Jon Hamm's new MGM+ crime thriller "American Hostage" has rapidly become one of the platform's most successful shows since its 20 September premiere, currently ranking as the No. 2 programme on the streamer. The series, based on a scripted podcast, centres on a true 1977 Indianapolis incident in which a used-car salesman takes a mortgage broker hostage with a sawed-off shotgun and demands to speak to radio reporter Fred Heckman on the air, forcing the journalist into the heart of a crisis he should only be reporting on.

The series has garnered strong critical reception, sitting at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes based on early reviews, which is particularly notable considering only the first two episodes are currently available. Hamm plays Fred Heckman opposite Giovanni Ribisi as the hostage-taker Tony Kiritsis and Kristoffer Polaha as the hostage Dick Hall, with support from William Jackson Harper, Mireille Enos, Jonathan Tucker, and Kat Cunning. The standoff lasted over two days as Kiritsis used his access to broadcast airtime to air grievances, whilst Heckman attempted to defuse the explosive situation. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.