January 26th marked the launch of the first two episodes of Masters of the Air, the newest show produced by famous director Steven Spielberg and legendary actor Tom Hanks. The show is a prequel to the popular HBO shows, Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010) which focused on the men of Easy Company, 101st Army, 506th Parachute Infantry, and the 1st, 5th, and 7th Marine regiments of the 1st Marine Division during World War II, respectively.

Masters of the Air focuses on the Army Air Corps and the 100th Bomb Group, also during World War II. Although all 3 shows are a part of the Spielberg-Hanks “war-verse,” unlike Band of Brothers and The Pacific, Masters of the Air is streaming on Apple TV instead of taking up the Sunday night time slot on the HBO channel.

Masters of the Air is based on the book Masters of the Air by Donald L. Miller, released in 2007. Much like Band of Brothers and The Pacific, the show very closely follows the actions and events of World War II that involve the 100th Bomb Group in the Eighth Air Force of the Army Air Corp. All major events that take place in the show are rooted in fact, and the show does a great job of telling the stories behind each mission the 100th went on. All three shows had historical accuracy in mind when they sent their actors to specialized boot camps that mimicked the training that the soldiers they were portraying went through in the 1930s and 40s.

One of the reasons why Masters of the Air has gained so much popularity is because of its casting. With the show being led by three of the most relevant young actors in Austin Butler, Callum Turner, and Barry Keoghan, many new and younger fans were drawn to the show. The diverse group of actors that told the many different stories of the 100th Bomb Group also brought in fans from many different cultures and backgrounds that were interested in some of the untold stories of the minority heroes of World War II.

The ninth and final episode of Masters of the Air was released on March 15, and the entire series is available to stream with an Apple TV subscription. Band of Brothers and The Pacific are both available to stream on Netflix and Max with a subscription to either.