Comments on: ABC’s “Pan Am” puts up the “no smoking” sign and celebrates racial diversity that didn’t exist

By: Mickey

Mickey — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:10:31 +0000

Ann, that’s exactly what makes a show like “Mad Men” exceptional television in an ocean of mediocrity: the outstanding acting and accurate realism in the writing which makes the characters so hateable and makes us cringe at things like the racism, sexism and anti-Semitism, chain-smoking even by pregnant women, routinely drinking to excess at work, etc. Kevin is on target about Don Draper, yet the complexity of the character makes us continually and vainly hoping for redemption. I also love “Dexter” for many of the same reasons, but have not yet seen “Breaking Bad”.

By: ErinsDad

ErinsDad — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:21:41 +0000

Per Chris Rock’s rules for racial diversity in TV and movies, I’m pretty sure they’ll kill her off in a crash before the first episode is half over.

By: smartgal

smartgal — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 01:48:01 +0000

Too add on to the comment on 13, by the 60’s there actually were a couple of non-white stwedessses, now if it’s specific to Pam am that is a different story, but I know TWA, and other airlines were starting to have racial diversity. SO it’s very POSSIBLE to have an African American stewardess in 1963, you know there were more jobs for African American women beside being maids.

By: Rob Madeo

Rob Madeo — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:04:02 +0000

I’m having a hard time finding something that verifies the CNN story regarding black flight attendants. Anyone else?

The first African-American stewardess is said to be Carol Taylor, who flew on Mohawk Airlines starting in 1958.

By: Kevin Marshall

Kevin Marshall — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:29:03 +0000

GenWar - Be sure to pop over tomorrow when we’ll be talking sex and politics in CBS’s “Two and a Half Men”…now with more Ashton!

By: GenWar

GenWar — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:15:09 +0000

You seriously just wrote an entire blog lamenting the lack of creative integrity on the part of network television.

I want you to go sit in the corner and reflect on that for a minute.

Then I want you to come back and write a blog taking the gastrointestinal tract to task for the foul, unpleasant odor of defecate.

By: Kevin Marshall

Kevin Marshall — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:10:08 +0000

Ann - That’s the thing about a show like “Mad Men” is that it’s not going to work for everybody. We’re encouraged to expect a protagonist to root for. Don Draper isn’t really that guy. He’s not entirely irredeemable, but he very rarely gives you a reason to hope it works out for him in the end. And, just when you think he might, he does something self-destructive to negate it because that’s who he is. It’s admittedly jarring and something that took some time for me to adjust to.

Actually, I think it’s easier to like “Dexter” and “Breaking Bad” because despite the much more violent nature of those shows, you have one where the guy is doing awful things but for what we’re told are all the right reasons, and the other is a guy who’s good almost to a fault that gets desperate and slowly goes bad. But with Draper, we’re dropped into the life of a manipulative philanderer and the more we find out about him, seemingly, the worse it gets.

By: Ann

Ann — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:58:41 +0000

I think Mad Men is too realistic for me. I get too upset to watch it and none of the characters do anything for me but make me hate them. That’s just me though. I’m sure there are people who can’t stand Dexter and Breaking Bad, both of which I completely adore.

By: Kevin Marshall

Kevin Marshall — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:51:02 +0000

Mick - I agree. Seeing Ricci’s name attached to it did raise an eyebrow.

They’re also missing the fact that “Mad Men” actually doesn’t do great ratings. Not even for cable. Which is actually fine for a show like that, which can actually thrive on stuff like DVD, licensing, and the resonance it carries when trying to re-brand a channel like AMC. Ain’t gonna fly on broadcast, though.

By: Mick

Mick — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:49:24 +0000

Kevin I think you can swap out season ending for series ending. Like most shows that get a big screen star to come down this likely will not last. Part of it may be the viewers are going to be hoping for some of that MadMen like drama but this is also going to air on ABC not AMC and the networks have to go for mass appeal. The average viewer likely won’t catch on.