10 Thriller Shows To Watch if You Love Apple TV’s 'Hijack'

Hijack on Apple TV is a thrilling series that centers around Idris Elba's character Sam Nelson, a corporate negotiator who finds himself negotiating a life or death situation. In Season 1 of the thrilling series, he was on a plane from Dubai to London that was hijacked by a team of people for unknown reasons. Sam took the lead and did his best to help mediate the situation. In Season 2, he's on a train in Berlin and the stakes are even higher.

Season 1 of the thriller, which came out in 2023, has just seven episodes and Season 2 has eight, the finale streaming on March 4, 2026. So, once you binge your way through both, or wait for the finale of Season 2 to binge that season, there are some great shows that will scratch the same itch.

1 '24' (2001–2014)

Along with the obvious high-octane action all the way through, the reason to watch 24 is that Hijack has a similar real-time feel to it. While there's no ticking clock in Hijack, the episodes do take place in real time as they do in 24, with viewers following the action minute by minute, hour by hour. Yet there never seems to be a dull moment, even in the quieter ones.

Sam Nelson might not possess the same skills as Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), but they have the same moral code, the same desire to protect innocent people and do the right thing. They also have the gift of convincing people to do what they need, even if their approaches are very different. Fans of Hijack will appreciate the nail-biting tension that runs through every episode of this action drama's nine seasons.

2 'Cross' (2024–)

Aldis Hodge is Alex Cross in Cross, one of the best Amazon Prime Video original shows, which is based on the James Patterson character and novels. Like Sam, he has a special set of skills, namely the ability to read people as a talented forensic psychologist. In particular, he reads killers and other dangerous criminals, able to tap into their psyches and get to the root of their lies. He's also a detective who is proficient with a gun.

The two characters share a similar fractured life story, though Hodge is widowed while Sam is divorced. They're both fiercely dedicated to their jobs and find themselves caught up in dangerous situations they can't get out of or feel compelled to solve. With just eight episodes in its first season, a second on the way, Cross is a perfect watch for those who love Hijack.

3 'The Night Agent' (2023–)

If there's any character who knows about bombs on trains and other dangerous situations like the ones Sam keeps finding himself in, it's Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) from The Night Agent. The series, which became one of Netflix's most viewed when the first season premiered in 2023, is prepping to release its third season in late February 2026, making it the perfect time to catch up on Seasons 1 and 2.

There are lots of reasons you should be watching this action thriller. Peter is an FBI agent tasked with investigating dangerous people and cases, helping stop terrorist threats, and basically living on the edge every day. If you are tired of Sam being in the same location in each season, The Night Agent has the same intensity with much more action, intrigue, and change of scenery, even countries, that you'll appreciate. It has similarly thrilling and exciting stories of hero meets bad guy.

4 'Death and Other Details' (2024)

While Death and Other Details got lukewarm reviews and was cancelled after its inaugural season, it's still a compelling mystery drama worth watching with similarities to Hijack. While Sam is trapped on a plane in Season 1 and a train in Season 2, the main characters in this series are investigating a murder on a luxury cruise liner on open waters. Adding to the intensity of the plot is that Imogene Scott (Violett Beane) is being accused and the only person she believes might be able to help her is a detective from her past named Rufus (Mandy Patinkin) who she had a terrible falling out with many years ago.

Death and Other Details is a fun whodunit through the 10 episodes that will keep you guessing and invested in the lead characters, as Hijack does. Like Sam, Imogene isn't necessarily someone familiar with dealing with crime, but she has a knack for investigating and picking up on details. This proves integral to solving the case to not only find the killer and prevent more murders, but save herself in the process. The same happens with Sam in Season 2, who, without giving any spoilers, shifts from being in a hijacked mode of transportation to having something to do with the hijacking in the first place.

5 'Paradise' (2025–)

Renewed for a second season, Paradise is a twisty post-apocalyptic political thriller that sees the president (James Marsden) murdered while under the watch of his team, including lead special agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown). As Xavier tries to reconcile what happened, details about his final moments with the president and secrets about the society in which they live start to come to light.

Paradise is even better than Hijack with tons of action, shocking plot twists with lots of needle drops, and tremendous performances. While Hijack focuses almost entirely on Sam, Paradise has a lot of moving parts and characters integral to the plot. But there's a similar sense of a divide between the people on the ground (or in the plane or on the train in the case of Hijack) and those in political power. In Paradise, it's a completely different world, but the same rules apply: to fight the bad guys, you need to figure out who they are first.

6 'Zero Day' (2025)

This political thriller miniseries is just six episodes long and stars Robert De Niro as George Mullen, a former president who is appointed to head a special commission to look into an act of cyberterrorism. Political commentary wrapped in entertainment, Zero Day goes far deeper than Hijack in its messaging, but it has a similar frantic feel to it as a man at the center is trying to stop a deadly attack in both situations.

Zero Day got mixed reviews, likely because its slant was obviously geared towards one side of the political spectrum. But it's an interesting show that uses a ridiculous plot to make a point about divisiveness, rushing to judgment, and twisting facts to fit narratives. It's far more thought-provoking than Hijack, which fits more into the bubblegum entertainment category. But if you want a show that will keep you on your toes in the same way and make you think at the same time, Zero Day is a good watch.

7 'Bodyguard' (2018)

Bodyguard begins a lot like the second season of Hijack, with PS David Budd (Richard Madden) on a train that he realizes is rigged with a bomb. He sets out to defuse the situation, in more ways than one, and succeeds, marking him a hero. It's similar to Sam's story in Season 1 when he manages to stop the woman who took over the cockpit from crashing the plane and get all the surviving passengers to safety.

The show, which is just six episodes long, dives further into politics from there as David begins working as protection for Julia Montague MP (Keeley Hawes), home secretary of the conservative party who holds beliefs in stark contrast to his. But like Sam, he has a moral code, and he will always do his job to the best of his ability and protect people. Both protagonists are fractured men with troubled relationships with their spouses (estranged or ex) and dealing with the after-effects of events that have left them traumatized. You feel deeply for both of them.

8 'All Her Fault' (2025)

All Her Fault is very different from Hijack in its plot and themes. But it has similar pacing with a quiet moment leading up to intense panic, secrets revealed, people being hurt, and fingers pointed as everyone tries to figure out the truth. At the heart of the story in this mystery thriller is Marissa (Sarah Snook), who goes to pick up her son from a playdate only to discover that the mother and child don't live at the address she was given. Panic sets in as she realizes her son has been taken and needs to figure out who took him, why, and where he is.

The story uncovers themes of mom blaming, neglectful dads, familial strife, and female friendship among the best characters. The series has a massive plot twist at the end you won't see coming. Its eight-episode run as a miniseries is the perfect interlude between episodes of Hijack, or to binge once you've watched the two seasons to date. In both shows, the protagonists go to great lengths to protect their kids, and others.

9 'The Capture' (2019–)

A highly intriguing story, Shaun Emery (Callum Turner) is a former British army Lance Corporal who is accused of kidnapping and murder in The Capture. He didn't commit the crime, but weirdly, there is security video evidence seemingly proving that he did. The story touches on conspiracies and government surveillance.

What Hijack fans will love about this series, which follows a different story in its second season involving a deepfake of a rising politician, is the intensity and urgency of the plot as DI/DCI Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger) works to uncover the truth and save these innocent men from being blamed for crimes they didn't commit. There are a lot of similarities with the second season of Hijack and this show in that respect.

10 'Luther' (2010–2019)

If you adore Elba in Hijack, you'll want to check him out in Luther, a psychological crime thriller in which he stars for all five seasons. He's the title character, John Luther, a detective who has a complicated relationship with a psychopathic murderer named Morgan (Ruth Wilson). He is obsessive about his job, which also means he can sometimes become too obsessed, even violent. He becomes consumed with the crimes he investigates, which tend to be dark and disturbing.

Luther shows a different side of Elba and his acting range, a contrasting character to the more calm, cool, collected, and level-headed Sam. It's a Hannibal-like story as Luther and Alice become linked to one another. She's infatuated with him, and he's fascinated by her and drawn to her ability to help him solve the cases he's investigating. It's an intriguing show that will give you 20 full episodes of all Elba, all the time, to satiate your desire to see more of him on the small screen.