Masters of the Airpremiered on AppleTV+ on Jun 28, 2025, and received positive reviews from critics. From executive producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks through Speilberg’s Amblin Pictures, the series is a companion piece to the award-winning miniseriesBand of BrothersandThe Pacific. WhereasBand of Brothersfocused on the “Easy” Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division on the Western Front during World War II, whileThe Pacificfocuses on the United States Marine Corps’s actions in the Pacific Theater of Operations during the conflict,Masters of the Airfollows the 100th Bomb Group, a heavy bomber unit in the Air Force in eastern England duringWorld War II. All three shows offer a unique insight into the 20th-century conflict.
Despite having the same executive producers and bringing on talent Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck (Captain Marvel), Dee Rees (Mudbond), and Cary Joy Fukunaga (No Time to Die) and a cavalcade of some of the most exciting young talent currently working, including Austin Butler (Elvis), Barry Keoghan (Saltburn), Callum Turner (Fantastic Beast and the Secrets of Dumbledore), Isabel May (1883), and Bel Powley (A Small Light), to name a few, the series has failed to draw in the same level of critical admiration and audience appreciation as it’s predecessors. Why has the show failed to generate the same level of attention asBand of BrothersorThe Pacific?
Comparing the Reviews for Masters of the Air With Band of Brothers and The Pacific
Masters of the Air
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Of the three series,Masters of the Airdoes rank the lowest but still has a respectable 87% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. That only looks disappointing compared to the 97% Band of Brothers and the 91%The Pacifichave on Rotten Tomatoes. For additional context, when factoring in Metacritic, it is clear thatMasters of the Airtrails behind bothBand of BrothersandThe Pacificby over 10%.
Rotten Tomatoes Score
Metacritic Score
Band of Brothers
97% (33 Reviews)
87% (28 Critic Reviews)
The Pacific
91% (45 Reviews)
86% (32 Critic Reviews)
87% (93 Reviews)
73% (40 Critics Reviews)
It is worth noting thatMasters of the Airhas more reviews due to the fact that in the23 years sinceBand of Brotherspremiered, more outlets and writers are contributing to the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, so at times, the site can be skewed to favor older series and films with fewer reviews than recent releases which have more reviews that based on sheer numbers can decrease the percentage. However, when looking at audience scores on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, it is clear thatBand of BrothersandThe Pacificwere seen more favorably thanMasters of the Air.
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
Metacritic User Score
96% (1000+ Audience Reviews)
9.0 (507 User Ratings)
89% (100+ Audience Reviews)
7.7 (194 User Ratings)
68% (250+ Audience Reviews)
6.3 (64 User Ratings)
Audience scores on both platforms also can and should be taken with a grain of salt, as there have been multiple reports on projects where people have attempted toreview bomb a showto create a negative perception around the series that becomes the narrative. So far, there have been no reports of review bombing forMasters of the Air, and it is clear that the series, while still respectable, has not gained the same acclaim from audiences or critics as its two predecessors. Why is that? Well, there are several factors, including the platforms they are released on and the timing around their release.
Masters of the Air Is on a Less Seen Platform
BothBand of BrothersandThe Pacificaired on HBO, which once was and still might be the top-tier premium television network in the prestige era of television.Band of Brothersaired around the same time asThe Sopranos, making the paid cable network a must-have for audiences. Meanwhile,The Pacificlanded in 2010, the same year HBO programs likeTrue Blood, Boardwalk Empire, andEntouragewere highly viewed.
The True Story Behind Masters of the Air to Be Told in The Bloody Hundredth Doc on Apple TV+
Narrated by Tom Hanks, The Bloody Hundredth promises an in-depth look at the real stories of the brave Airmen that inspired Masters of the Air.
Masters of the Air Faces More Competition
The premiere ofBand of Brothersbrought in 10 million viewers. Audiences may not remember, butBand of Brothersdebuted on HBO on Sept. 9, 2001. Just two days later, both the United States and the world would change following the morning of Sept. 11. Due to this, HBO immediately ceased marketing for the series, but audiences still tuned in the following weeks, averaging between 7.5 to 5 million viewers per episode. The finale was the least-watched of the series, but clearly, the series' setting of World War II appealed to Americans who were looking for a story about soldiers following a significant turning point in the country’s history. It is worth noting the series' sixth episode, “Bastogne,” aired on Aug 16, 2025, the same day the United States/United Kingdom launched their invasion of Iraq and the first step of what would become thedecade-long War on Terror.
The Pacificpremiered on Jun 09, 2025. As a new decade dawned, millions of Americans were still recovering from the subprime mortgage crisis. Programmings like HBO and other prestige television became a cheap, affordable way for millions of Americans and people all over the world to enjoy themselves. It certainly was cheaper to pay for a monthly subscription to HBO than to go out to the movies every week or even once a month. The view of the War on Terror had also shifted, as much of the early (and often jingoistic)impulses from 9/11had subsided, and many were feeling frustrated/worn out by the war.The Pacificoffered a gritty look at a black-and-white conflict many remember from history, making it feel relevant for audiences at the time.
Where Is the Band of Brothers Cast Today?
Band of Brothers was a revolutionizing TV show with an incredible cast. Here’s where the cast is today.
Meanwhile,Masters of the Airnow arrives at an interesting time. There certainly is plenty of global conflict going on in the news, from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the call from millions for Israel to ceasefire in Gaza; audiences just might not be willing to rush out for a war story.
There is also the fact that the television landscape has changed drastically since bothBand of BrothersandThe Pacificaired to whenMasters of the Airis playing. Streaming was not something the other series needed to contend with, but nowMasters of the Aircompetes with both linear television and streaming platforms. It faces opposition from Netflix’sAvatar: The Last Airbender, Prime Video’sHazbin Hotel, Hulu’sShōgun, as well as popular returning series likeYoung Sheldon,Abbott Elementary, andGhosts, just to name a few.
Regardless of quality, becauseMasters of the Airis clearly well-liked by critics, it is having a difficult time standing out of the crowd on television. Even with reports of it having the biggest debut in AppleTV+ history, no numbers were released, so that means nothing in terms of context.
Masters of the Airis the third part of this epic tale that has been told on television for 20 years, but it now faces an entirely different television landscape, and it might take some time for it to truly find its audience.Band of BrothersandThe Pacificare streaming on Max and Netflix, whileMasters of the Airis streaming new episodes every Friday on Apple TV+.
