# Hostage (2025)

> When the British prime minister's husband is kidnapped and threats reach the French president, two leaders must face an impossible choice.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/164349

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 5
- Episode runtime: 44 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: thriller, drama
- Created by: Matt Charman
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Suranne Jones, Julie Delpy, Corey Mylchreest, Ashley Thomas, Martin McCann, Isobel Akuwudike, Hiftu Quasem, Sophie Robertson
- TMDB rating: 6.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31407004/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: tense, claustrophobic, taut, sombre

## What critics say

Audiences rated the series mixed, with its political thriller premise and tense hostage plot drawing a divided response.

## Synopsis

Hostage (2025) is a British political thriller miniseries created by Matt Charman for Netflix. Across five episodes, the story follows British prime minister Abigail Dalton (Suranne Jones) after her husband is kidnapped, while French president Vivienne Toussaint (Julie Delpy) begins receiving threats of her own. Their private anguish and public responsibility pull against each other as they negotiate with unseen captors and advisers, each decision narrowing the room for compromise. The engine is a constant squeeze: every concession carries political cost, every delay risks a life, and the leaders must decide how far they will go before they stop being able to negotiate at all. Shaped as a single continuing story rather than a case of the week, the miniseries builds its tension through closed rooms, phone calls, emergency meetings and the strain on those surrounding the women, including Corey Mylchreest as Matheo Lewis. The tone is taut and claustrophobic, grounded in contemporary diplomacy and the moral weight of government power. Fans of Bodyguard, Homeland and Thirteen Days will find resonance in its political pressure and its focus on people making high-stakes choices under scrutiny.

## Shows like Hostage

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- [Paris Has Fallen (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/149654)
- [Greyzone (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/67027)
- [Kidnap and Ransom (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/39462)
- [The Undeclared War (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/119193)
- [Anatomy of a Scandal (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/94980)
- [The Missing (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54870)

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