The second season of Apple TV’s thriller, Hijack, is more than just another hostage crisis. Star Idris Elba and the show’s creators explain it is a direct continuation of Sam Nelson’s story, designed to answer lingering questions from the first season.
When Apple TV’s Hijack returns on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, Idris Elba’s character, Sam Nelson, is not boarding another plane. Instead, he finds himself in the middle of a hostage situation on a Berlin underground train . While the setting moves from the sky to the subway, the show’s team insists this is not a simple repeat of the first season’s formula. They describe it as a necessary next chapter that digs into the unresolved aftermath of Sam’s traumatic experience.
Idris Elba, who returns as both star and executive producer, emphasized the connection. He stated the new season provides answers about the first hijacking. “It’s called Hijack, it’s not called Another Hijack,” Elba said. “There are questions unanswered in the first season if you really think about it. Like, who, what, why, when. Then in the second season, it gives us an opportunity to pull that thread across” .
For Elba, returning to the role required a significant change in Sam’s character. The new season finds Sam in a much darker place, emotionally and physically, dealing with the trauma of his past ordeal.
Sam Nelson’s New Mindset and Mission
The Sam Nelson audiences meet in Season 2 is a changed man. Co-creator and director Jim Field Smith said their main goal was to show a character transformed by his past. “Our whole guiding principle with Sam was that I wanted him to start Season 2 as a completely different character from the Sam Nelson you’ve left behind,” Smith explained. “In the very first frame when the camera resolves on him this season, you’re supposed to think, ‘What the hell’s happened to this guy?’” .
Elba described his character as “a broken man” who is trying to find answers. This psychological shift is central to the plot. The new story is motivated by a major, tragic event that happened to Sam off-screen between seasons, pushing him into extreme circumstances. Elba notes that while Sam is still a skilled talker, he is now a “traumatized dad” and “a man on a mission” who cannot afford to fail.
Why the Story Moves to a Berlin Subway Train
After setting the first season on a plane flying from Dubai to London, the creators actively sought the opposite environment for the sequel. Jim Field Smith explained the thought process was straightforward: “Season 1 is up in the sky and it’s this world of blue skies, it’s aspirational, it’s jet travel. My brain immediately goes to ‘I don’t want to do that again’… So my brain goes to opposites so what’s the opposite of that? It’s an underground train” .
The claustrophobic, maze-like setting of the Berlin U-Bahn became a key part of the narrative. Smith noted it reflects “the labyrinth of his own mind,” as Sam navigates both the physical tunnels and the mystery he is trying to solve. The production went to great lengths to recreate the Berlin subway accurately, building a full-scale replica in London to ensure authenticity.
Returning Faces and New Characters in the Cast
Alongside Idris Elba, several key actors from the first season return. Christine Adams is back as Sam’s ex-wife, Marsha Nelson-Smith, with Max Beesley as DI Daniel O’Farrell and Archie Panjabi as DCI Zahra Gahfoor.
The new season also introduces a host of new characters caught in the crisis. Notable additions include Toby Jones (known for Mr Bates vs The Post Office) and Christiane Paul (FBI: International) as authorities trying to manage the situation from the outside. On the train, Christian Näthe plays Otto, the nervous train driver who becomes an important ally for Sam. Other new cast members include Lisa Vicari (Dark) and Clare-Hope Ashitey (Top Boy).
Global Release Schedule and Weekly Episodes
Hijack Season 2 will premiere globally on Apple TV on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. Unlike the first season’s release pattern, the new season will debut with its first two episodes available immediately.
Following the premiere, new episodes will be released weekly. The season is scheduled to run for eight episodes, concluding on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. This weekly format is a shift from Season 1, which had seven episodes.
Early Reviews and Critical Reception
Early reviews for the season have highlighted its intense, claustrophobic feel and Elba’s commanding performance, while some critics note it follows a structure similar to the first season. One review pointed out that the season relies heavily on a major off-screen event to drive the plot, which may challenge viewers. Another praised the tighter, more immersive feel of the subway setting, calling it “smarter, leaner and even more nerve-wracking than before” .
The production scale has been noted as a strength, with the detailed recreation of the Berlin U-Bahn receiving particular praise for adding to the realism and tension of the scenes.
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The Potential Future for Sam Nelson
While Season 2 directly continues the story from the first season, the future of the Hijack series beyond this point is less certain. Both Idris Elba and Jim Field Smith have joked about the difficulty of putting Sam Nelson on another form of transportation for a potential third season.
However, Elba has hinted that there may be one more story to tell for the character, though perhaps not in the same format. “There is one more iteration of his story that I can think of – for sure,” Elba said. “It might be a film, who knows?” . For now, the focus is on the upcoming season, which aims to provide a satisfying and linked continuation of the high-stakes story that began on a plane and now races through the tunnels beneath Berlin.
