Why John Slattery Was Credited As ‘Special Guest’ In Mad Men Season 1

One of the marquee names of Mad Men is oddly credited with “Special Guest Appearance” in season 1. AMC’s Emmy-winning prestige series created by Matthew Weiner is now streaming in 4K on HBO Max, where audiences can see Mad Men in a new way, mistakes and all.

Mad Men‘s pilot episode remarkably arrived fully formed, with only minor retcons needed when Mad Men season 1 was ordered by AMC. Matthew Weiner’s vision of 1960s ad men on Madison Avenue introduced a slew of memorable characters, led by Sterling Cooper’s handsome and enigmatic Creative Director, Don Draper (Jon Hamm).

Roger Sterling (John Slattery) was also introduced in Mad Men‘s pilot. Sterling Cooper’s head of accounts, Roger is a believer in Draper’s talent and boasts about Don’s genius to Lucky Strike. Yet John Slattery’s billing in Mad Men season 1 is anathetical to Roger Sterling’s stature in Matthew Weiner’s series.

The Reason John Slattery Was Credited As “Special Guest Appearance” In Mad Men Season 1

John Slattery was only credited with “Special Guest Appearance” in Mad Men season 1 because the silver-haired actor hedged his bets about Mad Men succeeding on AMC. As Slattery told Los Angeles Times in 2013 in a joint interview with Matthew Weiner, John was “leery” about fully committing to Mad Men at first:

“I’ve been in the position where you start something and you’re promised a whole range of things and it doesn’t turn out, so I was leery,” he recalls. “Matt said, ‘I promise you this would be a great part.’ And that was all I had to hear. He’s been at least as good as his word.”

Mad Men was a huge risk for AMC, which was known as a cable channel that repeated classic movies before moving into original scripted programming. After HBO and Showtime passed on 1960s period series, AMC wasn’t a sure bet, and John Slattery wanted the option to exit Mad Men if the whole venture failed.

A heart attack storyline removed Roger Sterling from Mad Men season 1 for three episodes. Potentially, Roger Sterling could have been killed off, but Mad Men proved to be a hit with critics and audiences.

John Slattery’s “Special Guest Appearance” credit lasted throughout Mad Men season 1, and he was billed as a series regular thereafter. Slattery won two Screen Actors Guild Awards and also directed several Mad Men episodes, while Roger Sterling became one of the show’s most popular characters.

Roger Sterling Was Crucial To Mad Men

Mad Men is unimaginable without John Slattery’s charming performance as Roger Sterling. Aided by Slattery’s flawless timing and deadpan delivery, Roger regularly delivered Mad Men‘s funniest (and least politically correct) one-liners.

Roger Sterling was endearing despite appalling behavior that would get him instantly canceled today. An alcoholic and womanizer, Roger left his wife, Mona (Talia Balsam), and married Don’s 20-year-old secretary, Jane Siegel (Peyton List). Perhaps the worst thing Roger did was wear blackface in Mad Men season 3.

Roger Sterling was a role model for Don Draper and epitomized what it was to be an advertising executive in the 1960s. Roger was a world-class schmoozer and raconteur who drank like there was no tomorrow. Roger could get away with all manner of bad deeds, including lying to Sterling Cooper’s partners about losing Lucky Strike, the agency’s biggest client.

Mad Men would not have worked or endured as the classic, award-winning series it became without John Slattery as Roger Sterling. Even in Mad Men season 1, it was clear Roger Sterling was more important than a “Special Guest Appearance” despite John Slattery’s billing in the opening credits.