Hijack, like 24 before it, is billed as a thriller television series told in real-time. In execution, however, it feels similar to a carrier full of other TV actioners. Hijack isn’t here to challenge paradigms. It’s a thriller as comfort television. Surprises will be rare. It won’t jostle your emotions too much. However, it is surely going to show you a good time. A big part of that latter bit is, of course, Idris Elba. The real thrill of his performance are the moments when he lets us in. The show hinges on the times when even he becomes too overwhelmed to pretend this kind of travel day isn’t so unusual. Time and again, the series makes it clear that when the situation devolves into violence, it seldom makes things better for our protagonist, the other passengers, or their loved ones on the ground. In the end, that proves the most interesting aspect of Hijack, not the real-time gimmick. What tension there is comes from the limits of Sam’s ability to cajole, intimidate, confuse, and calm his opponents into unwittingly giving him what he needs to win. Think of it as entertainment built for a binge.