By Michelle Joline
Arts & Life Editor
Along with shows like “Mad Men” and “Playboy Club,” “Pan Am” is just another addition to 1960s-era shows dominating television this season. With a bad economy and a lack of job security, today’s generation is looking for some much-needed comfort in a “simpler time.” We are living vicariously through these characters who travel the world in just one hour of network time.
There has been much media excitement over “Pan Am’s” premier, focused on whether or not it would meet expectations. It does not disappoint. The series premiered Tuesday, Sept. 25, and fans are already anticipating the next episode. Some predicted the show to be a flighty interpretation of the classic and stereotypical life of a Pan Am flight attendant, but within the first few minutes of its running time we realized this is not the case. There is mystery entwined into the lives of the stewardesses the show is pictured around, making the show more like a mini-series than the average sitcom.
Christina Ricci, the face of the new series, plays Maggie, an atypical hippie Pan Am flight attendant. The first episode is not entirely about Maggie, which comes as a surprise given Ricci’s importance in the show’s current promotional advertisements. This was a wise direction since the ensemble of characters makes for a more dramatic and satisfying adaption.
This is the type of series that will get you hooked and leave you waiting for next week’s episode to air.
Interested in “flying” with “Pan Am?” You can catch the next episode at 10 p.m. this Sunday.