How to watch ‘Hijack’ season 2: Release date, cast and everything we know

Idris Elba is back for season two of Hijack, which returns to Apple TV on 14 January and sees corporate negotiator Sam Nelson thrust into yet another high-stress hostage situation.

A surprise hit for Apple TV when it launched in 2024, the first season of Hijack took place in real-time over the course of a seven-hour flight absolutely riddled with easily distracted terrorists. This time around, Idris Elba finds himself stuck on a Berlin U-Bahn train with hundreds of captive commuters and authorities scrambling to respond – cue plenty of cunning ruses to calmly foil another terrorist plot right under the hijackers’ noses.

If you’re ready for another seven hours of Idris Elba repeatedly telling everyone to calm down in a gravelly voice, here’s everything you need to know about watching Hijack season two.

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Hijack is an Apple Original series, meaning it is available exclusively on Apple TV.

You’ll need a subscription to watch. Apple TV costs £9.99 per month and includes access to Apple’s entire library of original shows and films including Severance, Pluribus and F1 The Movie.

If you haven’t signed up before, Apple offers a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. Anyone who buys a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV,or Mac can usually claim three months of Apple TV for free, too.

Here’s the trailer for season 2 of Hijack, which inexplicably starts with Idris Elba informing you that you’re about to watch the trailer for season 2 of Hijack.

The second season of Hijack premieres globally on Wednesday, 14 January 2026.

Unlike some streaming shows that drop entire seasons at once, Apple is building the suspense weekly. The first episode will be available on launch day, followed by one new episode every Wednesday. Here’s the full release schedule:

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Idris Elba returns to lead the series as Sam Nelson, reprising his role as a cool-headed negotiator who uses his words to solve problems rather than going in all guns blazing. He’s joined by returning cast members Christine Adams, Max Beesley and Archie Panjabi.

Season two also welcomes a host of new faces, most notably the BAFTA-winning Toby Jones (Mr Bates vs The Post Office). Other new additions include Lisa Vicari (Dark), Christiane Paul (FBI: International), Clare-Hope Ashitey (Top Boy), and Karima McAdams (Dune: Prophecy).

While season one was a claustrophobic thriller set entirely on a flight from Dubai to London, season two moves the action to Germany. The official synopsis reveals that a “Berlin underground train and its commuters are taken hostage,” with Sam Nelson once again finding himself “at the heart of the crisis.”

Elba had previously hinted that he didn’t want simply to repeat the first season’s premise. Speaking to TV Insider before the renewal, he said: “I just don’t want to put him on another hijack... It’s got to be clever, and we can see him make decisions that are impossible to make.”

We’ll find out on 14 January if the switch from an aeroplane hijack to an underground train hijack is enough of a departure to satisfy Elba.

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