Hostages

Season

2022

USA

7.9

November 4, 1979, Iranian student activists stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking over 60 Americans hostage. A 48-hour sit-in to protest imperialism, turned into an international crisis and 24/7 media event that would last 444 days.

Episode List

S1 • E1

Part One: The Peacock Throne

in 1979, the US-backed Shah flees Iran's revolution and the religious cleric Ayatollah Khomeini takes power, America's relationship with Iran changes from ally to adversary. The US embassy in Tehran falls under grave threat.

S1 • E2

Part Two: Den of Spies

Chaos unfolds during the early days of the crisis, as the motivations of the young revolutionaries who breached the embassy are profiled. Khomeini sanctions the takeover, signaling a watershed moment in his oppressive regime.

S1 • E3

Part Three: The Sand Storm

The crisis reaches a boiling point as the Carter Administration fails to security the hostages release. Carter initiates the disastrous Operation Eagle Claw mission resulting in casualties as the fate of the hostages hang in the balance.

S1 • E4

Part Four: The Transaction

As the stalemate surpasses a year, Carter works to engineer a deal with the 1980 election approaching. The hostages are released on Reagan's inauguration day, with many questioning the role of the crisis in the outcome of the election.