Pan Am

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.

I hate to admit it, but I can see why this warm, funny, sexy show was cancelled so quickly. The klutzy comedy totally clashes with the soap opera style sex and the amateurish Cold War spy stuff. But it's really astonishing to see Margot Robbie as she was ten years ago, a total unknown. Her raw talent is incredible, plus she has the curves and whispery innocence of Marilyn Monroe, the regal bearing of Grace Kelly, and the wide-eyed comic timing of Mary Tyler Moore!

...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.

As a retired international pilot at Trans World Airlines I was very disappointed in the casting of a cockpit crew which exhibited very unprofessional behavior on the flight deck and acted like silly fraternity boys. In the 1960's the pilot in command of an international flight was almost certainly a World War II veteran, often a chain smoker and a no nonsense type. John Wayne in the High and the Mighty looked much more like the old Captains.

In the Pan Am show the Captain made all the radio communications while flying the aircraft- a duty which the First Officer or the non flying pilot traditionally does. During takeoff all attention is given to the instruments and the aircraft. Pilots do not exchange gleeful looks with each other at such critical moments. They also do not ask Air Traffic Control or Gander Oceanic to find out from their company where their missing purser is. They would be laughed out of the sky.

No airline pilot would leave a layover hotel to look for his girlfriend in uniform. Pretty amateurish.

I did enjoy the footage of the great vintage aircraft. The rest was mindless soap opera material.

I've never submitted a review to IMDb, though am a screenwriter and have my own film review blog ... but the two negative reviews of "Pan Am" compelled me to put in my own two cents.

Too much in America, viewers want TV that doesn't make them think (one reason reality shows are so popular) - but even I was surprised by the negative review here that was partially due to the multiple story lines for the "Pan Am". I was easily able to follow all the story lines and characters, and thought the show captured the period (via costumes, music, props, etc.) MUCH better than, say, something like "The Playboy Club". So, SO many people are obsessed or intrigued by the 1960s era, it's a real shame the reviewer who naively put this show down to appealing only to those who go to bed by 10pm was completely clueless that this series has a broad-based appeal for all ages, thanks to story lines and character.

And how, from one pilot episode, can one reviewer make the judgment that this would make a better miniseries? "Pam Am" is excellent in writing, acting, characterization and settling you right into 1963. Worth your time, and I hope following episodes can continue with this quality.