Masters of the Air is the third pillar of the Band of Brothers, The Pacific trio of WWII miniseries about the different fronts of the war, but unlike the others, it seems like perhaps it is not that mini of a series.
The executive producer of the show, Gary Goetzman, says that a season 2 is surprisingly possible, but with a catch. It wouldn’t be him, Steven Spielberg or Tom Hanks behind it:
“I hope somebody does it, but I don’t know that it’ll be us,” Goetzman told The Wrap. “With ‘Band of Brothers,’ ‘The Pacific’ and ‘Masters of the Air,’ I feel like [it’s] somebody else’s turn.”
It may sound odd, but Apple TV+ is always on the prowl for shows that get people to stick around. And for almost the entirety of its run, Masters of the Air has been planted as Apple’s #1 show on its top ten list. So if it’s performed that well, perhaps a season 2 of the series may not be as far-fetched as imagined, and if the EP is leaving the door open, well, who knows.
If it is made, it’s unclear if it would be a continuation with the remaining characters from season 1, or an entirely new story focused on the Air Force. One of the two co-leads is Austin Butler, a hugely in demand actor who recently starred in Dune Part 2 in a standout villain role, and between that and Masters of the Air, he’s had quite a 2024 and is going to be very busy from here.
While season 2 is not being ruled out, as a viewer, it probably does seem like it’s time to move on. It took literally 14 years since The Pacific to get Masters of the Air made, and I’d be surprised if they could get out a quality follow-up season in just another year or two to keep it going. Like Band of Brothers and The Pacific, it may be better if it’s just left alone, especially if the likes of Spielberg and Hanks are out. Apple does more often than not show good judgement with its shows, focusing on quality over quantity, but it’s tough times in the streaming world, so we don’t know if this might fit into their plan if they can extend a hit like this to a second season. Another issue is that it’s based on a 2007 book, so moving past that would likely require flying blind, so to speak.
We’ll see if the EP’s comments lead anywhere, but if I was a betting man, I would say that a season 2 of Masters of the Air seems unlikely, which may be for the best.
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