PILOT REVIEW: Pan Am

PAN AM

Starring: Christina Ricci, Margot Robbie, Michael Mosley, Karine Vanasse, with Mike Vogel, and Kelli Garner
Created by Jack Orman
Written by Jack Orman, Directed by Thomas Schlamme

Pan Am is a glossy new period drama set during the Jet Age in the 1960s. Of the two new 1960s dramas on network TV this fall, it was the more anticipated show compared to The Playboy Club and with good reason but there are still some issues it needs to work through. The show centers on four stewardesses (Christina Ricci, Margot Robbie, Karine Vanasse, and Kelli Garner) who get to travel all around the world. Also in the cast are two pilots (Michael Mosley and Mike Vogel).

THE GOOD: As expected, Pan Am is beautifully produced. It captures the glamor and class of what it was like to fly back in the 60s. The entire look of the show paints a beautiful picture of a bygone era. The orchestration and songs used further enhance the mood of the show. The best part of this show is going to be all the places they can go - from the different cities explored to the Pan Am building in New York City, this show is exactly what people knew it would be - frothy and glossy. Among the cast, Christina Ricci was easily the standout even though she was underused in the pilot. Margot Robbie had a fairly big part in the pilot and was solid as well. I love things set in the 1960s so I have high hopes that this show can keep up the high quality production seen in the pilot.

THE BAD: The danger of shows that are all about the look is that there is sometimes a shoddy plot and that was the case in the first episode. The episode felt like it dragged at times and it used too many flashbacks that didn't really tell us anything we didn't know. Flashbacks are good if they serve a purpose but I felt like these flashbacks could have been accomplished with dialogue. Also the ridiculous spy plot seems too contrived and might hurt this show in the long run. It seems like the creators felt like they needed something more so they threw in a spy twist. But that's not necessary, there's plenty of other stories to tell.

BOTTOM LINE: I had really high hopes for Pan Am and I still do but it wasn't all there in the pilot. Like so many freshman shows this year, I liked it but I didn't love it. I feel like there are a lot of B+ shows this year with no real As and no real Fs (well maybe Free Agents of the ones that have come out so far). But back to Pan Am - the elements are there for it to be good. It just needs to make sure its stories match the quality of production and it will be worth watching.