By Josh Nason
In the summer of 2023, Hijack hit the TV scene and nothing would ever be the same again!
Ok, that is a lot of hyperbole, but for an original show on Apple+ with just one star in it, it was a roll of the dice that was worth the risk. I grew up in an era where action movies were the norm in the 1990s and 2000s because, well, streaming didn’t exist.
Hijack brought me right back there and was a nice addition to a trend on streamers like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video over the past years in both movies and some TV shows as well. While they won’t populate the box office like they used to, they still matter especially to greybeards like myself.
The first two seasons are in the books, so let’s get into some non-spoiler thoughts on whether you should watch Hijack.
Should You Watch Hijack (Apple+)?
How many seasons?
2 with season 3 unconfirmed as of this writing.
How many episodes?
15.
What type of show is it?
Action.
What year(s)?
2023, 2025
Where can you watch it?
Apple+.
Who is it for?
Those who love action movies & TV shows.
What’s the commit level?
This is pretty palatable at 724 minutes total and 12 total hours. If you skip credits, the ‘Previously On’ and whatever other show they are pushing, you can cut about three minutes out per episode and 45 total minutes.
Is there a bailout episode?
With a show like this, I’d recommend the first 2-3 episodes. If you’re not into it at that point, jump out of the TV airplane or train.
Any interesting background in the show’s creation?
Are there actors the average TV watcher would recognize?
Idris Elba.
What’s the reaction been?
On the Rotten Tomatoes front, it’s extremely mixed at 81/46. The first season was the better received of the two on RT while on Metacritic, it’s a 65 rating per episode (Generally Favorable).
What’s the main plot in a sentence?
Remember the movie Speed? How about that on a plane and a train?
How about another sentence?
None needed. Go watch Speed.
What’s the rewatchability factor?
Low.
If you like these shows, you’ll like this one?
24, Prison Break, any Netflix action movie.
Is this a first or second screen show?
I’d go with first, especially in s1. There are a few moments that aren’t as essential in s2.
Should you watch Hijack?
All in all, Hijack is pretty easy to watch. It’s not a challenging show, a mystery box show, or anything that will have Reddit boards lighting up. (Well, there’s this one.)
And that’s ok. Not everything needs a podcast with a runtime of 3x the show length and Hijack is a show you can watch, chat about with a friend, and then forget about it. It’s not going to make you work too hard like a good burger & fries combo. In fact, that’s what I’m going to call shows like this: burger & fries shows.
I will say that I liked s1 a lot more than s2 which seems to be the consensus. It’s more compelling and felt more fresh when it first came out as opposed to s2 which had more of a feel of a show they wanted to run back but didn’t have a great reason to do so. There’s a little left on the bone for a third season, but it’s not necessary to complete the story.
I think you should definitely watch s1 and if you have some free time, give s2 a try. Just keep your expectations in check.
