Jon Hamm, the former star of “Mad Men” and unofficial ambassador of streaming TV, is busy spreading himself across the digital landscape like a very talented peanut butter. Fresh off his new Apple TV+ series “Your Friends And Neighbors,” he’s now headlining an upcoming anthology series on MGM+, previously known as Epix before its existential crisis and subsequent rebranding.
Introducing: American Hostage
Titled “American Hostage,” this new series is spun from the chaotic yarn of a real-life 1977 incident featuring a disgruntled homeowner, Tony Kiritsis, who took a bank manager hostage over a mortgage dispute. The series, produced by Shawn Ryan of “S.W.A.T.” and “The Shield” fame, pairs him with co-creator Eileen Myers, whose résumé reads like a who’s who of TV drama. Jon Hamm reprises his role from the original podcast as Fred Heckman, the Indianapolis radio host caught in the middle of a financial quarrel with an alarming level of suspense.
Here’s a fun twist: this isn’t the only recent effort to narrate the Kiritsis incident. Bill Skarsgård and Dacre Montgomery are also lined up to star in “Dead Man’s Wire,” a Gus Van Sant adaptation of a Kiritsis documentary. Despite the ominous smiles shared across production meetings, we have absolutely no idea why creatives are collectively fixated on stories of folks lashing out at bankers.
Questions, Mysteries, and Slight Confusion
– With “American Hostage” marketed as an anthology, one wonders where the plot might wander after the original podcast’s material dries up.
– Will the supporting cast members from the podcast, like Joseph Perrino, Carla Gugino, and Dylan Baker, return to breathe life into their roles on screen? The world waits with bated breath (and a couple of snacks).
As Hamm and Ryan embark on this journey of dramatizing mortgage-motivated mayhem, one thing remains clear: there’s a market for stories about tangible, high-stakes hostage situations that maybe, just maybe, make us ponder our own fragile grip on civility. Meanwhile, did you know a group of flamingoes is called a “flamboyance”? Delightful!
