TV Review: ‘Masters of the Air’

From the producers of ‘Band of Brothers’ and ‘The Pacific’, ‘Masters of the Air’ follows the pilots and other crew of bombers during the conflict.

(L to R) Callum Turner and Austin Butler in 'Masters of the Air,' premiering January 26, 2024 on Apple TV+.

Launching on Apple TV+ on January 26th with two episodes (and then one weekly for seven weeks), ‘Masters of the Air’ represents the latest series from executive producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who have seen success with their previous two efforts, ‘The Pacific’ and ‘Band of Brothers’.

But after two primarily land-based series, the team –– which also includes writers John Orloff and Graham Yost and directors Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Dee Rees and Tim Van Patten –– have turned their attention to adapting Donald L. Miller’s non-fiction tome about one of the most famous bombing groups of the war.

Does ‘Masters of the Air’ take flight successfully?

(L to R) Sawyer Spielberg and Austin Butler in 'Masters of the Air,' premiering January 26, 2024 on Apple TV+.

Though the past two limited series were on HBO, you probably won’t notice much of a difference given the expansive budget Apple offers its prestige shows. Of course it looks slick and impressive (though the screeners we saw had the occasional odd visual effect that we can chalk up to the show being at an earlier stage of post-production) and the cast is fine blend of young rising stars who commit to their parts.

There will, of course, be comparisons to its forerunners, and while it might not reach the heights of particularly ‘Band of Brothers’, it’s still a solid effort and worth watching if you’re a fan of the previous shows (or have a thing for based-on-truth World War II tales).

Initially there is some concern that the show will fall into repetitive patterns of bombing runs (not that they aren’t tense/thrilling in their own way) but once it opens out the story to chronicle the crews’ downtime and what happens once some of them are shot down over enemy territory. A visit with the Tuskegee airmen feels welcome, if given slightly short shrift.

‘Masters of the Air’: Script and Direction

'Masters of the Air' premieres globally January 26, 2024 on Apple TV+.

The team behind the show knows what they’re doing when it comes to this sort of series, the scripts weaving personal stories in with the overarching narrative of the bombing runs and beyond. It takes a little time to truly get off the air, but once the plot truly kicks in, it finds a healthy balance between the various characters (some are more compelling than others).

On the directorial front, the style is very much what we’ve come to expect –– some beauty shots of planes lifting off against sunrises or sunsets, carefully crafted visuals than crawl around the inside of the aircraft and bombing sequences designed to help you feel the pressure the crews are under.

‘Masters of the Air’: Performances

(L to R) Austin Butler and Callum Turner in 'Masters of the Air,' premiering January 26, 2024 on Apple TV+.

While the initial focus is on the likes of Austin Butler’s Major Gale ‘Buck’ Cleven, Callum Turner’s Major John ‘Bucky’ Egan and Anthony Boyle’s Major Harry Crosby, the show expands out to follow several other characters who have their own experiences, both good and bad.

Butler, mostly putting ‘Elvis’ in the rearview, is solid as Buck, who guides us through the early bombing runs, takes somewhat of a backseat in the mid-section and then returns to prominence later on. Likewise Turner (having something of a period drama moment between this and ‘The Boys in the Boat’) does good work as Egan, whose war experience takes a seriously dark turn at times.

If there’s a true standout, though, it might be Boyle as Crosby, who evolves from nervy, airsick navigator to a crucial job on the ground planning sorties. It’s his character who narrates the show, and Boyle is excellent, keeping the character believable and watchable.

And the show doesn’t neglect other characters, even though there isn’t the scope to give everyone as rounded a story as the main trio. Ncuti Gatwa (who just took over the lead role in ‘Doctor Who’ after years stealing scenes in ‘Sex Education’) is typically great here as 2nd Lieutenant. Robert H. Daniels, shining in a relatively smaller role.

Ncuti Gatwa in 'Masters of the Air,' premiering January 26, 2024 on Apple TV+.

There are also the more established likes of Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan as Lieutenant Curtis Biddick, a charming sort whose love of a good time on the ground is matched by his skill in the air. Keoghan is, as we’ve come to expect, excellent.

As is natural in a story like this, female roles tend to take a backseat, though there is particularly sterling work from Bel Powley as British officer Alexandra Wingate, who becomes involved with one of the characters. Powley is charm incarnate, coloring far outside the lines of a character who has more limited screentime.

As you might expect, you shouldn’t get too attached to every character; this is war and not everyone makes it out alive (as those who have read the book will know). But the well-rounded cast means you’ll care about every flyer and more, no matter their fate.

‘Masters of the Air’: Final Thoughts

Barry Keoghan in 'Masters of the Air,' premiering January 26, 2024 on Apple TV+.

It could have been a glossy, factory-tooled re-run of its predecessors, but the ‘Masters’ team has taken the care and time to make sure that while the series carries the hallmarks of what has gone before, it also feels like its own thing.

It’s a fairly straightforward account of wartime heroism which won’t appeal to everyone, but for those who enjoy such chronicles, it’ll certainly fly.

‘Masters of the Air’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.

Austin Butler and Callum Turner in 'Masters of the Air,' premiering January 26, 2024 on Apple TV+.

What’s the story of ‘Masters of the Air’?

Based on Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name, and scripted by John Orloff, ‘Masters of the Air’ follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the “Bloody Hundredth”) as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen and sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air.

Some were shot down and captured; some were wounded or killed. And some were lucky enough to make it home. Regardless of individual fate, a toll was exacted on them all.