Well, it was fun while it lasted. The Flight Attendant just finished its second season on HBO Max. I think most who watched it agree that the second season was solid, but not as good as the first. The finale was pretty open-ended — there was a lot of resolution, but they could have continued on if they wanted to force it. Turns out, they don’t. Or at least Kaley Cuoco doesn’t. She told People she thinks this is it and they “should probably be done.”
It appears there’s little-to-no runway left for The Flight Attendant.
Leading lady Kaley Cuoco has revealed that the HBO dramedy’s just-concluded second season will likely be the series’ last.
“We did two — we should probably be done,” Cuoco, who is also an EP on The Flight Attendant (and was Emmy-nominated for Season 1), tells People.com. “I think I’ve been outnumbered with that thought; there’s definitely interest in doing a third season. I think for me, at this moment, the plane has landed.”
An HBO Max source tells TVLine that “no official decision” has been made about a third season.
If Flight Attendant were to return for Season 3, Cuoco — who has multiple other projects in the hopper, detailed below — tells the site it likely would be in the distant future. “Some of my favorite shows on TV take some time to come back, and then I get very excited about a new season,” she shared. “I want to make sure that the fans are excited and that we’re not pushing it too hard.”
As it is, “We’ve done so much this season,” the Big Bang Theory vet notes of Season 2, the finale of which dropped on May 26. “Even in the eight episodes, we’ve done so much story that I’m thinking, ‘Well, what could we do next?’ So it’s going to take a lot of thought to make sure if we go back that it’s better than the last two, which is very hard to do.”
Interesting that Kaley and HBO Max aren’t totally aligned. They sound like they’re hedging and she sounds pretty done. I get the feeling the “maybe in the future” angle is more of a “never say never” thing, versus what she’s actually thinking. And I think this is smart. A lot of shows sort of overstay their welcome just because they’re successful and then scramble for storylines to fill out their seasons. This show has already outlasted the (single book) source material, so why not go out on a good note instead of trying to drag more story out of it? Kaley won’t be and isn’t wanting for career opportunities after this. She has her own production company and this Flight Attendant role showed her range more so than any of her previous roles. Kaley does have a couple of Netflix movies coming out — a comedy with Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson that she just posted about and eventually the rom-com with Pete Davidson. I didn’t spot her in the comedy trailer, but it looks funny and I’m getting first season Flight Attendant Cassie vibes, from Kevin’s character.
photo credit: Avalon.red, Instar and via Instagram
I really loved the first season, looking forward to catching up on season 2, but I have to say….while I see where she’s coming from with shows taking long pauses to drum up excitement (and maybe I’m in the minority here) but I HATE THIS. I have trouble enough with regular breaks shows have but extended ones? No. I forget EVERYTHING that happened, or forget I really loved said show in the first place by the time it comes back around, and totally lose any motivation to emotionally reinvest. That said, support your local YouTubers who do comprehensive recaps of seasons for people like me lol
That’s the way I feel about Stranger Things new season. I don’t have the energy to rewatch it to catch up, so I’ve lost any desire to tune in to the new episodes. My exception is Better Call Saul because it is re-watchable and awesome.
My comment is unrelated to The Flight Attendant but it always strikes me how similar Cuoco seems to Jennifer Aniston in many ways. I wonder if Aniston functioned as a career role model in any capacity. Or maybe it’s just me and my own thought. Anyway, I will probably check out The Flight Attendant at some point this summer.
I noticed that on Big Bang Theory. She had a lot of facial expressions and movements that were a lot like Aniston’s, or not so much Aniston as Rachel Green. And since a lot of the BBT story lines were copies of Friends I assumed it was on purpose. I’m not seeing it as much on Flight Attendant, although I haven’t watched a lot of episodes yet.
I tapped out of Season 2. I was just so excruciatingly bored. Seemed like spinning wheels and Three’s Company misunderstandings were flying that plane.
Season one was a lot better. Season two has been meh.
I really loved the first season but couldn’t stand the second one. She overacts the whole time, so annoying.
Agreed, she didn’t really show her range, she proved she doesn’t have much of a range, she’s perpetually manic to the point where it’s exhausting to watch, and constant cut aways to her inner monologue are annoying, too. Disrupts the plot, you totally forget what was going on, etc.
Her facial expressions drive me bonkers. I managed to get through the first season, and her facial expressions, because the plot and supporting cast were entertaining. After hearing the second season was not very good, I haven’t tried to give it a watch yet.
While I know this is coming across as her decision not to proceed with a second season, considering how widely panned it’s been, I’m wondering if that is the case?
(Btw, I know I sound like some big hater of hers here. I’m not of her personally. I know she does a lot of wonderful things with animal rescue and she seems like a nice person. She’s just one of those actors who I’m not a fan of because of their acting style.)
@Tessa: EXACTLY. Everything you said, i thought while watching s2.
Season one was a pleasant surprise. Season two wasn’t as interesting. She’s right to move on.
On a different note- I love those black patent flats she’s wearing in that daytime photo!
I say, good news. Season One was fun and had the added bonus of Michiel Huisman, yum. Season Two was a convoluted mess with way too many incoherent storylines. Rosie Perez was distractingly bad. Also, why oh why can Kaley’s character not put her phone on silent!?! Drove me nuts.
While I agree the second season was bad, I feel like this is a dicey move for her. I was surprised she was able to find another good role and a unique one at that after Big Bang and 8 Simple Rules because frankly those characters were pretty much identical (perky airheaded hot girl). I’m not sure she’ll luck into another success so easily again. Her projects outside of the 2 identical sitcom roles and this have not been big hits. She’s also not a pure acting talent, so I would ride this project into the ground for as long as HBO Max will have me. If you don’t like it that doesn’t mean abandon it, it means try a new direction in season 3.
This seems like a big gamble to drop a bona fide success. A potential huge career mistake. She’s going to be back to doing constant TV commercials if the dice land wrong. Or back on another formulaic sitcom playing Bridget/Penny again.
I really enjoyed the first season, but having trouble getting into season two. For some reason, it makes me feel anxious – maybe the pace, the music, the frenetic dialog…not sure, but it just doesn’t feel good to watch.
I loved Season 1 and was blown away by her acting. I think Season 2 isn’t as good plot wise and also some of the style choices from Season 1 (cuts to inner monologue, surreal elements, etc. ) do not work as well because the plot is different. The device just isn’t successful.
Sidebar but I also love Kaley Cuoco for always being open about her plastic surgery. She’s said she’s got implants and a nose job. I’m not saying celebrities are required to share that but I think it’s awesome she’s so transparent.
I liked the S2 finale, but I agree, the writing and her acting were way OTT. It was too frenetic.