Apple TV’s thrilling series Hijack is back with its second season, starring Idris Elba. The new season moves the action from a hijacked airplane to a tense hostage crisis on a Berlin underground train. The first episode of the eight-part season is now available to stream globally, with new episodes releasing weekly.
Release Date and Episode Schedule for Hijack Season 2
The new season premiered globally on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. Apple TV is releasing the episodes weekly. The season will run for eight weeks, concluding with the finale on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
The official release schedule is:
- Episode 1: “Signal” – January 14, 2026
- Episode 2: “Control” – January 21, 2026
- Episode 3: “Baggage” – January 28, 2026
- Episode 4: “Switch” – February 4, 2026
- Episode 5: “Outage” – February 11, 2026
- Episode 6: “Junction” – February 18, 2026
- Episode 7: “Contact” – February 25, 2026
- Episode 8: “Terminal” – March 4, 2026
Many streaming services release episodes at midnight in the Pacific Time zone. Apple TV often makes new episodes of its original shows available earlier, around 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the evening before the official release date. This means subscribers could watch Episode 1 starting Tuesday, January 13 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Global Release Times for the Hijack Season 2 Premiere
For international viewers, the episode became available at the same moment globally, which translated to different local times on January 14.
Key local premiere times included:
- 12:00 a.m. PT (Los Angeles, Vancouver)
- 3:00 a.m. ET (New York, Toronto)
- 8:00 a.m. GMT (London)
- 9:00 a.m. CET (Berlin, Paris)
- 1:30 p.m. IST (India)
- 5:00 p.m. JST (Tokyo)
- 7:00 p.m. AEDT (Sydney)
Where and How to Watch Hijack Season 2 Online
Hijack is an Apple TV+ original series. This means it is available exclusively on the Apple TV+ streaming service. It is not available on other platforms like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video unless you subscribe to Apple TV+ as a channel through Amazon.
To watch, you need an active Apple TV+ subscription. The service costs $9.99 USD per month. New users can often start with a seven-day free trial. Apple also frequently offers extended free trial periods to customers who purchase new Apple devices like iPhones, iPads, Macs, or Apple TVs.
The show can be streamed on a wide variety of devices, including:
- iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers
- Apple TV set-top boxes
- Smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio, and TCL
- Streaming devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast with Google TV
- PlayStation and Xbox game consoles
- Through any web browser at tv.apple.com
Story and Setting for Hijack Season 2 Plot
The show changes its setting for the new season. While the first season followed negotiator Sam Nelson during a seven-hour hostage crisis on a commercial flight from Dubai to London, the second season moves the action to the ground.
The official story for the new season is: a Berlin underground train and its commuters are taken hostage. Authorities above ground work to save hundreds of lives. Sam Nelson is at the center of the crisis on the train, where one wrong decision could lead to disaster.
Initial trailers and reviews suggest a surprising twist: it appears that Sam Nelson himself may be the one hijacking the train. Idris Elba has described his character as being in a different place mentally.
“Thereโs a little, I say, continuation of the story, or the reason why the plane was hijacked in the first place, as to why the train is now being hijacked. So heโs back. Heโs grumpy. He doesnโt want to be there, and heโs going through some trauma.” โ Idris Elba on his character’s return
The story explores themes of revenge, global surveillance, and grief.
Cast and Characters Returning for Season 2
Idris Elba returns as the lead, Sam Nelson. He also serves as an executive producer for the series. Several key actors from the first season reprise their roles:
- Christine Adams as Marsha Nelson-Smith, Sam’s ex-wife
- Max Beesley as Detective Inspector Daniel O’Farrell
- Archie Panjabi as Detective Chief Inspector Zahra Gahfoor
The new season introduces several new characters, many connected to the Berlin setting and the train crisis. New cast members include:
- Toby Jones as Peter Faber, an MI5 agent
- Christiane Paul as Ada Winter, the Berlin Chief of Police
- Lisa Vicari as Clara Berger, a new employee at the train command center
- Clare-Hope Ashitey as Olivia Thatcher
- Christian Nรคthe as Otto, the agitated train conductor
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Background and Success of the Hijack Series
The first season of Hijack debuted on Apple TV+ in mid-2023. It quickly became one of the platform’s most popular original dramas. The series achieved a “Certified Fresh” rating on the review site Rotten Tomatoes and broke into the Nielsen Streaming Originals Top 10 listโonly the second Apple TV+ series at the time to do so.
Critics and audiences praised the first season for its continuous tension and Idris Elba’s compelling performance, describing it as “a shot of pure adrenaline” and “tension-filled and gripping”. The entire seven-episode first season remains available to stream on Apple TV+ for new viewers or those wanting to revisit the story.
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