Hijack

Sam Nelson, a calm, experienced hostage negotiator, is on a routine flight when a group of armed hijackers seizes the plane and everyone on board becomes a bargaining chip. The series follows Sam as he works the problem with the tools he knows best, communicating under pressure, reading people, and improvising when plans go wrong. Time is constantly ticking, and the confined setting amplifies tensions between passengers, crew, and the hijackers. The story keeps the focus tight on negotiation, psychological pressure, and the small, tense decisions that can change outcomes, without giving away any major plot turns or resolutions.

Created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith, the show premiered in 2023 and stars Idris Elba as the lead negotiator. The creators built the concept around real-time escalation and a single, claustrophobic setting to intensify suspense.

Critical and audience response leaned positive, reflected in a vote average of 7.665 out of 10 from 656 votes. Reviewers and viewers noted the series favors steady pacing and procedural detail over flashy action, and it raises questions about leadership, moral compromise, and how calm decision making holds up under extreme stress. Performance and tone are often discussed alongside the series' commitment to sustained tension.

The show's format, focusing on a near-real-time timeline aboard one aircraft, generated conversation around how television can sustain suspense in a limited physical space. That concept, paired with a high-profile lead, made it a frequent topic on social feeds and in episode-by-episode commentary, especially about how small choices ripple outward during a crisis.

As of its release period, the series did not secure major industry awards. It did, however, attract attention for its premise and for Idris Elba taking on a role that relies on psychological craft rather than action spectacle, which kept viewers and critics engaged in debate about method, pacing, and character under pressure.