According to Jon Hamm, the production's pursuit of historical accuracy is such that series researchers will insist on knowing weather conditions, news items, and popular culture for a particular period related to the script's time frame.
The actors do not smoke real cigarettes. They smoke Ecstacy herbal cigarettes, which are tobacco and nicotine free. Show creator Matthew Weiner said in a New York Times article, "You don't want actors smoking real cigarettes. They get agitated and nervous. I've been on sets where people throw up, they've smoked so much." When asked what it's like to smoke herbal cigarettes, Jon Hamm (who plays Don Draper) told Vulture, "Terrible. They taste like a mixture between pot and soap."
The series spans ten years; the pilot takes place around March of 1960. The series finale occurs in October 1970.
Most of the sets for the Sterling Cooper offices have visible ceilings, which is unusual for television. Typically there are permanent lighting rigs overhead, which allow the crew to quickly change lighting set ups for different scenes. Having the ceilings visible made the sets appear more realistic. But it also made more work for the crew, who were constantly having to reposition lights and furniture for different camera set ups.
Nearly a year elapsed between the filming of the pilot, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (2007) and the second episode, Ladies Room (2007).