Idris Elba Returns In Hijack Season 2 With Berlin Twist

After nearly three years of speculation and anticipation, Hijack returned to Apple TV+ on January 14, 2026, with its second season—this time trading the claustrophobic confines of a hijacked airplane for the shadowy corridors of the Berlin U-Bahn. Idris Elba reprises his role as Sam Nelson, the skilled negotiator who, in the first season, found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and became an unlikely hero. But as the new episodes began rolling out, both critics and fans found themselves asking: Can lightning really strike twice?

The numbers suggest a far more complicated picture than the show’s debut enjoyed. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Hijack boasted a remarkable 90 percent approval rating from critics, quickly establishing itself as one of Apple TV+’s standout offerings. That initial success prompted a swift renewal, and expectations for the follow-up soared. But as of this week, the sophomore season sits at a modest 67 percent based on 24 published reviews—a notable 23-point drop. While still technically “Fresh,” this shift signals a significant departure from the near-universal praise of the original run. As Variety points out, the sample size is still limited and could change as more critics weigh in over the coming weeks, especially given the weekly release schedule for the season’s eight episodes.

Audience reactions, however, have always told a different story. The first season, despite its critical acclaim, received a lukewarm 51 percent approval from general viewers. Whether this gap between critics and the public will persist in Season 2 remains to be seen, as audience scores tend to accumulate more gradually over a season’s run. For now, Hijack finds itself in a curious middle ground—neither soaring nor crashing, but hovering in a state of suspense as new episodes land each week.

So, what’s changed between seasons? The most immediate difference is the setting. Season 2 moves the action from the skies to Berlin’s underground, with hundreds of commuters unwittingly swept into a new crisis. Elba’s Sam Nelson, now in the German capital, is still investigating the aftermath of the events aboard KA29, the ill-fated flight from Season 1. The opening episode sets the stage with a slow-burn tension: Nelson, visibly troubled, boards the subway and quickly senses something is amiss. An old acquaintance recognizes him and offers congratulations for his heroics, but Sam is distracted, scanning the crowded train with suspicion. Even a moment of paranoia—reporting a Middle Eastern immigrant to the police—feels loaded, as the series toys with the audience’s expectations about who the real threat is.

But the real twist comes at the end of the premiere, and it’s a doozy. As MicropsiaCine and other outlets have reported, the hijacker this time isn’t a shadowy terrorist or a desperate criminal—it’s Sam Nelson himself. With the episode’s final moments, Elba’s character glares into the camera and declares, “I’m hijacking this train.” The shock of this reversal—where the hero of the first season becomes the apparent antagonist of the second—immediately reframes everything the audience thought they knew about the show. As one reviewer put it, “It’s a reverse Terminator scenario in which the good guy is now the bad guy, and we’re encouraged to ask how and why.”

This narrative gambit is both bold and risky. The creators, aware of the implausibility of the same man stumbling into two hijackings, opted instead to make Sam the agent of chaos. But why would a fundamentally decent corporate negotiator take such drastic action? The show teases out this mystery over the season’s eight episodes, dropping hints about personal tragedies and unresolved investigations that might have pushed Sam to the brink. There are glimpses of his ex-wife Marsha (Christine Adams), now alone in a rural Scottish cabin, whose own troubles seem to echo into Sam’s predicament. The emotional core that drove the first season—Sam’s estrangement from Marsha—remains, but now it’s layered with even more ambiguity and unresolved tension.

Meanwhile, the mechanics of the hijacking are as intricate as ever. The train’s driver, Otto (Christian Näthe), is revealed to be an unwilling participant, manipulated by a shadowy underground organization operating in Berlin. These antagonists are not well-funded, but they’re professional, able to infiltrate the U-Bahn’s operations and evade authorities with ease. The series paints a picture of a city where danger lurks just beneath the surface, and where even the most mundane commute can turn deadly in an instant.

Yet, as several critics have noted, the show’s plausibility is increasingly stretched. The second season, according to MicropsiaCine, “has even more credibility problems than the first.” The passengers’ obliviousness to the unfolding crisis, the oddly incompetent transportation control center, and the slow drip of information all strain the viewer’s suspension of disbelief. Even Elba’s considerable charisma can’t fully paper over these cracks. “We know his character will never commit a crime or kill anyone, which means that the supposedly risky or novel situation the series presents is, at its core, not really risky at all,” the review observes.

Idris Elba himself has been candid about the challenges of keeping the series fresh. Speaking to People magazine, he described the production as “complex and challenging,” acknowledging that maintaining quality across multiple seasons is no easy feat. It’s a sentiment echoed by many in the industry: sustaining tension and originality in a high-concept thriller is a tall order, especially when the premise relies on ever-escalating crises.

Still, Hijack remains compulsively watchable. The Berlin setting, with its convincingly recreated stations and labyrinthine tunnels, offers a fresh backdrop for the show’s signature blend of real-time suspense and character-driven drama. The weekly release schedule gives the series room to build word of mouth, and as later episodes unfold, there’s always the possibility that the critical tide could turn. As one reviewer wryly noted, “I’m not mad that Hijack dangled a series plot twist until the very end of its first episode. I am annoyed it got away with it. Talk about being good at your job.”

For now, Hijack Season 2 stands as a testament to both the possibilities and pitfalls of television sequels. It’s a show willing to take risks, even as it struggles to justify its own existence. Whether Sam Nelson’s latest ordeal will ultimately satisfy remains to be seen, but for viewers willing to suspend disbelief, the ride is far from over.