''The Flight Attendant'' is an American

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

mystery

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

series developed by Steve Yockey based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian. It stars Kaley Cuoco in the title role and premiered on

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Ne ...

on November 26, 2020. In December 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 21, 2022.

Plot

American flight attendant Cassie Bowden is a reckless alcoholic who drinks during flights and spends her time having sex with strangers, including her passengers. When she wakes up in a hotel room in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

with a hangover from the night before, she discovers the dead body of a passenger on her last flight lying next to her with his throat slashed. Afraid to call the police, she cleans up the crime scene, then joins the other airline crew traveling to the airport. In

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, she is met by

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice ...

(FBI) agents who question her about the layover in Bangkok. Still unable to piece the night together, and suffering intermittent flashbacks/hallucinations about it, she begins to wonder who the killer could be. Season 2 takes place a year after the events of the previous season. Cassie now works part-time as an asset for the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

, where she surveils people in between flights. She has been sober for a year, is a regular member of

Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international mutual aid fellowship of alcoholics dedicated to abstinence-based recovery from alcoholism through its spiritually-inclined Twelve Step program. Following its Twelve Traditions, AA is non-professi ...

, and has relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, where she has a new boyfriend, Marco. During an assignment in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

, her target is assassinated by a woman pretending to be her, down to the tattoo. She is haunted by the images of her

doppelgänger A doppelgänger (), a compound noun formed by combining the two nouns (double) and (walker or goer) (), doppelgaenger or doppelganger is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person. In fiction and mythology, a doppelg ...

and tries to figure out who is impersonating her, while suffering hallucinations once again, this time of the past versions of herself who try to persuade her to revert to who she once was. It is later revealed that Cassie's year of sobriety is a sham and that she had relapsed at least twice within that period, but suppressed the memory of doing so.

Cast and characters

Main

* Kaley Cuoco as Cassandra "Cassie" Bowden: An alcoholic flight attendant with self-destructive tendencies. She has a one night stand with a passenger in

and wakes up to his dead body the next morning. She is left to search for answers to clear her name of the murder. Audrey Grace Marshall portrays young Cassie. *

Michiel Huisman Michiel Huisman (; born 18 July 1981) is a Dutch actor who has acted in both Dutch and English-language TV series and films. Huisman began his career in the Dutch soap opera ''Goede tijden, slechte tijden'' (1998). He later played in the Dutc ...

as Alex Sokolov (season 1): A businessman on Cassie's flight to Bangkok. He is murdered in the first episode and primarily appears through hallucinations and flashbacks. * Zosia Mamet as Annie Mouradian: A lawyer and Cassie's best friend who assists her with her situation. *

T. R. Knight Theodore Raymond Knight (born March 26, 1973) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. George O'Malley on the ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–2009, 2020), which earned him a nomination for the Pr ...

as Davey Bowden (season 1; recurring season 2): Cassie's older brother, with whom she has a complicated relationship. Owen Asztalos portrays young Davey in season 1. * Michelle Gomez as Miranda Croft (season 1; guest season 2): A mysterious woman with connections to Alex. * Colin Woodell as Buckley Ware, also known as Feliks (season 1; guest season 2): Cassie's romantic interest who she meets on a bender. * Merle Dandridge as Kim Hammond (season 1): The lead FBI agent investigating Alex's murder and Agent White's partner. * Griffin Matthews as Shane Evans: A flight attendant and a friend of Cassie's. * Nolan Gerard Funk as Van White (season 1): An FBI agent who suspects Cassie of the murder and Agent Hammond's partner. *

Rosie Perez Rosa Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an American actress, choreographer, dancer, and activist. Her breakthrough came with her portrayal of Tina in the film ''Do the Right Thing'' (1989), followed by '' White Men Can't Jump'' (1992). Perez's per ...

as Megan Briscoe: The team flight lead and Cassie's friend, who has secrets of her own. *

Deniz Akdeniz Deniz Akdeniz (born 16 May 1990) is a Turkish Australian actor from Melbourne, Australia. He was nominated for the "Award for Best Actor" at the 2010 Inside Film Awards, for his role of "Homer" in the Australian box office hit ''Tomorrow, When ...

as Max Park (season 2; recurring season 1): Annie's boyfriend and a hacker who helps Cassie. *

Mo McRae Mo McRae (born July 4, 1982) is an American actor, writer and producer, best known for his recurring role as Tyler in the FX series '' Sons of Anarchy'' as well as Leon Hayes in the 2006 film ''Gridiron Gang''. He starred in Fox's '' Pitch''. ...

as Benjamin Berry (season 2): A

agent who serves as Cassie's handler. * Callie Hernandez as Gabrielle Diaz (season 2): Esteban's wife and a passenger on Cassie's flight to

. * J.J. Soria as Esteban Diaz (season 2): Gabrielle's husband and a passenger on Cassie's flight to Berlin. * Cheryl Hines as Dot Karlson (season 2): Benjamin's boss in the CIA.

Recurring

* Audrey Grace Marshall as Young Cassie * Terry Serpico as Bill Briscoe * Jason Jones as Hank Bowden (season 1) * Alberto Frezza as Enrico (season 1) *

Bebe Neuwirth Beatrice "Bebe" Jane Neuwirth ( ; born December 31, 1958) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. On television, she played Dr. Lilith Sternin, Frasier Crane's wife, on both the TV sitcom ''Cheers'' (in a starring role) and its spin-off '' ...

as Diana Carlisle (season 1) * Yasha Jackson as Jada Harris * Isha Blaaker as Nate (season 1) *

Stephanie Koenig Stephanie Koenig is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her roles as Karen in '' The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo'', Eve in ''Swedish Dicks'', and Sabrina Oznowich in ''The Flight Attendant''. Koenig frequently collabo ...

as Sabrina Oznowich (season 1) * Ritchie Coster as Victor (season 1) *

Ann Magnuson Ann Magnuson (born January 4, 1956) is an American actress, performance artist, and nightclub performer. She was described by ''The New York Times'' in 1990 as "An endearing theatrical chameleon who has as many characters at her fingertips as Lil ...

as Janet Sokolov (season 1) * Bruce Baek as Hak Oh-Seong * Briana Cuoco as Cecilia * David Iacono as Eli Briscoe *

Mae Martin Mae Martin (born 2 May 1987) is a Canadian-born comedian, actor, and screenwriter based in England. They wrote and starred in the Netflix comedy series ''Feel Good'' and won two Canadian Comedy Awards as part of the comedy troupe The Young and ...

as Grace St. James (season 2) * Jessie Ennis as Jenny (season 2) *

Santiago Cabrera Santiago Cabrera (; born 5 May 1978) is a Chilean-British actor who has worked mainly in the UK and United States. Cabrera is best known for his roles as the character Isaac Mendez in the television series ''Heroes'', Lancelot in the BBC drama s ...

as Marco (season 2) *

Shohreh Aghdashloo Shohreh Aghdashloo ( fa, شهره آغداشلو, ; née Vaziri-Tabar (); 11 May 1952) is an Iranian and American actress. Following numerous starring roles on the stage, she made her film debut in ''Chess of the Wind'' (1976). Her next two film ...

as Brenda (season 2) * Erik Passoja as Jim Jones (season 2) *

Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, actress, LGBT social activist, and musician. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and se ...

as Charlie Utada (season 2) *

Alanna Ubach Alanna Ubach (born October 3, 1975) is an American actress, known for her roles as Serena McGuire in ''Legally Blonde'' (2001) & ''Legally Blonde 2'' (2003), Isabel Villalobos in '' Meet the Fockers'' (2004), Maria in '' Sister Act 2: Back in th ...

as Carol Atkinson (season 2) *

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...

as Lisa Bowden (season 2) *

Izabella Miko Izabella Miko (born Izabella Anna Mikołajczak; 21 January 1981) is a Polish actress, dancer, film producer, and environmental activist. She is best known for starring in the film ''Coyote Ugly'' and the music videos "Mr. Brightside" and "Miss ...

as Cherri (season 2)

Episodes

Season 1 (2020)

Season 2 (2022)

Production

Development

On October 27, 2017, it was announced that Kaley Cuoco's production company,

Yes, Norman Productions Yes, Norman Productions is an American film and television production company founded on October 27, 2017 by actress and producer Kaley Cuoco. It is known for producing the television series ''Harley Quinn'' (2019–present) and ''The Flight Atte ...

, had

optioned In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement pertaining to film rights between a potential film producer (such as a movie studio, a production company, or an individual) and the author of source material, such as a book, play, or s ...

the rights to the novel, ''

The Flight Attendant ''The Flight Attendant'' is an American dark comedy drama mystery thriller television series developed by Steve Yockey based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian. It stars Kaley Cuoco in the title role and premiered on HB ...

''. The novel would be developed into what was reported to be a limited television series with Cuoco as executive producer. On July 1, 2019, it was announced that

Greg Berlanti Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director of film and television. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', '' Brothers & Sisters'', ''Everwood'', '' Political Animals'', ...

had joined the series as an executive producer through

Berlanti Productions Berlanti Productions is an American film and television production company founded by screenwriter, producer and filmmaker Greg Berlanti and producer Mickey Liddell. History The company was founded in 2000 as Berlanti-Liddell Productions by ...

. On July 1, 2019, it was announced that the series would join

WarnerMedia Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...

's new streaming service,

. On December 18, 2020, HBO Max renewed the series for a second season.

Casting

Upon the series development announcement, Cuoco was also cast to star in the series. In September 2019,

Sonoya Mizuno Sonoya Mizuno (born 1 July 1986) is a Japanese-British actress, model, and ballet dancer. She notably starred in the miniseries '' Maniac'' and the '' Game of Thrones'' prequel series ''House of the Dragon'', and appeared in all the works direc ...

was cast to star alongside Cuoco. In October,

, Colin Woodell,

, and Zosia Mamet joined the cast of the series. In November 2019, Merle Dandridge, Griffin Matthews, and

joined the cast of the series. In December 2019, Nolan Gerard Funk joined the cast.

was added in a recurring role in February 2020. In August 2020, Michelle Gomez joined the cast of the series, replacing Mizuno. In October 2020, Yasha Jackson joined the cast in a recurring role. In September 2021,

, Callie Hernandez, and JJ Soria were cast as new series regulars while Cheryl Hines, Jessie Ennis,

, and

were cast in recurring capacities. In November 2021,

joined the cast in a recurring role for the second season. In January 2022,

was cast in a recurring role for the second season.

Filming

Filming began in November 2019 in

, Thailand, before continuing in

White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State , su ...

, in December. On March 12, 2020, Warner Bros. Television shut down production on the series due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Production on the season's remaining two episodes resumed on August 31, 2020, in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. For the second season, the series relocated its production to California to take advantage of tax incentives provided by the

California Film Commission The California Film Commission (CFC) was founded in 1985 by then California Governor George Deukmejian to act in an economic development capacity for the state. It is a part of the California Trade and Commerce Agency, formerly the Business, Trans ...

. Cuoco stated that the producers consulted with the team who worked on ''

Orphan Black ''Orphan Black'' is a Canadian Science fiction on television, science-fiction Thriller (genre), thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett (director), John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. Th ...

'' to film the scenes which involved multiple versions of Cassie and explained that those scenes were shot on a massive sound stage with several body doubles that she would act opposite.

Soundtrack

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

's "

Angel by the Wings "Angel by the Wings" is a song by Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990 ...

" was featured on the season 1 finale ("Arrivals and Departures"). Cassie's ringtone is a sample of " Two of Hearts" by

Stacey Q Stacey Lynn Swain (born November 30, 1958), known by her stage name Stacey Q, is an American pop singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Her best-known single, John Mitchell's " Two of Hearts", released in 1986, reached number one in Canada, n ...

Release

The series premiered on November 26, 2020, with the first three episodes available. On October 20, 2020, an official trailer for the series and the rollout plan of episodes after the premiere were released; two episodes released on December 3, followed by two more episodes on December 10, and then the season finale on December 17. The second season premiered on April 21, 2022, with the first two episodes available immediately, followed by two more episodes on April 28, and one episode debuting on a weekly basis until the season finale on May 26. The first season began airing on TBS in March 2022. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, the first and second season were released by

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

, and aired on their own channel

Sky Max Sky Max is a British pay television channel which launched on 1 September 2021 along with Sky Showcase. It is owned and operated by Sky Group, a subsidiary of Comcast. The channel was announced on 28 July 2021 to replace Sky One, which had been ...

. Also shown on

Sky Showcase Sky Showcase is a British pay television channel which launched on 1 September 2021 along with Sky Max. It is owned and operated by Sky Group, a division of American media company Comcast. The channel was announced on 28 July 2021 to replace S ...

, as

is currently unavailable in the UK.

Reception

Critical response

Season 1

The first season received mostly positive reviews. On the review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, it holds a 97% approval rating with an average rating of 7.4/10, based on 69 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, " Kaley Cuoco shines as a hot mess in ''The Flight Attendant'', an addictively intriguing slice of stylish pulp that will bring mystery aficionados to Cloud Nine." According to

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which calculated a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 24 critic reviews, the series received "generally favorable reviews". Reviewing the series for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'',

Alan Sepinwall Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He th ...

gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars and said, "Cuoco is sharp and likable throughout, two necessary ingredients for playing a character who makes a scene wherever she goes."

Season 2

The second season also received mostly positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 86% approval rating with an average rating of 7.15/10, based on 53 reviews. The website's critics consensus states, "While there's some turbulence as ''The Flight Attendant'' charters a new course, passengers are in safe hands with Kaley Cuoco's zestful turn and the writers' knack for satisfying twists." On Metacritic, the second season has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on 21 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Awards and nominations

Audience viewership

According to TVLine, ''The Flight Attendant'' became the HBO Max's biggest debut of all time, until it was surpassed by ''

Gossip Girl ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...

'' reboot in 2021. According to HBO Max, the first season "saw week over week growth and ranked as HBO Max’s No. 1 series overall during its run."

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Flight Attendant (TV series), The 2020 American television series debuts 2020s American comedy-drama television series 2020s American mystery television series Alcohol abuse in television American thriller television series Aviation television series English-language television shows HBO Max original programming Murder in television Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic Television series about the Central Intelligence Agency Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television series by Yes, Norman Productions Television shows based on American novels Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Television shows filmed in New York City Television shows filmed in Thailand Television shows set in Bangkok Television shows set in Los Angeles Television shows set in New York City Television series about flight attendants