Pan Am

For those wanting to bathe in the innocence of the era, the examining of the stereotypes and issues typical of the day, wrapped in a delightful coating of lovely sets, beautiful and convincing actors, and believable scripting, then this is your show.

For those wanting serious period drama and historical accuracy to the nth minutia, then disappointment awaits. (As many reviews reveal) Some TV shows just make you want to puke or punch the screen. Terra Nova is a prime example at the moment. But I find myself quite ensconced by Pan Am. Not once do I find myself saying "oh, that can't be real", or "yeah right!".

Pan Am's believability is determined by the joy shown for their parts by the actors performances. There aren't many shows which the focus is largely on the woman, and their intelligence and courage in what was very much a man's world.

The sets are truly amazing - they actually built a full-size replica Boeing 707 for this show! In summary - if you have fond memories of Pan Am and the era it represented, or just enjoy well-made television, then I think you will find this show delivers.

Good old fashioned "escapist fun". That was ABC's forte back in the day. "Fantasy Island", "Love Boat"...shows like this took you away from your standard drama show. And in some ways "Pan Am" does just that.

No, there's no schlocky comedy or anything along those lines, but you go back to a day and age where flying was glamorous, and there was an air of 'excitement' in faraway places. I'm, just a little too young to recall travel like we see on the show, having been born in 1961... My first flight wasn't until the late 60's and by then jet travel was almost the norm than the exception...and then deregulation came along and flying was more a chore than an event to look forward to.

I agree with another poster who thinks the flight crew is a little young. The "jet boys" tended to be a little older. I recall when the pilots of the planes I flew were all old WWII pilots, all in their late 50's or so when I flew through the 1970's...

Aside from THAT, I have very little to grouse about.

Should this show have really great legs and last a while, it'll be interesting to see where we go as Pan Am's fortunes were at their peak in the 60's, but the decline began as the 70's arrived.

Good show. Good Job, ABC!

...but a bit disappointed nonetheless. I watched the first season (while it was still available for free online), and while I was interested in some of the characters and story lines, I felt that it just missed the mark somehow. The story lines seemed kinda cheesy, like a daytime soap opera. What it comes down to, I think, is the writing just wasn't there. It was a great idea for a series, but I think they would have needed to bring in different writers to make it work. Or tried to make it a completely different kind of show, like a comedy. But as it was, the type of drama it was, just didn't work very well. Obviously. Take the lesbian element for example. That was just kinda odd. And the other romances/dalliances were just melodramatic, lacking any real depth or interest.

Okay - elephants in the room. Dean would never have been a captain at his age and experience level - the union would have gone to war over it. Second baby elephant 'cause she's so tiny - Maggie would never have been a stewardess let alone a purser because she's too short to reach the overhead baggage bins. And she'd only been with Pan Am for 2 years. BUT! This is TV, so what the heck!!

It was fun! As a former pilot I saw aviation goofs, and was proud of myself for how much I remembered and then got back to enjoying the show. I thought the short field take-off in Haiti was brilliant. And it is most certainly a "thing".

Ted was my favorite, most well-rounded character. Kate grew the most. Maggie the most consistent.

I was glad they brought in a genuine cranky "dirty old man" captain, AND a Sky God! That was essential to the story - and they were like that!!! You had to love them! Or loved to hate them. And they DID tell war stories about their flying days in the war. The one's I heard were riotous and comical and if put into a book, no on would believe it - including almost taking out the Taj Mahal one foggy morning.

Yep. THOSE were the days, my friend!! We thought they'd never end.

SO, forgive the hiccups in the series and enjoy it for what it is: Really good, fun entertainment!!

Well written script - the intrigue is great. Nice job of weaving the stories together. Good to see all involved in creation of this series understand the airline industry. Frankly, was not expecting such a high degree of detail and accuracy as few people understand the industry. It looks simple from the outside but is full of deep and highly complex issues. What you saw was true. Lots of emotional drama in the airline industry draw from. Would occasionally like to see some of the serious side too. If the remainder of the series is as good as the first it will be a winner. Thanks for wonderful entertainment - look forward to next Sunday night.