Once upon a time in America, in the 1950s and '60s, men were unapologetic about their smoking, drinking and womanizing. Bad behavior, yes, but also a landscape of creative opportunities for AMC's Emmy Award-winning "Mad Men."

Among the show's writers/producers is the husband-wife team of Andre and Maria Jacquemetton, who once worked in the Islands on "Baywatch Hawaii." "Mad Men," a critically acclaimed show with modest ratings, ends its second season tonight. To mark the finale, we caught up with Maria Jacquemetton at the couple's L.A. home.

Q. Describe this show for readers who may not have found it, and explain why you like it so much.

A. It's an hour drama about a group of people who work in the advertising industry in the '60s that looks back on the time period when the American dream was being created. It looks back with nostalgia and irony. We don't look at the early '60s with rose-colored glasses. We look at it the way it was. Our stories are not always politically correct. People are sexist. It was before the civil rights movement. They smoke. They drink. They say what's on their mind. They behave badly and get away with it. It's fun for writers. You don't have to always be checking yourself ... it allows you the freedom to talk about issues and tell stories without having to always use the filter of modern-day political correctness.

Q. After writing for "Baywatch" and "Star Trek: Enterprise," how difficult was it to get into the characters of "Mad Men"?

A. It's not difficult to get into the characters. It was what we were dying to do. For me and my writing — and my husband and I talk about this a lot — the drama you are writing about comes from the characters, and you have to start there. "Baywatch" was a silly show, but we tried every day to figure out these lifeguards and what made them tick. As a writer that's where you go, even if you are writing for a show that is not highbrow.

Q. When you began working on the show's first season in early 2007, you were working in Los Angeles, and your children were with relatives in Canada. How hard was that?

A. It was hard on us emotionally, but work-wise, it was easier. Your hours are so long when you are on a TV show that you are rarely seeing your family anyway. I would take them to school because we generally start at 10 o'clock in the morning. Writers are lazy. We don't like to get up early. I would take them to school, and we would work all day, and we got home, on a good day, at 8 o'clock at night. My daughter was in bed and my son would have an hour before bed. He actually said to me the other day, "Mom, you guys just work all the time, and we're used to growing up without you," which made me really sad.

Q. What's it like writing with your husband? Who's better?

I don't want anything in print. I have to stay married. But it's been the best scenario for us. First, you split the work, and that's a relief. Sometimes you are on a short deadline. We also have each's back. You also have someone at your side when you are pitching something or when you are stretching an idea. You have two heads. Someone is always on when you are having a slow day. We used to have very different voices, but now ... our voices are very similar. It was a Vulcan mind-meld. It probably happened with "Star Trek."