The Hangover Meets Only Murders In The Building In HBO's Masterpiece 2-Part Crime Thriller

Published Jul 31, 2026, 8:30 AM EDT Liz Hersey is an Editor and Critic for ScreenRant's TV team, editing, reviewing, writing, and creating content about the iconic shows you love to watch. She began her editing career at ScreenRant in 2019, shortly after joining the site as a Writer that same year. With a passion for all things books, Liz frequently attends Toronto literary events and conferences, and loves interacting with her book lover community. In addition to being an avid reader of the romance and thriller genres, Liz is a writer of several short stories, and is currently at work on a young adult witch novel. When she's not working, reading, or writing, Liz can be found seeing movies at her local cinema, attending live jazz events, or curling up on the couch to binge her favorite TV shows. You can reach her at liz.h@screenrant.com. While crime dramas and thrillers are often praised for their grit and gravitas, HBO Max's excellent two-season series breaks the mold by combining the best of The Hangover and Only Murders in the Building. The fact that these popular titles are wildly disparate, with The Hangover being a hard R-rated comedy and Only Murders a cozy comfort watch, adds to the show's uniqueness. That series, of course, is The Flight Attendant, based on the Chris Bohjalian novel of the same name that premiered on HBO Max in 2020. The Flight Attendant's cast is led by Kaley Cuoco in her first major role post-The Big Bang Theory. She stars as Cassie Bowden, a glamorous but reckless, hard-drinking flight attendant who wakes up in a Thailand hotel room after a night of partying, only to find her one-night stand murdered. Things are complicated by the fact that Cassie has little recollection of the previous evening's events. With Cassie the obvious prime suspect, she juggles racing to clear her name with evading the dangerous people associated with her mystery lover, all while battling a worsening alcohol addiction. It's a story not even the Wolfpack would believe, and it happens to be one of the best shows on HBO Max. The Flight Attendant Is The Hangover With An Only Murders In The Building Twist Based on its premise, the overlap between The Flight Attendant and The Hangover is clear, as the protagonists of both stories wake up from their nights of blackout drinking with more problems than just a raging headache. Though The Hangover is much more of a broad comedy, Cassie waking up next to her lover's corpse is, in a dark way, even funnier than the Wolf Pack's discovery of the tiger, as her ill-advised, inept attempts at cleaning the crime scene are a masterclass in cringe comedy. Like The Hangover, The Flight Attendant's plot centers on Cassie trying to piece together her night in order to solve a mystery. However, while The Hangover​​​​​​'s main characters certainly face their share of danger, their attempt to find a missing friend is a lot lower stakes than being tied to a murder. This is where The Flight Attendant's similarities to Only Murders in the Building really sing. Police procedurals are great, but there's something much more fun about watching a bumbling, amateur sleuth trying to solve a mystery, making a muck of things along the way. Not only would Cassie fit right in with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez's characters at the heart of Only Murders​​​​​​, but the trio would probably be champing at the bit to have her on their podcast. The Flight Attendant is also closer to Only Murders in the Building than The Hangover in its deep exploration of profoundly human topics. Only Murders doesn't get nearly enough credit for how it addresses loneliness, aging, and existential crises, while The Flight Attendant spends more time showing the pain behind Cassie's drunken hijinks than it does reveling in their hilarity. This doesn't make either show a buzzkill, no pun intended, but instead gives each series a refreshing depth that blends seamlessly with their humor. Why The Flight Attendant Was Canceled After 2 Seasons With The Flight Attendant being based on a standalone novel, it was originally conceived as a limited series. However, like its fellow HBO shows Big Little Lies and The White Lotus, which bear similar origins, The Flight Attendant was such a hit with viewers that it was renewed for a second season. While The Flight Attendant season 2 certainly had a similar trajectory to its Big Little Lies counterpart — in that, with no source material, it faltered and was considered a significant step down from its predecessor — it certainly had its merits, with Cassie's attempts at sobriety making her a more interesting, well-rounded character. Ultimately, The Flight Attendant season 2 earned a respectable 86% on Rotten Tomatoes compared to season 1's 97%. Based on its critical rating, the door was still open for The Flight Attendant season 3. However, according to THR, Cuoco chose not to return, and with no flight attendant, there can be no Flight Attendant, and the show was officially canceled in 2024. So, while it doesn't share Only Murders in the Building's longevity, The Flight Attendant instead makes for a fun weekend binge — and one of the wildest rides on HBO Max. Release Date 2020 - 2022-00-00 Network HBO Max Showrunner Kaley Cuoco