Pan Am

:

Season 1
  • Network: ABC
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 25, 2011
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 28
  3. Negative: 1 out of 28
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Critic Reviews

  1. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Sep 22, 2011
    91
    A gorgeous production, though the story sometimes keeps it on the tarmac.
  2. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    Sep 23, 2011
    88
    So far, so great.
  3. Salon
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Sep 26, 2011
    80
    Pan Am is nostalgic bonbons for the mind, made with the finest ingredients.
  5. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Lloyd
    Sep 26, 2011
    80
    The glamour in Pan Am may indeed be manufactured--doubly manufactured, given the re-created places and planes--but it's not empty: The show says, yes, this is as good as it looks, and it looks very good
  6. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Glenn Garvin
    Sep 26, 2011
    80
    Derivative Pan Am may be, but that doesn't make it any less watchable.
  7. Zap2it (Inside the Box)
    Reviewed by: Rick Porter
    Sep 26, 2011
    80
    It's definitely a flight worth booking.
  8. Slate
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    Sep 23, 2011
    80
    Pan Am's easy whirl fits the bill, when its chatter is snappy and also when it's not.
  9. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Sep 23, 2011
    80
    Watching Pan Am is like getting a free upgrade to escapist class.
  10. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Sep 26, 2011
    75
    Right now Pan Am doesn't seem to know exactly what it wants to be; it's experimenting with tone, and seeing what works and what doesn't. That's the kind of attitude that, if done right, should lead to an interesting series. [30 Sep 2011, p.62]
    All this critic's reviews
  11. Hitfix
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    Sep 26, 2011
    75
    The female leads are appealing, the world promising and the pilot much more clear-eyed and less compromised in its view of the era than "Playboy Club" is.
  12. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    Sep 26, 2011
    75
    For shows that play to our longing for America's lost days of glory, the sky's the limit.
  13. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Robert Bianco
    Sep 22, 2011
    75
    This is a series where surface is substance, and surfaces don't come much dreamier than in this beautifully realized flight fantasy, from its lovely, terror-free airport to its even lovelier cast.
  14. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Lori Rackl
    Sep 22, 2011
    75
    The action is set to the beat of "Mack the Knife" and other swingin' songs that, along with some stunning production design, help the show deliver a hefty dose of '60s nostalgia.
  15. People Weekly
    Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    Sep 16, 2011
    75
    The show is fueled with so much soap-operatic hot air that it takes off. [26 Sep 2011, p.54]
    All this critic's reviews
  16. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    Sep 12, 2011
    75
    The romance and the attractively stylized innocence of the era is addictive, but the espionage plot, with its link to political history, is absurd.
  17. Philadelphia Daily News
    Reviewed by: Ellen Gray
    Sep 23, 2011
    70
    My favorite so far of the fall's two "Mad Men" wannabes and a show with more moving parts than a jumbo jet.
  18. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Sep 23, 2011
    70
    Every television series launches on a wing and a prayer, perhaps none more than this entertaining, glossy drama.
  19. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Nancy DeWolf Smith
    Sep 23, 2011
    70
    Take the back stories, add the unfolding drama of love, loss, disappearances and danger, shake it all up with exotic locales from Paris and Berlin to Monaco and Rio--and it could be a tasty cocktail

Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Best TV Season of 2011
30
#30 Most Discussed TV Season of 2011
83
#83 Most Shared TV Season of 2011

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 87 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 62 out of 87
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 87
  3. Negative: 6 out of 87
  1. JennetP
    Oct 3, 2011
    4
    As a state department brat who flew hundreds of Pan Am flights back in the day (first class until mid-60s budget cuts sent us to coach), IAs a state department brat who flew hundreds of Pan Am flights back in the day (first class until mid-60s budget cuts sent us to coach), I should be a complete sucker for this show. But, aside from the uniforms and the logos, the show gets most things wrong. The actors, for starters, are all too young and/or unsophisticated; the women lack elegance, and the men lack distinction. I can no more imagine a Pan Am stewardess hiding in the galley from her mother than I can imagine Jackie Kennedy flipping off a reckless cabbie. Despite near-constant girdle checks, the stewardesses are clearly products of a women's movement that hasn't happened yet; the pilots shave their chests, and the set design (clubs, restaurants, hotel rooms) are proudly postmodern. Even the aircraft interiors, which would be so easy to get right, succumb to the anachronizing impulse, appearing much more airy and uncluttered (very 21st-century Zen) than their mid-century models. So what? Well, this show is much more about style than about characters, stories, or ideas, so it ought to have done a better job. It's either going to need MUCH stronger writing and a few new cast members or a style makeover. Or an audience that doesn't care, of course.… Full Review »
  2. TruthBeTold
    Nov 6, 2011
    1
    The BEST thing about this show is the uniform! The Cast is HORRIBLE! The Writing is weak! I can't believe this show is still on TV! Charlie'sThe BEST thing about this show is the uniform! The Cast is HORRIBLE! The Writing is weak! I can't believe this show is still on TV! Charlie's Angels was much better than this show. If they intend to be around next Season, the Writers must step their game up and they need more Crew on-board the flights ,,, at least 10 Crew members. It's just a STUPID show!… Full Review »
  3. Grapevine
    Sep 27, 2011
    10
    I loved it. It was very much a pilot episode- you get to know all the characters involved and there's not much to it other than that, but it'sI loved it. It was very much a pilot episode- you get to know all the characters involved and there's not much to it other than that, but it's so well-made and interesting! Loved how glamorous and yet realistic it is.
    The production and overall looks of everything is very very good. Very good graphics, wardrobe and everything.
    It's all in very good taste.
    To be honest , i never liked Mad Men all that much, it was so boring. Watched about 3 seasons of deathly boredom. This is the same decade and it's youthful and good. I really loved it.    … Full Review »
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