Idris Elba’s Thriller Streaming Series Joins Rare Company
Congratulations are in order for Apple TV+ and Idris Elba as Hijack makes its appearance on Nielsen’s list of top 10 original TV shows for the week of July 31 through Aug. 6. The new thrilling series is only the second TV show ever from Apple TV+ to make it on the streaming rankings, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Some of the other TV shows that made top lists for the same week include Suits, The Lincoln Lawyer, Sweet Magnolias, and The Witcher.
Hijack, starring Idris Elba, is the second most successful Apple TV+ series of all time, coming in behind only Ted Lasso.
Hijack is a brand-new TV series on Apple TV+ that premiered its first episode on June 28, 2023. The seven-episode series stars Idris Elba as Sam Nelson, a negotiator on board a seven-hour flight from Dubai to London. When the flight gets hijacked, he must step up and use his negotiating skills to try and save everyone on board.
The TV series has been gripping audiences ever since its first episode, and it held their attention all the way to the season finale on August 2. During the week of its finale debut, Hijack received at least 357 million minutes of viewing time, putting it at number eight on Nielsen’s list of top 10 original series, right behind Star Trek: Strange New Worlds from Paramount+. It in even beat out Jack Ryan from Prime Video (346 million views) and Twisted Metal from Peacock (326 million views).
Apart from the Idris Elba-led thriller series, the only other Apple TV+ show to make Nielsen’s list of top 10 original TV shows was Ted Lasso. Earlier this year, the season three finale of the Emmy-winning comedy received over 1 billion viewing minutes. This was an all-time high for Apple TV+ and marked the first time one of their original shows received over 1 billion viewing minutes.
Idris Elba’s Hijack has been viewed for 357 million minutes, which is impressive, but is far from overtaking Suits, with over 3 billion minutes watched during the same week.
Meanwhile, the Netflix/Peacock hit TV series Suits ranked number one on Nielsen’s list of top 10 overall TV shows for the week of July 31-Aug. 6. This was the sixth week in a row that the legal drama received more than 3 billion viewing minutes. The older TV show has become a huge hit after it was added to Netflix back in June, spurring new fans to binge-watch all nine seasons.
The number one streaming original TV series for the week of July 31-Aug. 6 was The Lincoln Lawyer, which released the final five episodes of its second season on August 3. The Netflix show received an incredible 1.7 billion viewing minutes, so it comes as no surprise that it was renewed for a third season earlier this week.
What’s Next For Idris Elba
While Apple TV+ has not announced if there will be a second season of Hijack, Idris Elba is already committed to several other projects. His biggest upcoming film is the action thriller Infernus, which he will star in as well as direct. The film (which is currently in pre-production) will follow an activist who tries to rescue refugees, but he will have to fend for his life when dangerous inmates break out of prison.
As the dual Hollywood strikes continue, it may be quite some time before we get to see Idris Elba’s new projects, so we recommend checking out Hijack on Apple TV+ in the meantime.
