Is Masters of the Air better than Band of Brothers? Fans are split

Masters of the Air is a spiritual successor to Band of Brothers, but is it better than the original series? Some fans think so – others aren’t so sure.

After the success of Saving Private Ryan, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg teamed for Band of Brothers, a big-budget HBO series following the heroic exploits of “Easy” Company’s paratroopers in the European theater of World War II.

It was, and remains, one of the greatest TV shows ever made; sprawling, immersive, and incredibly emotional. More than 20 years on, it’s still hailed as an early landmark in the golden age of television; just like The Sopranos, it proved the medium was capable of more.

The Hollywood duo reunited for The Pacific and the third entry in their ‘trilogy’ with Masters of the Air, revolving around the “Bloody Hundredth” bomb group. And here’s the question: which one is the best?

Is Masters of the Air better than Band of Brothers?

On the Masters of the Air subreddit, u/RandoFartSparkle wrote: “That’s it for me. I don’t need to see any more. It’s equal to Band of Brothers… this is a fantastic series and the team who made it is to be commended.”

The post kicked off a lively discussion, with one fan writing: “I can’t say one is better than the other. They both stand on their own. I’m just glad we have both to enjoy and I hope more WW2 content gets created that is on par with both series.”

“All three are unique and distinct in their own way, to compare them is an injustice,” another agreed.

HBO

However, some people can’t help but try to rank them. “I can say Band of Brothers is vastly superior to Masters of the Air,” one wrote, to which another replied: “Masters of the Air is a great show, but Band of Brothers was a work of art. Plus it had the actual WWII veterans commenting on what happened. It is a masterpiece, Masters of the Air is just a show.”

“This is like chicken feed compared to BoB,” a third commented, and another wrote: “I am enjoying the series very much. But it is not even in the same arena as Bob.”

Others have defended Masters of the Air. “I think Masters of the Air would be considered to be even better when watched together instead of once a week for sure,” one wrote.

“Masters Of The Air > The Pacific > Band Of Brothers,” another commented. “I really love Masters Of The Air’s focus on PSTD and the trauma and effect it had on the crews. In that regard especially the past 2 episodes I really felt deeply for the characters and the show is now on par with Band of Brothers in my opinion,” a third wrote.

Masters of the Air Episodes 1-7 are streaming on Apple TV+. You can also check out our other coverage below:

Review | Premiere recap | Episode 3 recap | Episode 4 recap | Episode 5 recap | Episode 6 recap | Episode 7 recap | How accurate is it? | Release schedule: Dates & episodes | Cast and real-life characters | Filming locations | Is it a Band of Brothers sequel? | Soundtrack & songs | Is Barry Keoghan’s Curt dead? | Did Buck die? | What happened to Babyface? | What is a subaltern? | Was Sandra Wesgate a real person?

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