{"id":44542,"date":"2024-01-26T09:00:52","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T08:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1962147"},"modified":"2024-01-26T09:55:54","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T08:55:54","slug":"will-masters-of-the-air-change-tv-forever-like-band-of-brothers-before-it","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/will-masters-of-the-air-change-tv-forever-like-band-of-brothers-before-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Masters of the Air change TV forever, like Band of Brothers before it?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Band of Brothers ushered in an era of prestige TV \u2013 will Masters of the Air be equally disruptive? <\/p>

By James Hibbs\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 26 January 2024 at 08:00 AM<\/p>

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There\u2019s a strong argument to be made that Band of Brothers<\/a> is one of the most consequential series in the history of television.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not one of the most highly watched series, not by a long shot, and certainly not in the UK \u2013 but the impact it had on the TV industry can\u2019t be understated.<\/p>\n

When it was released it had a budget of around $125 million, making it the most expensive miniseries to have been made by any network at the time.<\/p>\n

The production values were immense. The cast was star-studded. It was executively produced by two of the biggest figures in Hollywood at the time, Steven Spielberg<\/a> and Tom Hanks<\/a>, and came off the back of their previous World War II collaboration, Saving Private Ryan.<\/p>\n

The series re-shaped how we thought of TV drama, which had always been seen in a lesser light when compared with Hollywood movies. This taught producers, creatives and perhaps most importantly audiences, that it didn\u2019t have to be this way.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, TV could be an arena in which to tell long-form stories with the same production values as movies, and viewers didn\u2019t even need to leave their homes.<\/p>\n

\"The\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
The cast of Band of Brothers.<\/span><\/figcaption> HBO<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

What followed was a wave of prestige TV, particularly from Band of Brothers\u2019 home, HBO. Shows such as Rome, Deadwood and Boardwark Empire set new markers for what we could expect, as did series from the newly emerging world of streaming.<\/p>\n

By the time Spielberg and Hanks\u2019s next Second World War project The Pacific rolled around in 2010, things had changed, and we were living in an age of prestige TV. That series had an even higher budget, even better production values, and was rewarded handsomely with reviews and accolades. However, it didn\u2019t appear to move the dial in the way its predecessor did.<\/p>\n

But now, as Masters of the Air<\/a> arrives on a wave of anticipation and a budget reported to be double<\/em> that of Band of Brothers, how likely is it to change the TV landscape in the way that its primary precursor did?<\/p>\n

Well, there is certainly some merit to say that it will have a significant impact. The production values on Masters of the Air<\/a> are absolutely next level \u2013 in truth, we\u2019ve never really seen anything like it on the small screen before.<\/p>\n

Aerial combat has never been this well shot, or looked this realistic and terrifying.\u00a0Like Band of Brothers before it, it also features a combination of up and coming actors alongside some real Hollywood stars, like Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Major\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Austin Butler stars in Masters of the Air.<\/span><\/figcaption> Apple TV+<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The show\u2019s casting, in itself, is no longer really news. For years now TV series have been roping in A-listers and have become just as attractive to them as a role in a major film.<\/p>\n

In 2022, John C Reilly told us that he had for a long time thought, like many others, that television \u201chad a stigma of being low quality or rushed<\/a>\u201c, but that Ben Stiller\u2019s Escape at Dannemora changed his mind and \u201creally turned me around about TV and its possibilities\u201d. That show featured a cast led by major Hollywood stars Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano.<\/p>\n

In truth, the world of TV has not only been reshaped in the image of Band of Brothers, but has also dramatically shifted because of the advent of streaming.<\/p>\n

Since Netflix first started making original shows, it has been throwing money at its scripted series like House of Cards, The Crown and Stranger Things, the latest season of which reportedly cost $30 million per episode<\/a>. Subsequently, other streamers have followed suit, in a race to higher and higher production values \u2013 bigger stars, higher budgets, more expansive storytelling.<\/p>\n

Audiences now expect a level of visual quality quite unlike anything which would have previously been deemed possible, turning some away from linear broadcasters, which have far tighter budgets, altogether. When Marvel announced their first range of Disney Plus<\/a> show, they made it their mission to produce series which looked indiscriminate from their movies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Falcon\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in Marvel Studios\u2019 The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.<\/span><\/figcaption> Disney Plus\/Marvel Studios\/Chuck Zlotnick<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Of course, there\u2019s a reason why those Marvel shows tend to run for between six and nine episodes (standard in the UK but less so the US), and likely why Netflix<\/a> has pivoted to more reality shows and documentaries. The budgets and production times on dramas, sci-fi and fantasy are simply too, inordinately high.<\/p>\n

Racing to achieve better and better production values is something which has affected other shows too. It\u2019s arguable that Game of Thrones<\/a>\u2018s reputation was sunk by this obsession, as the need to constantly up the ante with more realistic dragons, bigger battles and grander sets meant that budgets swelled and production and post-production elongated dramatically.<\/p>\n

The final two seasons, which many fans and critics considered \u201crushed<\/a>\u201d in terms of pacing, shrunk in episode length because they had to \u2013 the budgets and time constraints meant it was only possible to produce that number of episodes without taking years upon years and breaking the bank.<\/p>\n

People always suggest that the show should have, therefore, kept going with more seasons beyond eight, but neither the stars nor the creators wanted to stick around indefinitely, working for two years at a time to produce a matter of six or seven episodes.<\/p>\n

\"Maisie\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Maisie Williams as Arya Stark in Game of Thrones.<\/span><\/figcaption> Helen Sloan\/HBO<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

HBO\u2019s CEO Casey Bloys essentially said as much in 2018, revealing that it took the show an almost two year break between seasons 7 and 8 to produce the latter to the visual standard deemed necessary.<\/p>\n

He said<\/a>: \u201cThey take the time they need to do the show at its highest level of quality. As the show has gone on, it\u2019s gotten bigger \u2014 big battle scenes, big special effects. These things take time.\u201d<\/p>\n

This can be seen in other arenas too. Just as Doctor Who<\/a>\u2018s budget has increased because of the BBC\u2019s new deal to produce the show with Bad Wolf and Disney Plus<\/a>, and fans have noticed an uptick in the show\u2019s production values, its episode count has lowered (barring recent years when Covid and behind-the-scenes changes were a factor). Where 14 episodes used to be produced each year, the show is now down to nine.<\/p>\n

Showrunner Russell T Davies explained<\/a>: \u201cThe numbers [of episodes] have gone down over the years, partly because it\u2019s so expensive. I don\u2019t think we could make more episodes a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

One has to imagine that now, with Masters of the Air setting new standards for production companies to meet, it could well cause waves within the industry, as others look to up their game.<\/p>\n

It could be argued that, being on Apple TV+, not enough people will be able to watch it for it to have that great of an impact. However, the awards bodies will see it. The producers will see it. Like Band of Brothers, it may not be the most widely-viewed show among consumers, but it will be seen by the people who count, who are making the decisions as to where their production houses, streamers and broadcasters go next with their cash and with their time.<\/p>\n

\"Ncuti\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Ncuti Gatwa in Masters of the Air.<\/span><\/figcaption> Apple TV+<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

You could, of course, look to Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power<\/a> to make this point, or Citadel<\/a>, or Stranger Things<\/a>, all of which also had hugely expensive budgets, reportedly more than Masters of the Air.<\/p>\n

But Stranger Things was in its fourth season, a proven success at the height of its power; The Rings of Power was building out an entire fantasy world with a hefty VFX load on its hands, and a hugely popular intellectual property (IP) behind it; and Citadel doesn\u2019t look<\/em> as expensive on screen as it was in reality \u2013 we can blame a complicated shoot and numerous behind-the-scenes factors<\/a> for that.<\/p>\n

Masters in the Air, on the other hand, is a historical drama, with precedent for critical success, but also precedent for working with a small budget. Again, Band of Brothers was made for half<\/em> the cost. Inflation of course accounts for some of that increase, but certainly not all of it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth noting that three of these four shows, including Masters of the Air, are made by either Prime Video<\/a>, which is owned by Amazon, or Apple TV+ \u2013 in truth, theoretically, neither of them actually need to make money.<\/p>\n

As Netflix and Disney Plus look to reduce costs, Apple and Amazon continue on apace, commissioning bigger and bigger shows and pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved on television.<\/p>\n

Their subscription price may go up a bit to compensate for some of this<\/a>, but in reality, that\u2019s not touching the sides. It has long been established that the streaming service model isn\u2019t the lucrative goldmine that it was once thought to be.<\/p>\n

\"A\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
The cast of Masters of the Air.<\/span><\/figcaption> Apple TV+<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

But Apple and Amazon are two of the biggest, most profitable companies in the world<\/a>, with some of the deepest pockets. If their entertainment arms don\u2019t make a profit, will it really affect them in the same way as other businesses, for which entertainment is their primary product and revenue stream?<\/p>\n

Most will argue that Band of Brothers changed things for the better, for both TV creatives and audiences, bringing about a golden age for the industry.<\/p>\n

Unintentionally, coming right when it does, Masters of the Air might just change things for the worse, as it gives audiences even more unrealistic expectations of just what we should expect drama to look like at this point in time.<\/p>\n

Who knows where the industry goes from here, but it seems likely that there will be something of a push and pull in the years to come, as other companies attempt to make dramas with the production values of Apple and Prime Video shows, but on smaller budgets and in smaller time-frames.<\/p>\n

Could this be the moment at which other streamers and broadcasters say \u2018No, we can\u2019t reach those levels of production or pay $250 million on one non-IP based series\u2019?<\/p>\n

That could then leave Apple and Prime Video sitting pretty as the masters of truly prestige drama, while linear channels, other streamers and even HBO have to settle for their shows looking cheaper and less polished?<\/p>

Masters of the Air is an absolutely extraordinary series both narratively and visually, there\u2019s no doubt about that, and that its attained the visual quality it has can only be a good thing for fans sitting down to watch it \u2013 they are being truly treated.<\/p>\n

But as a model for TV production, it simply doesn\u2019t seem like a sustainable example, particularly for returning series intended to return for multiple seasons, like Game of Thrones was. If producers choose to follow its model, the industry will surely, eventually, reach breaking point and have to reconsider how much a series should cost and how extravagant it should look.<\/p>\n

If most don\u2019t, but Apple and Prime persist, then we could end up with a two-tiered strata in production values way beyond what we have right now.<\/p>\n

Either way, it looks the the team behind Band of Brothers might be about to change the face of TV once again.<\/p>\n