The Flight Attendant season 2 teaser reveals multiple versions of Cassie and her 'spy novel' life

Just because Kaley Cuoco's Cassie Bowden is now sober, it doesn't mean her decision making has improved in The Flight Attendant season 2.

EW has your exclusive look at a brand-new teaser for the twisty HBO Max dramedy's second season, which premieres April 21.

Executive produced by Cuoco, the jet-setting series' first season followed Cassie, an alcoholic stewardess who woke up in bed next to a dead body in a foreign country with no recollection of what happened. As she attempted to figure that out, Cassie proceeded to make one bad decision after another, all of which culminated in her helping to catch the real murderer, resolving to stop drinking, and getting recruited by the CIA.

Season 2 picks up a year later with Cassie living in California, dating a new guy, and celebrating one year of sobriety with her very attentive brother Davey (T.R. Knight). "Cassie thinks she's completely changed. Turned over a new leaf and is a whole new person," Cuoco tells EW via email. "We find out rather quickly that's not the case and sobriety is a lot harder than she likes to admit."

"We wanted to be really respectful to the recovery community, just really show that sobriety is a process, and making amends, and patching up relationships," says Natalie Chaidez in a joint video interview with her co-showrunner Steve Yockey.

Cassie is still trotting around the globe as a flight attendant; however, she has added "CIA asset" to her résumé, assigned to a handler named Benjamin Berry (Mo McRae). "She loves her new side gig, but sometimes goes too far," says Cuoco. "She's an asset, not an agent, which she constantly needs to be reminded of."

Her new side hustle fills "some of the excitement that she felt she had when she was drinking," says Chaidez. "It's going to take her into some dangerous new territory, both personally and physically, and be the jump-off [point] for the season's adventure." Specifically, she gets caught up in more international intrigue after witnessing a murder, which is likely why her best friend Annie (Zosia Mamet) describes her life as a "John le Carré novel" in the teaser.

Cassie's penchant for making the wrong decision in almost every situation was one of the things that made The Flight Attendant's Emmy-nominated first season such a frustratingly fun watch. According to Yockey, that will hopefully remain the case in season 2.

"Getting rid of the alcohol and going on that journey with her, it doesn't get rid of the underlying issues that were kind of masked by the drinking, which is her decision making," says Yockey. "[Benjamin is] a little bit frustrated with her in the same way that viewers were frustrated with her last season. She doesn't always make the sensible choice. Obviously, doing extracurricular work for the CIA is more dangerous than just deciding you're going to stay out for another couple hours. I think the kind of level of a wrong decision has gone up considerably, and I'm not sure that Cassie has quite latched [on] yet."

As the mystery unfolds, Cassie will also (reluctantly) make trips to her mind palace, which is where she conversed with an imaginary version of her deceased one-night stand in season 1. This time around, though, it's home to a darker and definitely-not-sober version of herself, as the final moments of the teaser reveal. "There are more Cassies where that came from," says Cuoco. "It was a challenge working with basically myself for tons of the mind palace scenes. No one to blame but myself! I had a great group of Cassie doubles that helped me maneuver everything, especially in scenes with multiple mes."

"I was really thinking about Cassie's character in recovery. What do you do with these dark parts of yourself when you're trying to become a different person? That was the idea of doubling," says Chaidez, explaining why they chose to have multiple Cassies this season. Yockey adds: "Doubling runs through the season. It runs through all of our characters and the overarching mystery." (This is presumably another instance where Alfred Hitchcock's influence will be felt; his movies often featured doubles and inspired aspects of season 1.)

Season 2 will also explore Cassie's family even more. After unpacking Cassie's relationship with her dead alcoholic father in season 1, the new season will introduce her estranged mother Lisa Bowden (recurring guest star Sharon Stone) as Cassie tries to reconcile with her past.

"In season 1, we very intentionally had the mom in a couple of flashbacks, but very much on the periphery," says Yockey. "We definitely expand on why that was, and certainly give voice to the frustration and heartbreak that comes from being a family member of someone who is an addict."

Without revealing why we see Davey ignite and throw a roman candle in the teaser, Cuoco and the showrunners confirm Knight will have more to do in the new cycle. "It's been really fun to play with that brother-sister dynamic this year. Davey is Cassie's No. 1 supporter in terms of her sobriety," says Yockey. Chaidez adds, "He takes it very seriously — maybe too seriously."

The new promo also teases Rosie Perez's return as Cassie's friend Megan, who is on the run from the government after accidentally committing treason. The shot of Megan and Cassie stylishly disembarking a private jet promises that their paths will cross again for a "fun" adventure, according to Chaidez.

"Season 1 was very much [about how] she wanted to be seen and valued. Now in season 2, she's trying desperately not to be seen and not to be discovered, because the grass is not always greener on the other side," says Yockey. "To just keep beating a dead horse with these [idioms], sometimes you can't go home again."

The Flight Attendant returns to HBO Max on April 21 with two episodes, followed by one episode weekly until its May 26 finale.

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