Told in real time, “Hijack” is a tense thriller that follows the journey of a hijacked plane as it makes its way to London over a seven-hour flight, and authorities on the ground scramble for answers. Elba will star as Sam Nelson, an accomplished negotiator in the business world who needs to step up and use all his guile to try and save the lives of the passengers — but, his high-risk strategy could be his undoing. Panjabi will play the role of Zahra Gahfoor, a counterterrorism officer who is on the ground when the plane is hijacked and becomes part of the investigation. The series also stars Christine Adams, Max Beesley, Eve Myles, Neil Maskell, Jasper Britton, Harry Michell, Aimée Kelly, Mohamed Elsandel and Ben Miles.
Created by George Kay (“Lupin,” “Criminal”) and Jim Field Smith (“Criminal,” “Truth Seekers”), who also wrote and lead directed the series respectively, the seven-part series also stars Emmy Award and NAACP Image Award winner Archie Panjabi (“The Good Wife,” “Snowpiercer,” “Blindspot”). “Hijack” takes flight on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, with the first two episodes, followed by one new episode every Wednesday through August 2.
Flying on an airplane has to rank right up there with the least enjoyable experiences we face these days — so imagine my surprise when spending a few hours on a plane with Apple TV+’s Hijack actually turned out to be downright pleasurable. The new hostage drama starring Idris Elba (premiering Wednesday, June 28; I’ve seen three of the seven episodes) is a good old-fashioned pulse-pounder that takes full advantage of its claustrophobic setting with perfectly calibrated tension and high-intensity action scenes.
We’ve seen stories like this before, of course, but the quality of the execution here sets it apart. The hijackers’ motivations are murky at first (and that gives us a mystery to unravel as the episodes go on), but the danger they present is very real. Most of Hijack‘s characters are smart, too, which is a refreshing change; no one makes dumb decisions simply as a cheap way to propel the plot forward. Plus, the premiere ends with an intriguing twist that forces us to question who exactly is the bad guy.
“Hijack” is produced by 60Forty Films, the production company set up by Emmy Award-winning executive producers Jamie Laurenson and Hakan Kousetta (“Slow Horses,” “The Essex Serpent”) under its exclusive content deal with Apple TV+, alongside Kay and Field Smith’s own production company Idiotlamp Productions, and also marks the first series to debut from Elba’s first-look deal with Apple TV+ and his Green Door Pictures. In addition to writing and directing, Kay and Field Smith each serve as executive producers alongside Elba, Laurenson, Kousetta and Kris Thykier.
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