Apple TV’s high-octane thriller Hijack returned for its much-anticipated second season on January 14, 2026, and fans who tuned in for another adrenaline rush were met with a story that flips the script—literally and figuratively. Gone are the sunlit airplane cabins of Season 1; this time, the action plunges deep beneath Berlin, Germany, on a tense, claustrophobic U-Bahn train. The premiere episode, titled “Signal,” wastes no time in upending expectations, leaving viewers both breathless and bewildered by the final, jaw-dropping twist.
According to Decider, co-creator Jim Field Smith was determined not to repeat himself. “Season 1, we’re up in the sky. We’re at 35,000 feet. The sun is streaming through the windows. The environment is sort of aspirational and oxygenated. And my natural instinct if we were going to go again was do the exact opposite,” Smith explained. The result? A season that’s as visually and thematically distinct from its predecessor as night from day—a yin to the original’s yang, as Smith put it.
The story picks up two years after the harrowing events aboard Kingdom Airlines Flight KA29. Idris Elba returns as Sam Nelson, the steely negotiator whose quick thinking saved hundreds of lives in Season 1. But this time, Sam is a changed man. As reported by Variety, Sam boards a crowded U5 train during Berlin’s morning rush hour, looking “exhausted, downtrodden and shifty.” His hesitancy and uncertainty are a far cry from the self-assured hero audiences remember. He clutches a briefcase, pays special attention to security cameras, and even his use of a vending machine seems loaded with suspicion. Something’s off, and viewers can’t help but wonder: What’s Sam gotten himself into now?
The supporting cast broadens the show’s scope. Marsha, Sam’s ex-wife (played by Christine Adams), is shown on a solitary retreat in a remote cabin, marking a mysterious anniversary. Their son, Kai, and Daniel, her partner, are notably absent, raising questions about her safety and the nature of her isolation. Meanwhile, new faces like Clara (Lisa Vicar) at the U-Bahn command center and Olivia (Clare-Hope Ashitey) at the British Embassy in Berlin add fresh intrigue to the mix. Olivia, in particular, is waiting for Sam for a scheduled meeting, hinting at unfinished business tied to the traumatic hijacking from two years prior.
But it’s the train’s driver, Otto (Christian Näthe), who quickly becomes a focal point. Otto’s anxiety is palpable—so much so that a station manager requests his replacement. As the train barrels through Berlin, Otto ignores radio calls and speeds past stops, his nerves fraying with every passing minute. At one point, Otto desperately calls a mysterious number, pleading, “Call me back! I can’t do this anymore!” The tension ratchets up as it becomes clear that Otto is entangled in a plot far bigger than himself.
Then comes the twist that no one saw coming. After flagging a suspicious man with a red backpack—who turns out to be a red herring—Sam forces his way into the conductor’s cabin. Otto, frantic and on the verge of collapse, tries to explain himself, but Sam cuts him off with a line that reverberates through the episode: “You’re Otto, right? Otto, listen to me. I’m hijacking this train.” As Decider puts it, “AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” It’s a moment that flips the entire premise of the show on its head. Is Sam now the villain? Has he lost his moral compass, or is there a deeper game afoot?
The official Apple TV synopsis only deepens the mystery: “Two years after Flight KA29’s hijacking, Sam Nelson is thrust into another life-threatening ordeal — but this time it’s personal.” The connections between the train hijacking and the events of Season 1 are left tantalizingly vague. Sam’s missed appointment with Olivia, scheduled to discuss CCTV footage from Hamburg Border Control that reportedly shows the mastermind behind the original hijacking, suggests that he may be orchestrating events for reasons only he understands. Is he sending a message? Seeking revenge? Protecting someone he loves?
Meanwhile, the passengers on the U5 train—ranging from an insufferable former intern of Sam’s to a group of teenagers and a nervous young father—begin to sense that something is wrong. The show’s narrative is at its strongest when it focuses on these ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances, as Variety notes. The tension comes not just from Sam’s actions, but from the unpredictable ways in which humans respond to crisis.
Yet, not all critics are convinced the show’s new direction works. Variety argues that Season 2 is “determined to take itself more seriously than Season 1,” resulting in a “jumble of plot points stretching between the past and the present.” The review suggests the story is “clunky, cumbersome and wearisome,” with too many characters—including Berlin Chief of Police Ava Winter (Christiane Paul) and MI5 Agent Peter Fabar (Toby Jones)—floating around like “mismatched puzzle pieces” until the narrative finally clicks together. The review is especially skeptical about the plausibility of Sam finding himself at the center of yet another international hijacking, calling it “too ridiculous for even the most enthusiastic TV lover.”
Despite these criticisms, the show continues to explore compelling themes—revenge, grief, and the far-reaching consequences of global surveillance. The pain of loss and the cost of vengeance are woven through the narrative, even if, as Variety laments, they occasionally detract from the taut, edge-of-your-seat pacing that made Season 1 so binge-worthy.
For all its twists and new faces, Hijack Season 2 remains anchored by Idris Elba’s magnetic performance. Even as Sam’s motives grow murkier, Elba’s charisma keeps viewers invested. And with the premiere episode ending on such an explosive note, fans are left with a barrage of questions: What drives Sam’s shocking actions? Is he still the hero, or has he crossed a line from which there’s no return? And how, if at all, are the events of Season 1 and Season 2 truly connected?
One thing’s for sure: audiences will have to keep watching to find out. New episodes of Hijack Season 2 air Wednesdays on Apple TV, with the next installment, “Control,” set for release on January 21, 2026. As the train barrels deeper into Berlin’s tunnels—and Sam’s motives grow ever more enigmatic—the only certainty is that viewers are in for a wild ride.
As the credits roll on “Signal,” the premiere leaves fans with more questions than answers, ensuring that the pulse-pounding suspense that defined Hijack’s debut is still very much alive—just in a darker, more unpredictable form.