job he doesn't want. It's a melancholy end.

Best episode: One could argue seeing his writer side for the first time in season 1's "5G" is his shining moment, or his tap dance in season 6's "The Crash." But in season 7's "Severance," he reveals himself as smarter and more vengeful than originally assumed.

16. Sal Romano

Oh, Sal. In many ways Mad Men's most tragic figure, Sal is set up early as Sterling Cooper's fabulous, fun art director with a secret. He buries it under a marriage to a wonderful woman, yet ultimately his homosexuality proves to be his undoing. When a male client advances on him, he recoils, and the client makes it his mission to get Sal fired. The end result is an unemployed Sal, calling his wife from a payphone in the park. It's a sad ending for a beloved character; unfortunately, Sal never returned to Mad Men.

Best episode: In "The Gold Violin," Sal and his wife Kitty invite Ken Cosgrove over for dinner. Sal's obvious crush on Ken leads to him disregarding his wife multiple times. Their marriage may look beautiful, but it's not functional. It is, like a gold violin, unable to make music.

17. Bobbie Barrett

If you take one thing from this list, let it be this: Bobbie Barrett is by far the best match for Don. Unlike his other love interests, most of whom he can manipulate and put down, Bobbie is just as strong as he is, if not stronger. She's an impressive woman who uses her husband's comedic skills and her own cunning to propel them forward. Their affair ends when she all but calls Don a slut. She's hardly a moral paragon, but she was a new kind of woman for Mad Men.

Best episode: Yet what makes Bobbie great is the advice she gives Peggy in "The New Girl." After watching Peggy give in to Don's every request, including housing Bobbie after their car crash, the elder woman gives her some advice. "You can't be a man — don't even try," she says. "Be a woman. It's a powerful business when done correctly." It's a powerful scene, and serves as a huge push for Peggy to grow.

18. Dawn Chambers

Dawn joining the offices of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is a happy accident. The agency runs a stunt ad declaring that unlike the jerks at other agencies, they're equal-oppportunity employers. Black men and women like Dawn take the ad seriously and show up to apply for jobs. She gets hired as the firm's first black employee and, in a fun verbal gag, is assigned to Don's desk. Don and Dawn! Her presence in the show is a welcome one, and she serves as an ace secretary. She gets overwhelmed at times, but her focus rarely wavers, despite her empathy for others' problems. One of the best employees in the pure hard work sense of the word.

Best episode: She's rewarded for her commitment, albeit once again indirectly, in "A Day's Work." After a series of misunderstandings and mistakes, Joan has to find a new place for Dawn. Luckily, after some shuffling, she promotes Dawn to her old post of personnel manager. It's nice to see a big win come out of a bad situation.

19. Meredith

If you told Meredith how high she is on this list, she'd giggle, then immediately tell you how silly you were being. Previously best known for having an airplane thrown at her character's head, Stephanie Drake took an expanded role in the last season of Mad Men and ran with it. She's become the quirky but quick mastermind behind keeping Don's secrets, even jumping to the top of Vulture's list of Don's best secretaries. It's a deserved position; in a very short period of time, Meredith has made herself an indispensable part of the Mad Men experience.

Best episode: That would be season 7's "Waterloo," our first hint that there'd be big things ahead for Meredith. Her scene with a perplexed Don as she tries to comfort him with her words, then her lips, is hilarious.

20. Bob Benson

Fan reaction to Bob when he first debuted in season 6 was far more annoying than Bob himself. He represents the Mad Men fandom's desire to make everything a conspiracy — and yet they were right this time! In addition to being gay, Bob is a fraud, fabricating an entire identity. He's the gay Don Draper. It's a fascinating take for the character, and James Wolk really nails the charming, congenial con man look well. Later-season characters tend to be hit and miss for Mad Men, but Bob is the treasured case of crazy theories coming to fruition.

Best episode: The season 6 finale "In Care Of" gives Bob every chance to ruffle Pete's feathers, leading to one legendary moment.

21. Marie Calvet: She charmed Roger, and she charmed us. Every damn thing Megan's mother says is quotable. Had she been introduced earlier in the series or appeared more frequently, she'd be legendary. As it stands, she's still wildly funnier than her daughter. Her romance with Roger, Mad Men's other most quotable character, was sweeter than you'd expect.

22. Ida Blankenship: "She was an astronaut," Bert Cooper says of Don Draper's oldest — and in many ways, greatest — secretary. Learning that she slept with a young Roger, who termed her the "Queen of Perversions," just filled out the story of one of Mad Men's most vivid characters.

23. Mona Sterling: The sort of hard-edged grand dame to serve as the perfect, cutting counterbalance to a man like Roger. It's a shame their marriage didn't work out (unlike in life; actors John Slattery and Talia Balsam are married). Mad Men needed all the Mona it could get.

24. Megan Calvet: Megan gets short shrift from viewers who saw her as too much of a cipher, but that's what makes her so appealing. Unlike the rotation of brunette women who come in and out of Don's life, Megan isn't actually what he wanted. As an actress, she's constantly putting on new faces, much like Don himself. Their marriage ends the moment he realizes they were more alike than he ever wished. We'll always have "Zou Bisou Bisou," Megan.

25. Guy Mackendrick: The definition of a one-episode wonder. Guy is amiable, charming and seems like an awesome new addition to Sterling Cooper, even if it would mean the slow destruction of the agency. Then, in one swift motion of a riding lawnmower, his foot is cut down, as is his future as an ad man. The visceral nature of the scene makes Guy linger in a fan's mind long after his departure.

26. Alice Cooper: Bert Cooper's sister and a voting partner in Sterling Cooper didn't come around much. Yet with a haughty tone and a wry smile, she made the most of every appearance.

27. Caroline: Roger Sterling's 100% over-it secretary. Never the star of her own story, yet always good for a laugh.

28. Joyce Ramsay: Peggy's lesbian friend who edits photos at Life magazine. Credit Joyce for pulling Peggy a bit out of herself during season 4 — the growth we see in Peggy later is directly tied to her. Bonus for Girls fans: It's Shoshanna!

29. Francine Hanson: When Betty held more of Mad Men's focus, giving her a witty, funny best friend was a masterstroke. Anne Dudek really gave what could have been a stock character life; seeing her again in season 4 after a hiatus is like seeing an old friend.

30. Midge Daniels: Intentionally or no, Mad Men has called back to Don's beatnik lover a lot over seven years. The rotating cast of brunette love interests all seem to echo her in some way: unattainable, mysterious, smart, sexy. That's why it was all the more crushing to see her come back in season 5's "Blowing Smoke," a victim of her own addiction. For the audience, as well as for Don, the dreamy woman we left behind was long gone.

31. Carla: Betty Draper's first maid, and the one whom audiences spent the most time with. Through three seasons of bad decisions by both Drapers, nothing rings out as such an egregious wrong as Betty firing Carla. She's a surrogate mother to Sally and Bobby for years, and an indispensable supporting player for Mad Men on the whole. One can hope Carla's next family was far kinder, and had fewer issues with honesty.

32. Freddy Rumsen: Aw, Freddy. An alcoholic who dries out later in the series, he acts as an important mentor to Peggy from early in the series. He's a bit of a sad sack, but he plays a mean Mozart on his pants zipper.

33. Pauline Francis: Henry Francis' mother takes one look at Betty and reads her for filth. "She's a silly woman." Then she flicked her fan open and laughed with the other queens of the universe. (That didn't happen. Outside of our dreams, that is.)

34. Ed: Mad Men was always surprisingly good at giving queer characters their moment in the sun. Ed, played by gay actor Kit Williamson as one of SC&P's artists, doesn't get much time in the series' last season. In just a few scenes, though, he gives good snark, represents for the gays and looks cute doing it. His final fuck-you to the establishment as he resigns is pretty great too. (Congrats on your engagement, Kit Williamson!)

35. Shirley: Gotta give it up to a woman who knows to get out when the getting's good. In "Lost Horizon," she sees the writing on the wall for a black secretary at a giant firm like McCann Erickson and quickly resigns to preserve herself. She also gets her Valentine's flowers back when Peggy assumes they're hers, and she's generally fabulous.

36. Helen Bishop: The far more interesting member of the Bishop clan, but unfortunately for Helen, not the one played by Matthew Weiner's son. She stopped appearing long before he did, which is a shame; she was one of the first truly independent, powerful women on Mad Men. Bonus for Scandal fans: Look! It's Abby Whelan!

37. Michael Ginsberg: There was a moment in season 5 where Ginsberg seemed like a contender for a top-10 position. Instead, he goes kind of crazy and cuts off his nipple in a fit of paranoia. Ah well. We'll always have his stellar Jaguar pitch idea.

38. Joy: There's something about Joy that's stuck in the mind long after her episode (season 2's "The Jet Set") aired. She feels like a dream Don once had, or a representation of what it is about California that's always piqued his interest. "I hope that she's still jetset traveling the world and sleeping with gorgeous men," Joy portrayer Laura Ramsey said in a recent Vulture interview. "Let's all just have Joy's life." Amen, Laura.

39. Candace: She's the dominating prostitute Don spends time with at the beginning of season 4. Haven't we all wanted to slap Don? She actually does it!

40. Kurt Smith: The better half of "Kurt and Smitty" for giving Peggy a stylish haircut and for being out and proud in 1962. Like his fellow gay art man Sal Romano, he's dearly missed.

41. Beth Dawes: Rory Gilmore on Mad Men! Rory Gilmore having an affair with Pete Campbell (played by her now-husband Vincent Kartheiser) on Mad Men! Rory Gilmore depressed on Mad Men. Rory Gilmore going through electroshock therapy on Mad Men. Poor Rory Gilmore.

42. Hildy: Poor Hildy. She works for Pete, a complete asshole in the first few seasons, and has an accidental affair with Harry Crane. Considering Pete became much better later, and Harry became the worst, Hildy really hit the jackpot on getting involved with dynamic characters at the worst times.

43. Sylvia Rosen: Treading lightly here: Sylvia is played by the beloved Linda Cardellini. As one of Don's brunette lovers, she is an important part of his repeating patterns. She's also got great traits of women like Faye Miller and Bobbie Barrett in her. That said, she can feel a bit like a composite character.

44. Henry Francis: When we first see Henry Francis, he's a dashing knight in shining hair come to save Betty from a terrible marriage. The truth is, naturally, more complicated. Yet even as he shows off his darker side, Henry remains, on the whole, a good person and a great stepfather. "Good" and "great" are pretty rare adjectives in the Mad Men universe, after all.

45. Danny Siegel: Whether you know him as Doyle from Gilmore Girls, Jonathan on Buffy or as a writer for Empire, there's a joy in seeing Danny Strong on this show. As Jane's cousin, he's a terrible creative team member. Yet there's something about him, a kicked-puppy quality, that makes you wanna pick him up and take care of him.

46. Elliot Lawrence: He didn't get much screentime, but Elliot is the Belle Jolie representative who tries to pull Sal out of the closet. It doesn't go well, and it's a shame: Elliot seems great! We just want the best for you, Sal.

47. Allison: Ugh, poor Allison. What else is there to say? Should she sleep with Don? No. Is that in any way her fault, considering Don is her direct superior and abuses his position in a tremendously disgusting way with no regard to her feelings? Absolutely not. She should have just stayed at Sterling Cooper after the agency change-over; she'd be saved a lot of trauma.

48. Gail Holloway: Joan's mother who helps take care of her baby. She also seemingly wants Joan to get with Don, which, yes, that would be an awesome pairing. Why did that never happen?

49. Hollis: Sterling Cooper's elevator operator, and perhaps the most put-upon man in the series' history. He has to help Don engineer a whole plot to get Roger to puke, answer Pete's uncomfortable questions about television sets for black people and more. Hollis just wants to do his job, everyone, leave him alone.

50. Paul Kinsey: People love Paul Kinsey for reasons that are surely clear to them. We will say seeing him come back after having gone Hare Krishna is a sufficiently hilarious image.

51. Bethany Van Nuys: There's a hilarity to the way Bethany tries to pin Don down. It's like watching a far more confident Betty work her magic: The effort is there, but she just doesn't have all the information. Bonus for Pitch Perfect fans: It's Aubrey!

52. Father John Gill: Peggy's young priest friend, played by Tom Hanks' son Colin. A nice guy with a knack for guitar, but he's a bit pushy. Disappeared after season 2.

53. Carol McCardy: Joan's lesbian friend and Mad Men's first queer woman character. She has a massive crush on Joan (who could blame her?) that ends badly. Not the show's finest exploration of homosexuality.

54. Lois Sadler: The secretary who runs over Guy Mackendrick's foot. She rides a lawnmower over a man's appendage. What more is there to say, really?

55. Kitty Romano: Sal's long-suffering wife, who perhaps knows more about her husband than he's willing to admit. She's adorable and deserves so much more.

56. Adam Whitman: In what is perhaps Mad Men's most upsetting story, we meet Adam, Don's brother from his former life as Dick Whitman. He seeks out Dick only to be punished by a vengeful Don. The sadness he feels from his brother trying to shove him aside leads him to commit suicide. One of the greatest weights on Don's shoulders.

57. Jane Siegel: Don's new secretary gets introduced in an episode called "The New Girl," and that's about all you need to know to understand her character. Jane is the office's new girl to flirt with, and she's game. She's Roger's new girl who becomes his wife. She's the girl meant to replace Joan, though Sterling Cooper's HBIC won't go down without a fight. Jane spends her time on Mad Men replacing others, so it's only poetic she herself fades away.

58. Bonnie Whiteside: Pete's California real estate agent and second-life love interest who generally has no time for his shit. She's the kind of kickass woman we needed to see more of during season 7.

59. Stephanie: The younger friend of Anna Draper who asks Don for help after becoming pregnant in season 7. She's sweet, and tells Don the truth of Anna's cancer, but doesn't make much of an impression otherwise.

60. Marty Faraday: Speaking of no impression! Did you know Sterling Cooper once had an artist on staff who looked like this:

He's adorable! Where is Marty now? Where is our Marty spinoff? #Justice4Marty

61. Gene Hofstadt: Betty's father and, more importantly, Sally's beloved grandfather. His death in season 3 scars poor Sally, but his legacy lives on in her heart.

62. Smitty Smith: The lesser half of "Kurt and Smitty." Sorry, Smitty, you were great, but you are neither gay nor helpful with Peggy's hair.

63. Julia: Megan's actress friend in season 5. She's fun, though her jaguar walk across the table in the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce conference room is a little sad.

64. Diana Baur: Again, treading lightly here: Diana the waitress is a fine character as she relates to Don's other myriad brunette love interests. The timing of her introduction into Don's world is tough; she comes with only seven episodes to go and dominates the narrative for two of them. She's proven highly controversial, but had she arrived earlier, Elizabeth Reaser likely would have made her into a Mad Men favorite. As it stands, she's a bit of a waste of the audience's time.

65. Ted Chaough: Matthew Weiner's intense interest in Ted during the last few seasons of Mad Men is a bizarre choice. Yes, Ted's got some interesting flaws and assets in his personality. Watching Peggy fall for yet another of her authority figures, while gross, is intriguing, and their breakup helps bolster her character. The second that plot ends, though, Ted ceases to be fun to watch. He wants to be a cog in the machine more than anything, and that's boring television.

66. Jimmy Barrett: On the opposite end of that spectrum is Jimmy Barrett, who is great television without much purpose. He fails where his wife succeeds because he doesn't inspire growth or change at all. He tells Betty about Don and Bobbie's affair, but that's not him causing change; he's just a tool, to choose an all-too-appropriate word for the grossly unfunny insult comic.

67. Dr. Edna Keener: Sally's therapist, who winds up being more help to Betty than her daughter. There's a kind of nasty joke in the plotline, that Betty is so emotionally immature that she needs a children's therapist instead of a real one. Yet Dr. Keener herself is lovely, supportive and a welcome stabilizing presence for the Draper women.

68. John Mathis: Like Diana, Mathis basically gets a whole season 7 episode to himself when there's almost no time to waste on superfluous characters. Also like Diana, he probably would have made for an even better Danny Siegel or Michael Ginsberg given enough time. Unfortunately, he was a victim of late timing and not strong enough of an impression.

69. Frank Keller: Don's accountant. He tells Don exactly how bad the situation is after the Drapers divorce. Frank was, oddly, one of the only men Don could be pretty straight with.

70. Jonesy: The bellhop who faints and requires Sylvia's husband to revive him at the beginning of season 6. He also sees a drunk Don at the end of the season, in a nice bit of bookending. Jonesy is more of a narrative device than a character, really.

71. Arthur Case: Betty and her friend's flirty friend at the barn when they become equestrians. Bland and beautiful, just the way we like stock love interests. Bonus for Revenge fans: It's Nolan!

72. Tom Vogel: Pete's father-in-law and one hell of a ball-buster. His manipulation of Pete in the early seasons is masterful, but grew repetitive and dull.

73. Gloria Hofstadt: Betty's stepmother. She's sweet and inoffensive, though don't ask Betty how she feels.

74. Lee Garner Sr.: Much less loathsome than his son, the tobacco mogul was the first client ever to appear on Mad Men. In "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," he's impressed by Don's skills, echoing what fans would feel for the next eight years.

75. Dorothy Campbell: On one hand, Pete's mother is a bit of a drama queen who, while well-intentioned, is never a stellar mother. On the other hand, she is the only Mad Men character to be murdered at sea. So you have to feel bad for her.

76. Ed Baxter: Ken's father-in-law. Most notable for being a generally good guy, unlike most of the father-in-law characters. In one of his later appearances, season 7's "Severance," he makes a Pop-Tart and is very proud of himself. We are all Ed Baxter in the morning.

77. Loretta: The Drapers' most recent maid and Carla's spiritual successor. She seems nice; we wish we had more time with her.

78. Karen Ericson: Peggy's onetime roommate who proves a bit too fun for her. Looking at the ultra-cool Peggy of today, it's hard to remember how this party-loving city girl intimidated her so.

79. Jennifer Crane: Harry's wife, who probably deserves a medal for putting up with his shit.

80. Scarlett: One of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce's chief secretaries. She seemed nice enough, but then she made Dawn punch her time card for her one time. It nearly got Dawn fired in the process.

81. Bud Campbell: Pete's brother was a sweet guy, but had a bit of a shady past. He seemed much like a guy who would be named Bud.

82. Cynthia Cosgrove: The most important thing to remember about Ken's wife Cynthia is that she's played by Larisa Oleynik, who played the titular character in The Secret World of Alex Mack. Unlike Alex, Cynthia does not transform into a pool of liquid — at least, not as far as we saw.

83. Morris Ginsberg: Morris rescued his son Michael from a concentration camp and took him to America. Overall a good guy.

84. Phoebe: The nurse who lives a few doors down from Don in season 4. She, like Diana, is a mysterious woman in uniform who intrigues Don, but that was about it for Phoebe.

85. Jeannie Vogel: Pete's mother-in-law. Unremarkable, much like most of the people in this part of the list.

86. Judy Hofstadt: Like so. She was Betty's sister-in-law. Seemed nice enough?

87. Gene Draper: There's a more irritating Draper kid lower on this list, but Gene's definitely the most unnecessary. He's far more important to the plot before he's born. As Sally and Don argue, it's pretty creepy Betty named him after her just-deceased father, then converted her father's room into his nursery.

88. Barbara Katz: Rachel Menken's sister and confidante. She's fine.

89. Marvin Woodman: One of the Topaz Pantyhose executives. Easily mixed up with Art.

90. Art Garden: One of the Topaz Pantyhose executives. Easily mixed up with Marvin.

91. Margie Koch: The first non-Peggy female copywriter we see. She gets the edge on the other nameless, dull copywriters for that very reason.

92. Dale: Dale's most redeeming attribute as a copywriter for Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is his sharp choice of eyewear.

93. Bill Mitford: Copywriter Bill probably did something important while on Mad Men. It just so happens the cameras weren't there to capture it.

94. Nan Chaough: Looks flawless but otherwise doesn't do much. Sorry your husband cheats on you with Peggy, Nan.

95. Julio: The odd but cute kid who sits on Peggy's couch and watches TV with her. Kind of a less gross take on Glen Bishop.

96. Lou Avery: Lou was greeted with hatred when he first appeared as Sterling Cooper & Partners' new creative director in season 7. It's not clear why — because he wasn't Don? Because Peggy didn't get to be creative director? — but the vitriol always seemed a bit misplaced for a character as inoffensive as this one.

97. Bobby Draper: Easily the most annoying Draper child, and also the only one to be played by four different actors over the show's run. Thanks to this, he looks almost the exact same age as he did seasons ago. He's supposed to be 13 by the show's end, but tell us, does this child look 13? Also, just to emphasize, he's pretty annoying. Is it harsh to call a child annoying? Because he is.

98. Dr. Arnold Rosen: Arnie Rosen isn't a bad character so much as a frustrating one. He basically exists only to make Don feel bad about his affair with Sylvia. He also gets mad when he can't perform a surgery and quits his job. You could have been so much more, Arnie.

99. Katherine Olson: Judgmental mother of Peggy who doesn't get her daughter's big city life. She also didn't appreciate when Peggy bought her a TV. Very rude, Katherine.

100. Olive Healy: Peggy's onetime secretary takes one look at her weed-smoking boss and puts on her snob pants. Just chill, Olive. Peggy's "in a very good place right now."

101. Harry Crane: Harry is kind of a sad case; at some point during Mad Men's run, he'd be a top-40 character, easy. The writing of Harry got incredibly lazy in the show's last few seasons, and the once-lovable, if slightly smarmy, character got turned into an evil cog in the machine. Rich Sommer deserves better.

102. Jim Hobart: Jim spends 10 years trying to get Don to join McCann Erickson. Imagine spending a decade doing anything. Wouldn't you just give up? "Why are you so obsessed with me?" – Don to Jim, probably.

103. Anita Olson: Judgmental sister of Peggy who doesn't get her sister's big city life. No one wants your opinions, Anita.

104. Conrad Hilton: Jerk hotel magnate based on real-life hotel magnate who may or may not have been a jerk. Great-grandfather of Paris Hilton. Has a weird daddy issues thing going on with Don.

105. Duck Phillips: Any time you feel a thread of sympathy for Herman "Duck" Phillips, the alcoholic most notable for a failed takeover of Sterling Cooper and trying to shit on Don's chair, remember Chauncey:

Chauncey was his beloved dog. Duck abandoned Chauncey, leaving him to die. Duck is an asshole.

106. Jim Cutler: Harry Hamlin did much to make Jim Cutler, a unpleasant new partner for the Sterling Cooper heroes, palatable. Without Hamlin, Cutler was just a jerk who tried to use Bert Cooper's death as a chance to take over the company. He mysteriously disappeared in the second half of season 7, and good riddance.

107. Richard: Joan's new boyfriend doesn't really get her, does he? Offering to take her fabulous places or even hire "a guy" to take care of her problems is exactly what she's resisted her entire life.

109. Sarah Beth Carson: Sarah Beth rides horses with Betty in season 2, then turns into a mess when she has an affair with Arthur Case, blaming Betty for encouraging her. She's kind of allergic to accountability.

109. Margaret Sterling: Ugh, what a brat. She has the misfortune of scheduling her wedding on Nov. 22, 1963, and she really makes the assassination of the president about her. Margaret also discards all earthly possessions and connections with her parents to become a hippie. She's kind of a jerk.

110. Abigail Whitman: Routinely calls her stepson, young Dick Whitman, a "whore child." Not a frontrunner for any Mom of the Year awards. 

111. Rebecca Pryce: Lane's wife is kind of a pill about his general happiness in the States, consistently complaining about wanting to go home to London. She rather unfairly blames Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce for Lane's suicide.

112. Lee Garner Jr.: Closeted gay son of a tobacco tycoon gets closeted art director Sal fired when he doesn't put out. He also fires Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, putting them in financial ruin. In his defense, he inspires a Joan-led Christmas party conga line. Everyone loves a good conga line.

113. Glen Bishop: We should never stop talking about how bizarre it was that Matthew Weiner cast his son as the kid with a gross crush on Betty Draper. Long after we figure out what will happen to Don, this mystery will live on.

114. Burt Peterson: Sterling Cooper's head of accounts got fired twice on the series and did little else. It was satisfying both times.

115. Joey Baird: As the last few names on this list will show you, being a dick to Joan Holloway is a quick way to become loathed. Joey tells Joan she walks around the office waiting to be sexually assaulted, which was worthy not just of Peggy firing him, but of getting his ass physically kicked out the door.

116. Brooks Hargrove: Brooks is Margaret Sterling's husband, and he's pretty useless! Even Margaret's parents say he's useless in "The Monolith." When you're even a pointless character in-universe, you're really not doing it right.

117. St. John Powell: Englishman St. John is generally insufferable, from the pronunciation of his name (Sinjin?) to how he screws the Sterling Cooper gang while his firm owns theirs. St. John sells SC to McCann Erickson, leading to Don and co. defecting and starting their own agency. So at least he indirectly did some good?

118. Abe Drexler: Peggy's longest-lasting relationship was with an arrogant, condescending putz. No wonder she stabbed him.

119. William Hofstadt: Remember how Betty's brother spends the last days of his father's life jockeying for ownership of their family home? Not a good look, Billy.

120. Roy Hazelitt: Midge's beatnik friend/lover(?) is the personification of every snotty philosophy major you met in college, plus he looked generally unwashed.

121. Mark Kearney: Peggy's season-4 boyfriend pressures her into having sex despite her feeling uncomfortable. He also breaks up with her when she couldn't make dinner because she was working. Honestly, she should've stabbed this one too.

122. Suzanne Farrell: Everything about Sally's teacher Suzanne bugs. From her breathy paeans to Don, to trying to read him despite not knowing him at all, she comes off as brazenly out of her element. You almost feel bad when she's left waiting for Don as he talks with Betty in "The Gypsy and the Hobo," but whatever. She'll be fine.

123. John Hooker: Aside from his unfortunate surname, Hooker is best remembered from his time as Lane Pryce's assistant in season 3 as irritating and insecure. He, like Joey, was mean to Joan.

124. Howard Dawes: Howard kicks off our "Absolute Monsters" section of the list by signing his wife Beth up for electroshock therapy because she seemed depressed. That's right: After cheating on Beth in the city, he has her mind-wiped instead of actually helping her during a tough time. Ban Howard.

125. Dr. Arnold Wayne: It's been a while since we've seen Dr. Wayne, so a reminder: As Betty's psychiatrist, he tells Don everything she says in their sessions during season 1. Betty's had a rough time in life, and guys like this are the reason why.

126. Archie Whitman: If Don had been raised in a stable situation, would he be the disaster he is today? Archie Whitman, father of young Dick Whitman, damns him to a life of feeling illegitimate from Dick's conception. Instead of parenting, he scarred Dick in multiple ways. Archie's wrongdoings are the original sins of Don Draper.

127. Ferg Donnelly: Joan, feeling threatened by her co-worker, goes to his supervisor to seek relief. Ferg's response is to imply that Joan needs to have sex with him to work together well. He also fires Ken Cosgrove. Ferg is irredeemable.

128. Manolo: There have been some serious crimes on Mad Men, of both personal and professional nature. Manolo, Pete's mom's gay nurse, beats them all with his plan to marry and kill her to get her money. He goes through with it too.

129. Dr. Greg Harris: It says a lot about the last two people on this list that they're worse than a known murderer. Greg Harris promises Joan a better life as a married woman, then rapes her on the floor of Don Draper's office, blames her for the problems in his life, enlists to get away from his professional problems and divorces her. Fans nicknamed him Dr. Rape. Yet somehow, he's still not the worst man, either on this show or in Joan's life.

130. Herb Rennet: Disgusting slimeball Herb Rennet is a complete barbarian. He's a horrifying beast of a man who makes the most indecent of proposals: Joan must sleep with him, else Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce loses out on Jaguar as a client. Mad Men thrives on a world in shades of gray, and there are certainly characters who inch further into the black. There's no light to Herb, though. He could almost be called a caricature of the perverted troll executive, except we've no doubt this man existed — and probably still exists. No one gets to treat Joan like their property, Herb. Go back to the swamp you came from.