Pan Am (TV Series) Pilot (2011) User Reviews

Not what I was expecting......

[derekprice1974 · 8/10 · 25 September 2011]

I was expecting to see some silly show about flight attendants and the various things they encounter while serving passengers. I was very glad to see that many plot lines were exposed in the Pilot, and it appears that many secrets are left to be discovered. I liked the look and the feel of the show as the producers try to capture the essence of a time gone by. I think the show has promise and potential. It will be interesting to see how each storyline is developed. I was surprised to see Christina Ricci is in this, and in fact, had I not seen a picture of her and advertisement for it on Facebook I may not have watched it. But, I am glad that I did, and I will be watching weekly unless the show starts disappointing.

Refreshing period drama featuring a charming cast, some promising arcs and even inspiring elements

[igoatabase · 26 September 2011]

A series featuring stewardesses and pilots sounded like an entertaining aerial escape. It's exactly what Pan Am is and don't expect it to change your life or blow your mind in any way. Their plane won't crash on a desert island or get lost in an alternate universe after entering an electromagnetic storm. This is just a period drama mostly about the highs and lows of flight attendants. The production is good and you should really feel in the 60s. It features multiple sets from hotel rooms to street corners without forgetting the mandatory airports and planes. They're all well designed and some scenes have light but immersive visual effects. The main cast is leaded by Christina Ricci who plays Maggie Ryan, a stewardess who replaced a co-worker at the last minute. However surprisingly the story didn't focus on her but on the other characters. It's an original approach even if I'm new to the genre considering I'm not ER or Grey's Anatomy fluent. I won't say that it made things intriguing, far from it, but it could convince some viewers to at least watch the second episode. Among the crew was Colette Valois, played by Karine Vanasse. I found the French woman was slightly stereotyped but like with the Italian girl I appreciated the fact that some short dialogs weren't subtitled to make them more exotic. Moreover at least one of them should grow on you because they all have different backgrounds and two are sisters actually. The show also mixes genres from espionage to romance and some arcs definitely have potential. In fact they were twisted enough and made the story less predictable. It won't make you fall from your seat but they could have gone for something soapy instead. A few sequences also contributed to make the pace more exciting. One should make you root for girls breaking the rules and an other one featuring Colette in a hotel was well edited and dressed by a sensual tune. Last but not least one could worry that the show is sponsored by some airline but I don't think it's the case even if you never know these days. Indeed I really enjoyed two scenes featuring kids dreaming to become like the adults they see. It's the cycle of life after all. What's your dream ? Maybe watching Pan Am will give you enough energy to put an other foot in front of the other and make your dream more accessible.

Not very accurate.

[lchurchpa · 2/10 · 26 September 2011]

As a former crewmember, I thought it would be interesting to watch for the accuracy of this series. The media had claimed that the producers had gone to great lengths to provide an accurate framework for the show. They missed by a wide margin.

Pan Am introduced international jet service as follows: "Boeing rolled out the first operational 707, a Boeing 707-120, and on October 26, 1958, amid much fanfare, Pan American inaugurated its New York-London route." That's a lot earlier than 1962 as depicted in the TV series. Also, there was only a crew of three…no navigator. Next, the Captain looks to be about 40. No way. This inaugural flight would have been crewed by one of the most senior, if not the senior crew, in Pan Am. The same for the stewardesses. The young blonde, whose character's name escapes me, was on her first flight. Again, no way. Senior stewardesses. Another error is the captain asking Boston control to see if they can locate his girlfriend/fiancé. Lastly, the captain is handling the radio transmissions with the control tower which is the responsibility of the first officer. Turns out this is going to be just another soap opera instead of an adventure. Too bad, I was looking forward to watching it.

PAN AM deserves better.

[vitaleralphlouis · 1/10 · 2 October 2011]

Pan American World Airways was the best airline in history. They pioneered everything except in-flight movies (TWA) and they motivated us to not just see the USA and Europe but to explore Asia, Africa, India, South and Central America, Australia and New Zealand. We love Pan Am, and today's United (that operates so many of Pan Am's former routes) generates no get-up-and-go adventure in their customers. Pan Am deserves better than this limp and stupid ABC series.

There were no interesting characters in Episode One; no interesting situations; nothing whatever to attract and hold the viewer. A TV series ought tell a story, make us laugh, serve a useful purpose -- to hold us until the excessive commercials pass. Not here.