“Hostage” is a series I’ve been following ever since Netflix dropped the first look back in June, revealing the details of a captivating political thriller that puts two world leaders in a perilous conflict.
After seeing the first trailer a few weeks later, I suspected it would be an intense ride, and I was right. Having now streamed the series, I can confirm it’s a well-crafted, compact drama that explores how powerful figures respond to a hostage crisis and the agonizing choice between protecting family or serving their country.
Told in five episodes, “Hostage” doesn’t hold its cards close to its chest, introducing the central conflict in the first 20 minutes: the British Prime Minister’s husband is kidnapped. From there, it’s an intense journey as they try to rescue him and other hostages without drawing too much attention.
Now that it’s streaming on Netflix, here’s everything you need to know about “Hostage” before adding it to your watchlist.
What is ‘Hostage’ about?
“Hostage” centers on two world leaders — the British Prime Minister Abigail Dalton (Suranne Jones) and the French President Vivienne Toussaint (Julie Delpy) — who find themselves entangled in a high-stakes crisis involving kidnapping and blackmail.
As the British Prime Minister's husband is abducted and the French President faces mounting threats, both leaders are forced into a dangerous situation where their political futures and personal lives hang in the balance.
Facing escalating crises, they must make impossible choices to unravel the plot endangering them both.
‘Hostage’ is a bingeable story packed with tension
Putting all my cards on the table: “Hostage” isn’t one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, nor is it likely to land on Netflix’s all-time top 10. But this political thriller delivers enough tension to keep you hooked, with each 40-minute episode dropping a plot twist or clever misdirection that’ll leave you second-guessing what’s really going on.
More than once, I found myself genuinely surprised (even shocked) at the reveals. Without spoiling anything, there’s one betrayal in particular I never saw coming, and it makes the hostage situation far more complicated.
Simply put, I was invested. The deeper you get into the episodes, the more you’re pulled into a tangled story of power plays: Dalton fighting to save her husband without resigning (plus her fractured relationship with her daughter), while Toussaint faces her own blackmail over a damning past incident.
“Hostage” is a compelling binge-watch that I’m confident will land on Netflix’s weekly top 10. But it’s not a show that will linger in my mind for long, and that’s not because the central problem is somewhat straightforward to follow or because it avoids risks in such a competitive genre.
The issue actually lies with the characters. Dalton and Toussaint are the only ones who truly stand out, given the conflict between them, while others like Toussaint’s stepson, Matheo (Corey Mylchreest), or Dalton’s daughter, Sylvie (Isobel Akuwudike,) barely get the screen time they deserve during such a critical moment.
In fact, Dalton’s husband, Alex (Ashley Thomas), gets less screen time than expected — I thought we’d see more flashbacks exploring his character and his relationship with the British Prime Minister before things went south. The same goes for the other hostages he’s with.
Despite these obvious surface flaws, “Hostage” delivers plenty of tension, thrills, and surprising reveals to keep you hooked, making it a binge-worthy thriller to stream this weekend.
Stream ‘Hostage’ on Netflix now
What makes “Hostage” stand out is how confidently it moves from one high-stakes moment to the next. Each episode is constructed to pull viewers deeper into its escalating crisis, ensuring there’s always another question demanding to be answered.
The pacing rarely falters, and the balance between political maneuvering and personal stakes keeps the narrative sharp. Even when certain characters could have been given more room to breathe, the overall structure never loses sight of its forward momentum. It’s also a series that knows how to craft suspenseful set-pieces.
For audiences who enjoy tightly wound dramas where no decision comes without consequence, this is the kind of series that scratches that itch. If you’re not feeling it, see what else is new on Netflix in August 2025.
Stream "Hostage" on Netflix now.
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