Question: I have been teetering back and forth as to whether Pan Am deserves space on my DVR. Matt, I know you are the guru of TV, but I’m not sure if you are familiar with a show called Mile High, which I believe ran for two seasons on the BBC. I found this show quite funny and entertaining minus a couple hard-to-understand accents. It seems that Pan Am is very similar to Mile High, but will never get away with some of the things that Mile High did. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. — Jeffrey

Matt Roush: I’m not acquainted with Mile High — if the shows don’t actually get imported to the U.S., I really don’t have time to sample others’ wares, much as I’d like — but from the way you describe it, it sounds a lot more outrageous than is Pan Am’s intent. Pan Am is a nostalgic ’60s period piece with a rather earnest approach to its soapy storytelling. I like it well enough to be recommending it in our Fall Preview issue — on stands now — and I love the way it looks, but it’s purely escapist programming, not trying to push the envelope (at least not yet), so gauge your expectations accordingly.

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