MovieChat Forums > The Playboy Club (2011) Discussion > Pan Am vs Playboy Club

Pan Am vs Playboy Club

posted 13 years ago by jondoe888
6 replies | jump to latest

(I’m posting this both in the PC and PAm forum. Not really looking for answers, just musing. Feel free to muse along…)
I watched the first Playboy Club, and thought it was so-so and needed development. Not unusual for a new show. When I watched the first Pan Am, I got what I expected – the same show, but one was more fun than the other, and had a little more sex. (Pan Am). One had an unnecessary death, one has an odd ‘charlie’s angels’ spy thing.

Was it the storyline? Acting? They were both the same story, same women, different careers. They were all looking for a break from the 50’s. They were still controlled by and had to please the men, but the money and lifestyle was better. And they had their own kind of control. They all had to get past the controlling tightly wound girdle-slapper and had to walk a tight line along with their new freedoms.

So, it was hard to tell after one show, but what was the big difference? Dark PC clearly turned people off. Even normal, un-Family Council/hypocrite types. One PC viewing told me all I needed to know, but we will likely continue flying Pan Am. Still – the shows were so similar.

Clearly not a good year for Hef! Personally, the Bunny years were an interesting time. I wish Ken Burns would do a PBS series on them!

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] markfkdone 13 years ago

well....Pan Am hasn't been cancelled yet.

____
The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] Eigan 13 years ago

I thought Pan Am was incredibly dull and boring on first viewing, but got noticeably better after that.I see it like this:One viewing, first episode:TPC >>> Pan Am. TPC captured my attention at the outset.Repeat viewings, first episode:Relatively equal, actually, as reflected in my IMDb ratings on both episodes.Same story? Nope. Perhaps the end result of female liberation is the same, but they're taking different paths towards that end, so the journey was expected to be different between the two.I think the 'Playboy' name was a factor in the downfall of TPC.I would've preferred continuing to watch both, but Pan Am's the only one flying the skies right now (that is, *unless* TPC gets picked up by another network, which is veeeeeerrrrryyy unlikely!)._____~ I close my eyes lost in a memoryJust like a candle in the wind ~

[–] mail-2775 13 years ago

Good post!

I think they're both lousy and pointless.

I'm especially surprised to see so few negative posts about this one. You'd have to make a special effort to come up with a show less inventive and more derivative than this one.

BTW, we need to get ready to boycott NBC. Not only do they make lame shows, but they want to kill the drama genre outright, replacing it with something only slightly more production intensive than a test pattern.

After they tried to rid the world of 1/3rd of the adult-level scripted entertainment by throwing out five hours of Leno at 10, they are now doing it again with Rock Center with Brian Williams.

[–] whynot2 13 years ago

>>So, it was hard to tell after one show, but what was the big difference? Dark PC clearly turned people off. Even normal, un-Family Council/hypocrite types. One PC viewing told me all I needed to know, but we will likely continue flying Pan Am. Still – the shows were so similar.

I didn't try Pan-Am. Not really tempted. I am definitely not one of those TPC types...heck, I use their "hitlist" for ideas of what to watch next...if they don't like a show, it must have something going for it.

No, the problem for me, and I realize I'm clearly in a minority...I just don't like those glossy, who-done-it/how-do-underdog-hero-get-away-from-mob (or crooked politicians or institutions) shows. For whatever reason, I like my entertainment to be a a little "smaller", a little grittier and a little more heartfelt. And I found PC to be none of that, so I bailed, quickly.

I do agree that, interestingly, the name and the concept (using Playboy in the name, set in Playboy club of 60's) was absolutely key to its early demise. I suspect that the network would have weathered the storm if it had been a ratings smash, but the bottom line is... large and active groups had taken up the cause, jeopardizing advertising revenue, and no network is going to take a revenue hit in prime time on principle. And if you don't think those large and active groups have impact on enterprise, try buying a Playboy magazine in a 7-11.

And that, I find acutely disturbing.

Apparently, dogs are wolves with Williams-Beuren Syndrome.