‘Pan Am’ takes off with strong ratings

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The skies really were friendly for ABC’s ‘Pan Am,’ which in its Sunday premiere was one of the few new fall dramas to show ratings promise.

The period piece about a 1960s-era flight crew jetted off with 10.9 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. That improved on the 9.8 million who turned out for the final season premiere of ‘Desperate Housewives’ -- a strong sign that viewers at least wanted to take a spin on ‘Pan Am.’

In the coveted viewers-age-18-to-49 demographic, ‘Pan Am’ thrust to a 3.1 rating/8 share -- a solid second-place finish behind a highly rated Steelers-Colts game on NBC (a 13.2 household rating in preliminary data; more numbers will be available later).

It remains to be seen whether the Jet Age soap can keep its numbers aloft, though. One week in, the fall TV season has proved brutal to 10 p.m. dramas, with new and returning programs slipping to record lows.

What did you think of the ‘Pan Am’ premiere?

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-- Scott Collins
Twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT