You already know HBO doesn’t give a damn about the terms of a limited series engagement. To hell with the constraints of source material and narrative closure, they say! Why stop where the novel ends, when some people might say that’s where the story truly begins. And so, with Big Little Lies season two still very fresh in our minds, we are not entirely surprised to learn that HBO Max has renewed The Flight Attendant for a second season. But we can say we are kinda delighted following this week’s conclusion of season one, which actually—sorry—stuck the landing, even with a fairly heavy-handed setup for a potential season two.
The first season, which debuted on December 17, is based on the bestselling novel by Chris Bohjalian and follows flight attendant Cassie Bowden (played by Kaley Cuoco serving you major Jen Aniston vibes) as she wakes up in a hotel room to find that the handsome passenger she hooked up with (Michiel Huisman) was violently murdered. With the help of her friends, including lawyer Ani (Zosia Mamet) and fellow flight attendant Megan (Rosie Perez), Cassie scrambles to figure out who was behind the brutal slaying while simultaneously coping with alcoholism and resurfaced trauma from her childhood. It’s a lot! But creator Steve Yockey and his writers found some interesting ways to handle Cassie’s story, ultimately resulting in a campy and darkly fun whodunnit that also did a pretty great job of confronting some deep shit. Cuoco also serves as executive producer on The Flight Attendant, which concluded its eight-episode first season on December 17. Without getting too specific, the finale sets up how Cassie’s story will continue and seems to indicate that we (thankfully) haven’t seen the last of Michelle Gomez’s Miranda.