ABC 2011 Fall TV Premiere: Pan Am

published: 2011-05-17 11:10:26

The idealized 60s have been captured to near perfection by Mad Men. Now ABC is bringing us Pan Am, which aims to showcase the 60s attitude toward luxury flying. Only the best, and the best looking, get to work for Pan Am. The freewheeling cocky pilots, the perfect young stewardesses, and the opulent attitudes of the people are all reminiscent of Frank Abignale’s Catch Me If You Can.

The new series is an original concept; so don’t expect to see any conmen or FBI agents chasing people. Pan Am is about the stewardesses and pilots of Pan Am during the “Jet Age.” The images, videos, and synopsis of the show certainly ascertain that the aesthetic will be maintained. The real question is how the tone of the time will be handled. While some may see this age in our country’s history as sexy and stylistic, it was just as much a time of sexism and misogynistic policies. We’ve begun to see, through Mad Men, how society begins to slowly change from the perspective of Madison Ave; will Pan Am tell that story from 30,000 feet?

Below is ABC’s synopsis for the series and further down are a few clips from the premiere episode:

Passion, jealousy and espionage... They do it all - and they do it at 30,000 feet. The style of the 1960s, the energy and excitement of the Jet Age and a drama full of sexy entanglements deliciously mesh in this thrilling and highly-original new series.

In this modern world, air travel represents the height of luxury and Pan Am is the biggest name in the business. The planes are glamorous, the pilots are rock stars and the stewardesses are the most desirable women in the world. Not only are these flyboys and girls young and good looking, but to represent Pan Am they also have to be educated, cultured and refined. They're trained to handle everything from in-air emergencies to unwanted advances - all without rumpling their pristine uniforms or mussing their hair. There's Dean (Jonah Lotan) - a cocky, charismatic and ambitious new pilot - the first of a new breed not trained in the war. On the sly against company policy, he's dating Bridget, a stunning beauty with a mysterious past. A rebellious bohemian, Maggie (Christina Ricci) turns into a buttoned up professional for work so she can see the world. Rounding out the crew are flirtatious Collette (Karine Vanasse), the adventurous Kate (Kelli Garner) and, finally, Laura (Margot Robbie) - Kate's beauty queen younger sister, a runaway bride, who recently fled a life of domestic boredom to take to the skies.