The Flight Attendant

Cassandra "Cassie" Bowden is a flight attendant whose life takes a sudden turn when she wakes hungover in a Dubai hotel with a dead man in the bed beside her. Too frightened to involve the authorities, she tries to carry on as if nothing happened, flying back to New York and slipping into old routines. When FBI agents start asking questions about a recent layover in Bangkok, Cassie realizes large chunks of the night are missing and she can no longer trust her memory. As she pieces together fragments, her partying habits, fragile relationships, and questionable choices make it hard to tell who she can rely on, turning a personal crisis into a tense, often darkly funny mystery.

Premiering on HBO Max in 2020, the show was created for television by Steve Yockey and adapted from the novel by Chris Bohjalian. Kaley Cuoco leads the cast, with Zosia Mamet and Deniz Akdeniz among the supporting players.

The series drew awards season attention, particularly for its lead performance and its writing, and received nominations from television industry groups acknowledging acting and scripted drama categories.

By blending black comedy with suspense, the show sparked conversations about the unreliable narrator and how addiction and mental health are shown on mainstream streaming TV. Cuoco's turn as an imperfect, self-sabotaging protagonist shifted public perception of her range, and a number of tense or funny scenes became common reference points in online discussions.

Critics and viewers generally reacted positively, reflected in a solid user rating. Reviewers often singled out the lead performance and the show's willingness to mix levity with danger, while noting brisk pacing and twists. Underneath the plot, recurring themes include memory and accountability, the effects of trauma on behavior, and the blurry line between truth and self-deception.