“Masters of the Air” takes flight on Apple TV+. Produced by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, the team behind “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” this nine-episode miniseries tackles another chapter of World War II.
Based on the book of the same name by Donald L. Miller, it follows the airmen of the Eighth Air Force and more specifically the 100th Bomb Group, which flew B-17s known as “Flying Fortresses” over targets in Germany and German-occupied Europe.
Facing anti-aircraft guns (flak) and much swifter German fighter planes, these bombers suffered staggering losses, earning the group its nickname “The Bloody 100th.” Their high casualties were caused in part by an American strategy of bombing by daylight, using the very expensive Norden bombsight to practice “precision” bombing.
“Masters” offers proof of the difficulty of adapting “big” nonfiction survey histories for television. A story that may seem captivating on the page can seem turgid on the screen without characters to care about.
Austin Butler and Callum Turner star as two Army majors and brash leaders of men. But you can watch both the episodes made available today and not come away with any idea of who they are or what makes them tick. There are entirely too many characters to follow. Nearly every scene takes place in crowded barracks, bar, dining hall or preflight assembly hall. You need a scorecard.
The lack of distinctive personalities is compounded by a near-contemptuous approach to period language, attitudes and grooming. Don’t get me started on hair! These airmen sport long and curly locks that would not have been seen on the streets circa 1943, never mind a military defined by the crew cut for the war years and decades to follow.
There’s an opening scene in a stateside bar in which our two heroes share drinks and flirt with local ladies before being shipped out. It’s a painfully unconvincing evocation of the 1940s, more like cosplay than drama.
It’s not as if there aren’t hundreds of films and documentaries to study to find out how people talked and behaved 80 years ago. Heck, Prime Video’s recent remake of “A League of Their Own” did a better job with the slang, costumes and attitudes of the bobby-soxer era.
And speaking of film history, there is a load of explication to cover here. Some of it is handled in introductory voiceovers. (From whom? Who knows?) Curiously, World War II is rich in documentary films that explained things, most notably films by Spielberg’s heroes John Ford and Frank Capra.
In “Jurassic Park,” Spielberg used a little cartoon to explain the genetic science behind the film’s make-believe. A little documentary legwork would go a long way here, explaining the nuts and bolts of the B-17, the Norden bombsight, technical “gremlins” and the Army Air Force’s evolving strategy. This might have left room for things like character development and credible, non-generic dialogue.
With its soaring score, harrowing and brilliantly shot battle scenes and majestic airborne photography, “Masters” has all the hallmarks of yet another “Greatest Generation” veneration from the usual suspects who have apparently convinced themselves of their project’s importance. They seemed to have forgotten that an audience needs convincing, too.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Women’s Free Skate U.S. Figure Skating Championships (8 p.m., NBC).
— After moving to Alaska, a fetching physician discovers her small town’s links to holiday legends in the 2014 romance “Christmas Under Wraps” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— Set on Cape Cod, the murder mystery “Hightown” (9 p.m., Starz, TV-MA) enters a third season.
— An insult to memory on “Blue Bloods” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
A bankrupt cad (Walter Matthau) marries a shy heiress (writer and director Elaine May) and proceeds to plan ways to drown her in the 1971 black comedy “A New Leaf” (10:15 p.m., TCM, TV-PG).
SERIES NOTES
The gang cooperates with the DEA on “S.W.A.T.” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Corporate overlords anoint themselves gatekeepers in the battle for ideas on “Shark Tank” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … A mine explosion on “Fire Country” (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … “20/20” (9 p.m., ABC).
LATE NIGHT
Jimmy Fallon welcomes Ken Jeong, Dwyane Wade and Pete Lee on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Tina Fey and Andrew Scott visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC, r) … Taylor Tomlinson hosts Paul F. Tompkins, Sophie Buddle and Carl Tart on “After Midnight” (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).
