Masters of the Air, the new World War II series from the team that made Band of Brothers and The Pacific, is breaking records for Apple TV+. According to Variety, the show reached more viewers during its first weekend than any other Apple TV+ series ever, beating the numbers from Apple’s other high-profile shows like Severance, Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, and Hijack.
Apple did not release the exact number of viewers for Masters of the Air or any of its other shows, however. That said, Apple reported that viewership increased 65% worldwide a week after Masters of the Air premiered on January 26. This suggests people watched, enjoyed it, and told their friends to watch as well after the initial debut.
There are nine episodes in the mini-series, and new episodes air weekly on Fridays until the show wraps up on March 15.
Steven Spielberg is an executive producer on Masters of the Air through Amblin Television, while Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman are executive producers as well via Playtone.
The show is based on the Donald L. Miller book of the same name. It tells the story of the 100th Bomb Group that flew treacherous missions during World War II as they attempted to bomb Nazi installations throughout Germany. The show stars Austin Butler, Callum Turner, and Barry Keoghan.
Recently, it came to light that some of the show’s stars prepared for the show by playing Microsoft Flight Simulator.