Hijack – Limited Series [2023] on AppleTV+

Hijack is a glossy AppleTV+ thriller that achieves genuine but slow liftoff, while simultaneously getting a lot of things wrong.

Starring Idris Elba, the series is a classic hijacking, strangers-on-a-plane tale, which has so much intrinsic forward momentum that it is easy to binge a show such as this. However, the 7-part series could have easily benefited from some trimming to make it more thrilling.

In fact, the show is perfect to watch if you want to get sucked into a mildly ridiculous, yet totally engrossing scenario. It’s very british in its pacing and events, and it’s also very british in getting a lot of things wrong.

As an Arabic native speaker, I can tell you that most of the Arab characters in this show didn’t speak proper Arabic. Other than a couple of passengers on the plane, most of the conversations felt like someone british trying to speak Arabic. Yes, they looked the part, but they didn’t speak it.

And that was annoying…a lot.

If Apple is spending this amount of money on a limited streaming show, couldn’t the producers have bothered in at least confirming foreign languages? And if they did this to one, I’m not sure that they didn’t also butcher the other non-English languages in the show. And for that, the show loses points.

In addition, I usually really like Elba, but this show needed something else. While he brings restraint to what feels like a Gerard Butler role, this is is not exactly what is needed over the course of seven episodes.

The show needs a shot of adrenaline.

Should You Watch It?

If you are looking for tension and intricate storytelling, you may want to avoid this one. However, if you’re looking for extremely british tv, this one works.

Where Can I Watch It?

You can stream Hijack exclusively on Apple TV+.