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 HBO Max on November 26, 2020. In December 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 21, 2022. In January 2024, Cuoco announced that a third season was not in the plans and that the second season had been the last.
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 with a hangover from the night before, she discovers the 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, she is met by Federal Bureau of Investigation (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, where she surveils people in between flights. She has been sober for a year, is a regular member of Alcoholics Anonymous, and has relocated to Los Angeles, where she has a new boyfriend, Marco. During an assignment in Berlin, her target is assassinated by a woman pretending to be her, down to the tattoo. She is haunted by the images of her doppelgänger 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.
On October 27, 2017, it was announced that Kaley Cuoco's production company, Yes, Norman Productions, had optioned the rights to the novel, The Flight Attendant. 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 had joined the series as an executive producer through Berlanti Productions. On July 1, 2019, it was announced that the series would join WarnerMedia's new streaming service, HBO Max. On December 18, 2020, HBO Max renewed the series for a second season. On May 31, 2022, Cuoco said the series would likely end with season two. On January 19, 2024, she announced that the series would not return for Season 3.
Upon the series development announcement, Cuoco was also cast to star in the series. In September 2019, Sonoya Mizuno was cast to star alongside Cuoco. In October, Michiel Huisman, Colin Woodell, Rosie Perez, and Zosia Mamet joined the cast of the series. In November 2019, Merle Dandridge, Griffin Matthews, and T. R. Knight joined the cast of the series. In December 2019, Nolan Gerard Funk joined the cast. Bebe Neuwirth 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, Mo McRae, Callie Hernandez, and JJ Soria were cast as new series regulars while Cheryl Hines, Jessie Ennis, Mae Martin, Margaret Cho, Santiago Cabrera, and Shohreh Aghdashloo were cast in recurring capacities. In November 2021, Alanna Ubach joined the cast in a recurring role for the second season. In January 2022, Sharon Stone was cast in a recurring role for the second season.
Filming began in November 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand, before continuing in White Plains, New York, in December. On March 12, 2020, Warner Bros. Television shut down production on the series due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production on the season's remaining two episodes resumed on August 31, 2020, in New York. For the second season, the series relocated its production to California to take advantage of tax incentives provided by the California Film Commission. Cuoco stated that the producers consulted with the team who worked on Orphan Black 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.
Sia's "Angel by the Wings" was featured on the season 1 finale ("Arrivals and Departures").
Cassie's ringtone is a sample of "Two of Hearts" by Stacey Q.
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.
In the United Kingdom, the first season was broadcast on Sky One and the second on Sky Max.
The first season began airing on TBS in March 2022.
The first and second seasons were released on DVD on November 29, 2022.
The first season received mostly positive reviews. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 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, 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, Alan Sepinwall 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."
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".
According to TVLine, The Flight Attendant became the HBO Max's biggest debut of all time, until it was surpassed by Gossip Girl 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."