Pan Am: The Complete Series

Following the lead of Mad Men, this short-lived big-budget network drama re-creates the early 1960s world of a quartet of young stewardesses who find a freedom that other careers simply don't offer women. The ostensible star is Christina Ricci as Maggie, a smart, tart, rebellious young woman who likes to push the boundaries of proper feminine behavior in an unforgiving corporate culture where appearances are everything; but the more interesting storylines go to costars Kelli Garner as Kate, a toughened pro recruited by the CIA; Margot Robbie as Laura, an idealistic Marilyn-esque beauty who ends up in the New York art scene; and Karine Vanasse, who brings a cosmopolitan air as Colette, a sweet and worldly French flight attendant. Naturally, Pan Am also features some pilots (Michael Mosley and Mike Vogel) and love interests (including Goran Visnjic as a Soviet-bloc activist), but the women's stories remain the focus. Unfortunately, while the world-traveling plots bring viewers to some gorgeous locations, and the evocation of the era is terrific (including the period fashions), the writing never quite rises above nighttime soap opera, tipping too frequently into romantic wooziness and spy-movie complications. Compiling all 14 episodes from its single 2011–12 season, extras include an interview with former Pan Am stewardess and executive producer Nancy Hult Ganis, and behind-the-scenes featurettes. An optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)