Jon Hamm will reprise the role he recently played on a successful podcast in a new psychological thriller TV show called American Hostage. Hamm rose to prominence in 2007 with Mad Men, a hit AMC series in which he played advertising executive Don Draper. Since then, he has been a fixture of both the TV and film landscapes, appearing in The Town (2010), Baby Driver (2017), and Bad Times at the El Royale (2018). More recently, Hamm starred in Fargo season 5 and Taylor Sheridan’s Landman, and he’s now leading Your Friends & Neighbors on Apple TV+.
Deadline reports that Hamm now has his next project lined up, with MGM+ having given the green light to American Hostage (working title), an anthology show that will depict a different hostage situation with each season. Hamm is set to star in season 1 as Fred Heckman, a role he recently played on a scripted podcast of the same name, a real-life radio host who finds himself playing a key part in a hostage situation. Check out the season 1 synopsis below:
Set in the 1970s, the psychological thriller tells the harrowing true story of Fred Heckman (Hamm), a beloved Indianapolis radio reporter who is thrust into the middle of a life-or-death crisis when hostage-taker Tony Kiritsis demands to be interviewed on his popular radio news program.
American Hostage hails from co-creators and executive producers Shawn Ryan (The Night Agent) and Eileen Myers (Big Love) from Sony Pictures Television, with both Ryan and Myers set to serve as co-showrunners for season 1. Season 1 will consist of eight episodes, with filming set to begin in Winnipeg, Canada, this autumn. Hamm will also executive produce the show, along with Connie Tavel, Marney Hochman, and Sharon Hoffman. Both Shawn Christensen and Gabriel Mason will also executive produce for Criminal Content, the company responsible for the podcast. MGM+ boss Michael Wright shared the following statement about the show:
“The combination of prolific producers Shawn Ryan and Eileen Myers, a singular talent like Jon Hamm, and our partners at Sony Pictures Television, is a match made in MGM+ heaven. This is a fascinating story about real people engaged in a real-time life-or-death struggle to keep a desperate hostage situation from spinning out of control, and I can’t think of a more gifted actor on whom to center the story than Jon.”
Katherine Pope, the President of Sony Pictures Television Studios, also addressed American Hostage:
“We couldn’t be more grateful to be making this show with our valued partners – MGM+, Shawn Ryan, Eileen Myers and Jon Hamm. An exploration of quiet heroism, American Hostage shines a light on our culture, revealing truths that still strongly resonate.”
What This Means For Jon Hamm
Hamm Is Dominating In The World Of TV
Though Hamm is no stranger to appearing in movies, it certainly seems as if he has been more at home on TV over the last few years. Hamm was recently nominated for an Emmy for his role as the villainous Roy Tillman in the cast of Fargo season 5, another show that adopts the anthology format. Prior to that, he earned an Emmy nomination for his role in The Morning Show. In total, Hamm has been nominated for 18 Emmys, winning one, and it’s possible that American Hostage will once again make the actor an awards contender.
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The American Hostage podcast premiered in early 2022, and, while listenership figures aren’t clear, it seems to have gone over very well with audiences. The podcast was nominated for a Webby Award and won a Signal award, and it currently enjoys a 4.6/ 5 rating on Apple Podcasts. With Your Friends & Neighbors reviews proving positive from critics, American Hostage could mark yet another win for Hamm in the TV landscape.
American Hostage doesn’t yet have a release window, but filming starting later this year could mean a 2026 premiere.
Our Take On American Hostage
The Show Could Be Another Hit
Making a TV show is very different from making a podcast, but the ingredients for success certainly already seem to be there with the new streaming show. Hamm himself starring is a major win, and his voice performance as Fred in the podcast evidently was a hit with listeners. Ryan and Myers’ history in the world of TV is also a plus.
Though the anthology format means Hamm won’t be returning for American Hostage season 2 if the show gets renewed, this format has worked wonders for Fargo and American Horror Story, and it can be refreshing to get a new story with new characters every season. It remains to be seen whether American Hostage will be a hit, but it’s evidently one to watch out for given Hamm’s impressive TV resume.
Source: Deadline