question of the day: Which era would you like to see as a setting for a nostalgic soap opera or drama (à la ‘Mad Men’)?

Obviously the “your fantasies” applies only to powerful hetero men who enjoy having women “service” them. (See The Globe and Mail for a hilarious takedown of Club.)

From ABC’s official site for Pan Am:

Passion, jealousy and espionage... They do it all – and they do it at 30,000 feet. The style of the 1960s, the energy and excitement of the Jet Age and a drama full of sexy entanglements deliciously mesh in this thrilling and highly-original new series.

In this modern world, air travel represents the height of luxury and Pan Am is the biggest name in the business. The planes are glamorous, the pilots are rock stars and the stewardesses are the most desirable women in the world. Not only are these flyboys and girls young and good looking, but to represent Pan Am they also have to be educated, cultured and refined. They're trained to handle everything from in-air emergencies to unwanted advances – all without rumpling their pristine uniforms or mussing their hair. There's Dean (Mike Vogel) – a cocky, charismatic and ambitious new pilot – the first of a new breed not trained in the war. On the sly against company policy, he's dating Bridget, a stunning beauty with a mysterious past. A rebellious bohemian, Maggie (Christina Ricci) turns into a buttoned up professional for work so she can see the world. Rounding out the crew are flirtatious Colette (Karine Vanasse), the adventurous Kate (Kelli Garner) and, finally, Laura (Margot Robbie) – Kate's beauty queen younger sister, a runaway bride, who recently fled a life of domestic boredom to take to the skies.

I certainly hope that when I’m flying, sexy entanglements are not going on in the cockpit.

Currently, too, the BBC has The Hour, which had been positioned as a response to Mad Men (it really isn’t), set in a 1950s TV studio. From the BBC:

Romola Garai, Dominic West and Ben Whishaw star in The Hour, a thrilling six-part drama which takes viewers behind the scenes of the launch of a topical news programme in London 1956, written and created by Bafta award-winning Abi Morgan.

With a highly competitive, sharp-witted and passionate love triangle at the heart of the series, it's through the lives of enigmatic Bel and her rivals, Freddie and Hector, that viewers will witness the decade on the threshold of change – from the ruthless sexual politics behind the polite social façade of the Fifties to the revelations that redefined the world for a new generation.

We’ll undoubtedly see even more Mad Men copycats over the next few years. But what other eras would be suitable for a nostalgic drama? I’d love to see a serious drama set during World War II. A sprawling soap set, say, during the Blitz in London could be full of intrigue, danger, and romance as people live life on the edge, not knowing whether they’ll be alive tomorrow. From soldiers and firemen to shopgirls and nurses, there’s room for all sorts of character from every walk of life (and from both sides of the Atlantic) and lots of potential for action and explosions. How could it miss?

Which era would you like to see as a setting for a nostalgic soap opera or drama (à la Mad Men)?

(If you have a suggestion for a QOTD, feel free to email me. Responses to this QOTD sent by email will be ignored; please post your responses here.)