After the wild success of AMC’s Mad Men, two networks and one cable channel all have shows in development that are set in the 1960’s. I’m a bit surprised it took the network executives four whole seasons of Mad Men to capitalize on an idea that’s been so popular with viewers and critics.
The first of the three new shows comes from ABC and centers on the pilots and flight attendants of the once famous Pan Am airline. The show is cleverly titled Pan Am. The idea came from producer Nancy Ganis, who was a stewardess for the airline thirty years ago. Ganis pitched the show to execs as one filled with intrigue and sex, where the women exported American culture to the world, and brought the world home with them. While the show sounds interesting, ABC is a family friendly network. I find it hard imagining the network replicating some of the risqué issues that Mad Men is able to explore on a cable channel.
The next show Playboy is being developed for NBC, and it will focus on a group of women working at the Playboy club in New York. According to Variety, the setting will serve as a lens for the “changing mores” of the time. An uncreative name, attractive women navigating a misogynistic culture, and a tame network tackling racy subject matter, sound familiar? NBC is best known for its comedy shows, not its dramas.
Finally, there’s Magic City which is being developed for Starz. The ten-episode season will explore Miami as the strength of the mob in that area grows, the drug trade begins to blossom, dramatic changes take place in communist Cuba, and racial tensions stir beneath the surface. I think of the three shows, this one has the potential to be the best. Starz doesn’t have the history HBO or Showtime does for creating noteworthy serial dramas, but with 2010’s Spartacus, and Pillars of the Earth, it certainly appears as if they’re in a building stage.
