WORDS Eva Short

Hostages, produced by network programming behemoth Jerry Bruckheimer and fronted by a star-studded cast, should be an addition to the catalogue of quality television available today. Based on an Israeli show, this American import had the potential to be a sparkling gem in CBS’s crown. Though it has all the trappings of a good thriller, Hostages can be summed up in one word: tepid.

The premise sounds promising: Dr. Ellen Sanders (Toni Collete) has been entrusted with the life of the President of the United States after being head-hunted to perform surgery on him. The night before the operation, however, a masked team wielding semi-automatics descend upon the suburbs and take the Sanders family hostage, telling Ellen that she must kill the President while he is under the knife or her family will die. Heading up the team is maverick FBI agent Duncan Carlisle, who collects a group of trusted friends to aid in the plan. Far from a straightforward operation, the plot goes all the way to the top, orchestrated by the powers that be.

The pilot achieves everything that could be expected of it; it contextualises while alluding to future revelations; it puts in place a number of subplots that could interest audiences and will undoubtedly come together neatly, and it establishes the depth of its central characters. As per conventional standards, this series couldn’t be faulted. Conventional is the key word here, and that is exactly what is wrong; Bruckheimier is opting to rest on his laurels and not push the boundaries of the thriller genre. The series isn’t terrible, but is nothing more than a generic regurgitation of tropes that audiences have at this stage become desensitised to, thanks to the myriad of crime shows on offer.