TORONTO - Comparisons to that other 1960s-set TV drama are flattering, but "Pan Am" is much more than "Mad Men" in the sky, says star Christina Ricci.
Although set in the same era, this high-flying series centres on a female flight crew that travels the world and enjoys an independence that many women at the time were denied, she says.
"It is the same time period, so you'll get the same kind of retro glamour -- probably a little bit more glamour because at that time of flying, everybody wore their most glamorous outfits to fly," Ricci said during a promotional stop in Toronto earlier this year.
"But our story's actually more about the women in the air ... this flight crew on Pan Am and their lives, travelling around the world working the flights and sort of their romances and intrigue and what goes on in their lives."
The ensemble series is one of two '60s-set period dramas debuting this fall, joining the Chicago-set "Playboy Club" over on NBC and Citytv. Inspired by the legendary chain of cocktail bars and its sexy waitresses, it also purports to send viewers to a bygone era of sleek style and sophistication.
But any notion that the big broadcast networks are trying to replicate the success of AMC's smash serial "Mad Men" is false, says CTV executive Phil King.
Formulas that work on specialty channels do not translate to network television, he said when CTV unveiled its fall schedule earlier this year.
"If you chase 'Mad Men' you're going to be in trouble -- 'Mad Men' is not a network show, 'Mad Men' does not play to the masses," says King, noting that CTV ran "Mad Men" years ago but "the ratings were just not up to par."
"It's a great show, (but) it's a cult hit. It is not a breakout hit.... ('Pan Am') is done to be much more accessible to the masses.... You're travelling to exotic locations, you've got some cool storylines weaved in."
Ricci's character in particular is an intriguing figure who will be revealed as the series evolves. As the rebellious Maggie, she's a whirlwind at home, an earthy bohemian who hangs with intellectuals in Greenwich Village.
"She's sort of hard to pin down," says Ricci, whose lengthy film career is dotted with TV guest appearances on "Saving Grace," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Ally McBeal."
"She's completely a different person when she's not being a flight attendant and as you see in the pilot when you first meet her she's just a completely different human being -- she's in this beatnik apartment, she's got long hair."
When Maggie is in the sky, she's the epitome of stewardess style.
"She's all of a sudden got her wig on, got her perfect hair, perfect stewardess uniform and she has also transformed her personality -- she's all of a sudden the perfect flight attendant," says Ricci, whose character is the purser of Pan Am's new luxury airliner, the Clipper Majestic.
"And I love that. I love that you're kind of like, 'Who is this girl? Who on earth is this person?' It leaves the door open to so many possibilities as to what her backstory is and what her life is and what kind of trouble she's going to get into in the future."
Canadian film star Karine Vanasse makes her U.S. network debut as Colette, a French flight attendant who discovers her jet-setting lover is married; Australia's Margot Robbie is the new hire Laura, a runaway bride who takes flight to avoid domestic boredom; and Kelli Garner is the adventurous Kate, whose gig in the sky masks a secret life of espionage.
Ricci says the cast attended a training seminar on proper Pan Am procedure and gleaned tips from former flight attendants.
"A bunch of ex-stewardesses from Pan Am came and taught us how to fold napkins and serve caviar and all this stuff and there was a special way that only the Pan Am stewardesses held the spoons," says Ricci, adding that that one of the producers, Nancy Ganis, used to be a Pan Am flight attendant.
"And I was sort of like, 'Oh, God, I'm not good at this stuff to begin with. I hope they don't do any close-ups of my hands!' "
Ricci has practically grown up in front of the camera, with childhood roles including the '90s films "Mermaids," "The Addams Family" and "Casper."
Now 31, the petite brunette says she's ready to settle into an ongoing TV role, and had been searching for something to sink her teeth into for a while.
She says "Pan Am" director Thomas Schlamme, who directed and produced the acclaimed serials "Sports Night," "The West Wing" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," wooed her for the role and she jumped at the opportunity.
"It seemed like the perfect thing," she says, adding that she loves period films and TV shows.
"I'm really looking forward to getting to spend years with a character instead of just three months and getting to see how a character develops and grows over the course of time as I grow as a human being.... It's so interesting to work with writers as closely as you do when you're doing television, that's also very new to me."
"Pan Am" debuts Sunday on CTV.
