Hostages: Season 1 (2013)
Average Rating: 6/10
Reviews Counted: 39
Fresh: 22 | Rotten: 17
Hostages has an intriguing premise and handsome production values, but its twisty plot sometimes strains credulity.
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Critic Reviews: 18
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 5
Hostages has an intriguing premise and handsome production values, but its twisty plot sometimes strains credulity.
Season Info
A surgeon about to operate on the U.S. president is ordered to kill him by a rogue FBI agent who is holding her family hostage.
Network: CBS
Premiere Date: Sep 23, 2013
Cast
-
Toni Collette
Ellen Sanders -
Tate Donovan
Brian Sanders -
Mateus Ward
Jake Sanders -
Quinn Shephard
Morgan Sanders -
Dylan McDermott
Duncan Carlisle -
James Naughton
President Kincaid -
Sandrine Holt
Sandrine Gonzales -
Rhys Coiro
Kramer Delaney -
-
Kate Burton
Mary Kincaid -
Hilarie Burton
Samantha -
Jeremy Bobb
Quentin Creasy -
Marquis Rodriguez
Kevin -
Melanie Nicholls-Kin...
Dr. Marsh -
Lola Cook
Sawyer -
Mary Elizabeth Mastr...
First Lady -
Brian White
Blair -
Tyler Elliot Burke
Boyd -
Paul Calderon
Stan Hoffman -
Lauren Kelly
Amelia -
Toni Trucks
Angela Nix -
Jim True-Frost
Logan -
Larry Pine
Burton Delaney -
Ali Farahnakian
Dr. Jim Miller -
Kevyn Morrow
Police Captain -
Joanne Kelly
Vanessa -
Bhavesh Patel
Journalist -
Philip Hernandez
FBI Agent -
Greg Brostrom
Janitor/Security Gua... -
Montego Glover
Lena -
-
Debra Kay Anderson
Mrs. Watson -
Samantha Ives
Mother -
Gavin-Keith Umeh
Malik -
Leo Minaya
Nico -
Alexander Cendese
Nico -
Garth Kravits
Polygrath Expert -
Harriett D. Foy
Nurse Delores -
Robert Eli
Irritating Guy -
Mark Doherty
Thug Leader -
Napiera Groves
Press Secretary -
Josiah Nolan
Thug #2 -
-
Hunter Emery
Sniper -
Happy McPartlin
PTA Mom -
Iris Delgado
TV Reporter -
-
Nicholas E. Calhoun
Reporter #1 -
Magaly Colimon
Teacher -
Raushanah Simmons
Reporter #2 -
Allyson Morgan
Assistant -
Harry Sutton Jr.
Reporter #3 -
Matthew Schatz
Male Colleague -
Kenita Miller
Whimpering Woman -
-
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Episodes
Pilot
A deadly cat-and-mouse game between a surgeon and a rogue FBI agent begins. In the opener, Dr. Ellen Sanders is selected to operate on the U.S. president but armed intruders take her family hostage and demand that she kill him during surgery or they will murder her family.
Invisible Leash
Duncan promises to kill a member of Ellen's family when she refuses to assassinate the president during surgery. Duncan also informs the family to go about their normal lives for the next two weeks until the commander in chief's operation.
Power of Persuasion
Duncan threatens Ellen that if she doesn't convince the president to keep her on as his surgeon that there will be severe consequences. Meanwhile, Ellen meets Duncan's daughter and gains insight into his life.
2:45 PM
Ellen and Brian devise a plan with their kids to escape from Duncan. Meanwhile, Duncan's wife tells him that she wants to discontinue her treatment and spend her time with him and their daughter.
Truth and Consequences
Ellen makes a life-changing choice when she performs emergency surgery at home. Meanwhile, Duncan demands answers when Archer tells him that an innocent person in their plan has become a victim.
Sister's Keeper
Ellen's sister visits unexpectedly and Duncan forces Ellen to get rid of her without making it look suspicious. Later, Ellen is called in for questioning by the secret service and must play it cool because Duncan is there to help with the questioning.
Hail Mary
Ellen and Brian plot to take down Duncan. Meanwhile, Archer's accomplice plans to reveal to the ADA information about a murder Archer committed.
The Good Reason
Ellen must decide whether to save Duncan's life and confront his wife. Meanwhile, Creasy meets with Vanessa and Col. Blair after the president informs them that he wants to expose a government surveillance program that allowed spying on U.S. citizens.
Loose Ends
Duncan is ordered by someone closely connected to the plot to get rid of an insider when investigators get closer to discovering the conspiracy to kill the president. Meanwhile, Duncan takes the next step in his master plan, and gives Ellen the poison she is to use to kill the commander in chief.
All Critics (39) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (22) | Rotten (17)
The series already could be catching a case of the stupids, in which case, no cast, no matter how talented, will be able to save this show.
With all the promising plot permutations, the show reminds me (in the best possible way) of The Good Wife, which deftly balances the case of the week, with Peter's political career, Alicia's love triangle and the law firm power struggle.
By pilot's end, the tension level is more Parenthood than Homeland.
If the writers go for the twist that seems absolutely essential for survival, then Hostages goes in a completely different direction that might be quite intriguing.
Hostages is based on an Israeli series and it exudes the kind of taut confidence that CBS likes in its dramas. It's handsomely made and yet patently ridiculous.
The show has a good cast in an exciting pilot that unpacks surprises and adds plot layers in satisfying fashion.
The movie-like concept behind Hostages is intriguing.
Despite all its unanswered questions, Hostages is appreciably easier to grasp than NBC's competing new The Black List.
It's got the feel of a great action movie, a piece of escapism that doesn't necessarily challenge you mentally but offers a nice break from reality.
Unless this show is intended as a one-and-done season-long miniseries, I can't imagine how it could possibly hold our attention.
[It] has a polished feel to it, and the limited-series approach certainly makes the prospect of committing to the show more palatable.
Lean and mean, Hostages is an exquisitely heart-pounding piece of work.
Once [the] mysteries are solved, and the crisis is over, any prolongation turns into soap opera. And not the fun, campy kind on Scandal or Revenge.
Hostages hardly breaks new ground as a psychodrama with violence hovering in the air. But it could open new options for the television procedural.
There's nothing outwardly wrong with Hostages. It's very, um, serviceable. Very standard. It could do well.
Morally murky drama is compelling, tense; some violence.
If I give a slight edge to Hostages, it's because Collette is one of those actresses I'd watch in just about anything, and because its 15-episode season means that whatever's going on here should become clear (or at least clearer) a bit sooner.
The plot of CBS's new thriller Hostages could easily be mistaken for the first act of a box office flop or the opening chapters of an airport paperback.
Real talk: Dylan McDermott can hold us hostage anytime.
Hostages unfolds with the crisp efficiency of a humorless event planner checking tasks off a list.
Collette is fascinating to watch; there's always so much happening just under the surface. Her nuanced portrayal obviously shows Ellen's terror, but also a steely determination to protect her family and the president.
Smart, intriguing thriller, but the opener is slightly overheated.
If you get past the large leap and buy into the premise, Hostages promises surprising switchbacks and character development ranking among the best of the season.
What makes Hostages such a disappointment is the overly familiar/lame dialogue and plotting.
The characters wander a spectrum from boring to irritating, and the situation already feels unsustainable by the end of the first episode.
There's room for a slick thriller in everyone's TV diet. Too bad a lot of "Hostages" seems stuck in the mud.
A show like Hostages really only has one chance to sink the hook into viewers. This premiere lets us get away.
This is a show that feels a lot more like Fox's 24 or Showtime's Homeland than your average CBS crime drama.
[The] pilot episode ends with a cliffhanger worthy of the name-a kind that should bring audiences back lusting for more.
Nothing stands out. It's a level playing field of minimum competence.
Hell, Prison Break managed to wring four seasons of ridiculous, pulpy fun out of a narrative dead end. But Hostages starts from a premise even more constrained and takes itself far more seriously.
The saddest thing about Hostages is that Toni Collette is so quietly strong in it, a character I would be excited about in nearly any other circumstances.
There are, of course, subplots - Sanders' husband (Tate Donovan) and teenaged kids are each shielding their own secrets, uncovered by Carlisle and his crew - and covered up by them as well. Unfortunately, they're fairly pedestrian.
For a series that bills itself as a twisty, edge-of-your-seat drama, Hostages is relatively light on thrills.
The idea of seeing Toni Collette in another lead role on a weekly series (after United States of Tara) is exciting enough and Dylan McDermott is a perfectly cast foil for Collette's strong performance.
Hostages delivered a gripping pilot that didn't let go until after the credits rolled.
If the writing can bring invention to the thriller parts and smarts to the domestic parts, and invention, Hostages could have an indefinite hold on our imagination.
Hostages treats its premise like a club and beats the audience over the head with it.
Suspense-filled from the get-go, Hostages revolves around a family full of secrets.
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