Updated on 16 February: Kaley Cuoco’s wickedly funny new HBO series, The Flight Attendant, has become something of an awards season darling of late, picking up a bevy of nominations at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, Screen Actors Guild, and The Writers Guild of America.

It also, tellingly, boasts a 98% ‘fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes – which means this TV series has gone down an absolute storm with critics on the other side of the Atlantic.

Annoyingly, though, The Flight Attendant has yet to makes its way to the UK: in fact, we have to wait until 19 March before we’ll be able to clap eyes on a single episode. 

But how? And… and what’s it all about, really?

Don’t worry, dear reader; we’ve got you covered. Here’s what you need to know about the show people are obsessing over.

What’s the plot of The Flight Attendant?

As reported on 11 February: Cassie Bowden is the show’s eponymous flight attendant, and she’s a reckless alcoholic who drinks during flights and spends her time off having sex with her passengers.

In the first episode of the show, though, Cassie wakes up in a hotel room in Bangkok with a) a pounding hangover, b) no recollection of the night before, and c) a dead body lying next to her.  

Afraid to call the police, she cleans up the crime scene as best she can, before painting a smile on her face and joining the other airline crew traveling to the airport. 

But, just as soon as she starts to hope that she’s gotten away with it, she’s stopped by two FBI agents. And, you guessed it, they have a lot of questions to ask her.

Still unable to piece the night together, Cassie begins to wonder who the killer could be. And thus begins a murder mystery that promises to be unlike any other.

Essentially, to quote Film Mafia’s CJ Thompson, “if Alfred Hitchcock had created a spin-off series for Samantha from Sex And The City, it might have been this.” 

Is there a trailer for The Flight Attendant?

You can watch the trailer for HBO’s The Flight Attendant – which is scored by a brilliantly creepy and slowed-down version of Britney Spears’ Toxic – below: 

Who stars in the cast of The Flight Attendant?

Taking the lead as Cassie, Cuoco has been praised high and wide for giving the best performance of her career so far. 

And she is supported by an incredibly talented cast, too: think Michiel Huisman, Zosia Mamet, Rosie Perez, T. R. Knight, Michelle Gomez, Colin Woodell, Merle Dandridge, Griffin Matthews, and Nolan Gerard Funk, among others. 

What are people saying about The Flight Attendant?

Critics have fallen over themselves to pile praise upon The Flight Attendant – and Cuoco’s performance in particular.

“Twisted and clever and truly suspenseful,” says The Malibu Times.

NPR, meanwhile, promises: “The Flight Attendant is funny and dark and surprising, and it successfully walks the knife edge of making a central character both a rootable protagonist and kind of a garbage person some of the time.” 

And elsewhere, The Boston Globe says the series is “a lot of fun, if you’re willing to go along for a ride that doesn’t always track but almost always entertains. It’s a thriller, and it’s a drama, but it’s also almost a comedy, with a brisk pace and a playful tone.”

How can I watch The Flight Attendant in the UK?

The Flight Attendant will air from 19 March on Sky One and NOW TV.

Images: HBO