Karen Edwards
Director
Top Guns: The Next Generation (2025)
Season 1
Go beyond the cockpit to follow ambitious young Navy and Marine students both in the air and off-base, capturing candid moments with family and friends and revealing the personal stakes, sacrifices and motivations that brought them here. Filmed with unprecedented access, the series immerses audiences in a world of intense pressure and soaring expectations, where dreams of earning wings of gold collide with the harsh reality of the grueling training. From bombing drills to close-range dogfights and nail-biting carrier approaches, each episode captures the intense demands of a program that challenges their abilities, endurance and resolve at every turn.
Released Sept. 16, 2025
Episode 44 min
None+
Genres: Action, Documentary, Reality
Keywords: tmdb.navy, tmdb.fighter-jet, tmdb.aircraft, tmdb.fighter-pilots, mdblist.has-trailer, tmdb.military-pilots, tmdb.flight-training + 10 more, tmdb.aerial-combat, tmdb.aerial-photography, tmdb.military-school, tmdb.top-gun, tmdb.action-packed, tmdb.training-film, tmdb.observational-documentary, tmdb.navy-pilot, tmdb.pilot-training, tmdb.daily-life
Watch Providers: Hulu, Disney Plus, Spectrum On Demand, National Geographic
Production Companies: Rex TV, National Geographic
Network: National Geographic
Country: United States
Languages:
English
S1E1 - Strike
One student's dreams of becoming a fighter pilot are put in jeopardy as the class starts advanced phase training with a set of breathtaking bombing tests. Diving at speeds they've never faced before, students struggle with the dynamic moves and start to make high-risk mistakes. Instructors deliver tough assessments in the debriefs to keep the students safe.
Sept. 16, 2025, midnight
S1E2 - Catching the Wire
Landing on an aircraft carrier demands precision flying and is a skill vital for all U.S. Navy fighter pilots. As the students tackle the longest and most technical section of the Advanced Phase, they know it's a test they must pass to keep their dreams alive. The pressure mounts on some struggling students, and the commanding officer issues a timely warning to one.
Sept. 23, 2025, midnight
S1E3 - Attack Attack!
As the students reach the midpoint of their training, they start the iconic dogfighting phase. Against them are seasoned instructors with hundreds of hours of real-world experience. To pass, they must outmaneuver the enemy to take a "kill shot." One student has the added pressure of flying with his Top Gun-trained commodore, while another struggles to control his aggressive instincts.
Sept. 30, 2025, midnight
S1E4 - Fight's On!
As they enter the second and most challenging phase of dog fighting, everything is on the line for our students. Defensive dogfighting involves dynamic maneuvers to evade battle-hardened instructors. The physical strain proves too much for one student, while another has a crisis of confidence when past failures come back to haunt him.
Oct. 7, 2025, midnight
S1E5 - Head-to-Head
The students face their final test in an iconic head-to-head dogfight against an instructor. To pass, they must bring all the skills they've learned during their Advanced Phase training. With graduation just days away, students start to worry about their final grades and whether they will get the posting they - and in many cases, their families - want.
Oct. 14, 2025, midnight
S1E6 - Last Chance
It's graduation week. For the remaining students, it means they have one last chance to prove they deserve their prestigious fighter pilot wings. Standing in their way is a tense head-to-head dogfight against an instructor. Past failures come back to haunt one student, and another's whole fighter pilot future comes down to a single flight with their commanding officer.
Oct. 21, 2025, midnight
Network: National Geographic
Episode Runtime: 44 min.
Season Runtime: 264 min.
Released: Sept. 16, 2025
Last Air Date: Oct. 21, 2025, midnight
Status: Returning Series
Certification: NR
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