HBO Documentary Films’ Original four-part documentary series HOSTAGES, a Show of Force Production, will debut Wednesday, September 28 (9:00-10:00PM ET/PT) with two episodes airing back-to-back, followed by the final two episodes airing back-to-back on Thursday, September 29 at the same time on HBO. All four episodes of the series will be available to stream on HBO Max on September 28.
On November 4, 1979, Iranian student activists stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking over 60 Americans hostage. What was planned as a 48-hour sit-in to protest American imperialism, ballooned into an international crisis and 24/7 media event that would last 444 days. With never-before-seen archival footage and revelatory new interviews with the American hostages and Iranian hostage-takers alike, the series is a gripping chronicle of one of the most dramatic international deadlocks in American history, a deep dive into the geo-political history that led to the crisis, and an exploration of the political fallout that reverberates today.
A riveting, intricate portrait of an event that made international headlines, HOSTAGES unfolds with ticking-clock urgency through the 444-day ordeal, while the episodes also travel back in time to explore decades of the complex, intertwined relations between the two countries. The series trains its lens on the complexities of U.S./Iran relations that emerge from a history of covert CIA operations, high-rolling oil deals, deposed leaders, revolutionary idealism and religious fervor, a lost presidency, and backdoor arms sales.
Probing a range of perspectives on the complicated legacy of the crisis, the series brings groundbreaking historical moments to life through first-person accounts from former hostages, Iranian student revolutionaries, and hostage-takers, diplomats, security experts, politicians, and journalists in both countries. Subjects include: former hostages Al Golacinski, Kathryn Koob, Paul Lewis, John Limbert, Michael Metrinko, and Victor Tomseth; student revolutionary hostage-takers Ebrahim Asgharzadeh and Massoumeh Ebtekar; Gary Sick, National Security Council, and Persian Gulf specialist; Chris Matthews, speechwriter for President Carter; Mansour Farhang, former Iranian Ambassador to the UN; Mohsen Sazegara, former government official of the Islamic Republic of Iran and political dissident; Lesley Stahl, CBS White House Correspondent; Robert Armao, spokesman for Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi; Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, former President of the Islamic Republic of Iran; and many more.
Episode Descriptions
Part One: “The Peacock Throne”
Directed by Maro Chermayeff, Abbas Motlagh, and Sam Pollard
Debut Date: Wednesday, September 28 (9:00-10:00PM ET/PT)
The series premiere sets the stage for the political crucible of 1979, detailing how America and Iran went from deeply enmeshed allies to global adversaries. As the U.S.-backed Shah flees his country’s revolution against the excess and repression of his regime, the religious cleric Ayatollah Khomeini rises to power and an Islamic theocracy is put in place. The U.S. embassy, a symbol of American imperialism and political interference to many in the region, falls under grave threat.
Part Two: “Den of Spies”
Directed by Maro Chermayeff, Abbas Motlagh, and Sam Pollard
Debut Date: Wednesday, September 28 (10:00-11:00PM ET/PT)
Exploring the unfolding chaos of the first days of the hostage crisis, this episode illuminates the motivations and ideals of the young revolutionaries who breached the embassy walls. Events take a turn when Khomeini sanctions the takeover and the hostage-taking becomes a watershed moment of Khomeini’s repressive regime.
Part Three: “The Sand Storm”
Directed by Joshua Bennett & Abbas Motlagh
Debut Date: Thursday, September 29 (9:00-10:00PM ET/PT)
The episode focuses on President Jimmy Carter’s administration as the situation reaches a boiling point and diplomatic efforts to secure the hostages’ release fail. Carter decides to initiate military action, but Operation Eagle Claw is a disaster. Eight U.S. service members die, and the fate of the hostages hangs in the balance.
Part Four: “The Transaction”
Directed by Jeff Dupre & Abbas Motlagh
Debut Date: Thursday, September 29 (10:00-11:00PM ET/PT)
The series finale finds both Iran and America in an exhausting, entrenched stalemate one year into the siege. As the Carter administration works furiously to secure a deal, the presidential election of 1980 approaches. Ultimately, the hostages are released on the day of Ronald Reagan’s inauguration, and lingering questions remain about the role of the crisis in the American election. Although the U.S. hostages are ultimately returned, the individuals on all sides are impacted for life and the relationship between the two countries is changed forever.
HBO Documentary Films presents a Show of Force Production HOSTAGES. Directed by Joshua Bennett, Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre, Abbas Motlagh, and Sam Pollard; series producer Saralena Weinfield; consulting producer Karim Sadjadpour. For HBO: executive producers Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez.
