American Hostage is an American crime thriller television anthology series created by Shawn Ryan and Eileen Myers for MGM+. Based on the podcast of the same name, the series premiered on September 20, 2026.
Plot Beloved Indianapolis radio reporter Fred Heckman is thrust into the middle of a life-or-death crisis when hostage-taker Tony Kiritsis demands to be interviewed on his popular radio news program.
Cast Main Jon Hamm as Fred Heckman Mireille Enos as Barbara Heckman William Jackson Harper as Ben Hairston Giovanni Ribisi as Tony Kiritsis Kristoffer Polaha as Dick Hall Jonathan Tucker as Cormac McNally Kat Cunning as Ibby Hall
Recurring Mark McKinney as Chief Gallagher June Laporte as Ginny Hughes Joe Cobden as Jerry Morris Lisa Codrington as Judy
Guest Adam Arkin as John Ruckelshaus Fred Ewanuick as Jimmie
Production Development On November 15, 2023, it was reported that Sony Pictures Television will produce the television series adaptation of the American Hostage podcast with Shawn Ryan and Eileen Myers serving as showrunners and executive producing the series with Jon Hamm, Connie Tavel, Marney Hochman, Shawn Christensen and Gabriel Mason. On April 23, 2025, MGM+ greenlit the series. On June 26, 2025, Adam Arkin was set to direct the first four episodes of the series and serve as executive producer. Nina Lopez Corrado also served as director and executive producer of the series.
Casting On November 15, 2023, Hamm was set to portray Fred Heckman in the first season. In August 2025, Mireille Enos joined the cast. In September 2025, William Jackson Harper, Giovanni Ribisi, and Kristoffer Polaha joined the cast. In October 2025, Jonathan Tucker and Kat Cunning were cast in recurring roles.
Filming On April 23, 2025, it was reported the first season would be filmed in Winnipeg, Canada.
Episodes
Release The series premiered on MGM+ on September 20, 2026. Before the MGM+ release, it received a preview screening in the "Primetime" program at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
Reception On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 16 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 61 out of 100, based on eight critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
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