Previewing Pan Am

After the ratings came in for The Playboy Club, I am sure there were many executives out there who thought to themselves, maybe it was not a very good idea to make a network television show inspired by a cable one that only gets about two million viewers per episode. And Pan Am, premiering Sunday, actually could have very well been a Mad Men spin-off from the episode where Don Draper nailed a stewardess from the airlines a couple seasons ago, the new show even features a character with the penchant of hooking up with the local Don Draper in-between flights.

Oh yeah, and imagine the stewardess Draper bedded also moonlights for the CIA, and then you have Pan Am. Before you groan implausibility; executive producer, and former Pan Am stewardess, Nancy Hutt Ganis says the airline employees as covert operatives contribute to the series’ authenticity claiming, “It was suspected but not discussed.” And do not think this plot twist will turn the series into Charlie's Angels in the sky because Kelli Garner (Taking Woodstock), the stewardess the CIA taps is no Sydney Bristow. She’s barely season one Chuck Bartowski.

This plot also looks to set up a Forrest Gumpian way the cast cross path with big moments in history, the crew even touches down in the Bay of Pigs in the first episode. I am guessing it is only a matter of time before we run into The Beatles, who famously used the airline on the first trip to the States and Frank Abagnale Jr., the real life character Leonardo DiCaprio played in Catch Me If You Can, who spent four years masquerading as a Pan Am pilot.

Also onboard for the ride are Christina Ricci (Mermaids), the rebel one who is reinstated in time for the show’s first flight after being suspended for forgetting to wear her girdle. One has to wonder, with Pan Am stewardess being forced into retirement from the profession when they get married or turn thirty-two, will this affect Ricci’s character since the actress turns that age next February in real life or will she be playing younger than that for the run of the show? The previously mentioned character who attracts Don Draper types in every new city is played by Karine Vanasse (Midnight in Paris) whose thick French accent may have reaching for the closed caption button. The token new stewardess and Garner’s younger sister is played by Australian Margot Robbie in her first job stateside and Margot rivals Amber Heard for the award of the hottest new token hot chick on television this season.

Unlike Eddie Cibrian who blatantly steals everything about Don Draper right down to his speech patterns, the men of Pan Am thankfully do not even try. Mike Vogel (The Help) is a new breed of pilot, the one’s that came before him all flew in World War II, on his first day as the first in command who is dating one of the stewardesses and hopes to get her to retire, and not because of her age. His second in command is Michael Mosley (Justified) who has a lot of fun at his new boss.

For those wondering the show starts to feel claustrophobic being featured inside an airplane, there is fair amount of flashbacks in the first episode though it is unclear if this will be a running theme in the show or just exposition into the background of the characters for the first episode, but considering flashbacks make up about forty percent of the Pilot, I am guessing the former. With the flashbacks and novice espionage angle, Pan Am has set up an interesting premise assuming they do not quickly devolve into a guess which famous historical figure show up this week type of show. Even then, seeing Margot Robbie in that uniform every week may be worth tuning in every week anyway.

Pan Am airs Sundays at 10:00 on ABC. You will be able to stream episodes after they air over at Hulu.