Pan Am has made some changes since its inception. The music during the show has definately improved since Episode 1, and the ABC show has acquired a brand new showrunner in Steven Maeda. Even with changes like these, ratings for Pan Am have been holding steady at 5 million and change. Steady is better than worsening. Recently, ABC ordered five more scripts for the freshman program, but we have yet to hear from the network whether or not the series will get a full season.
Boding well for the show is its international ratings. Perhaps because of its period charm and globe-trotting plotlines, Deadline is reporting out of five countries’ ratings – Canada, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, and Spain – all but Spain have ranked Pan Am as the highest rated new U.S. program on air. Those numbers, combined with the recent five-script order, bode fairly well for the program.
Of course, the Sony Pictures show has a big week ahead of it. Pan Am is expected to premiere on British television via BBC2 next week. Beyond that, ABC should be making a decision on whether they will order more episodes very soon. Pan Am isn’t completely out of hot water yet. Supposedly the show is getting pretty good DVR ratings, but that’s not what counts for advertisers. A good way to ensure continuance would be if Pan Am could get its Sunday night ratings up a little. Between BBC2 and the staunchness of some of Pan Am’s fans, there’s definitely hope.
