Taken Hostage
TV Show · Documentary · History

Unfolding like a political thriller, Taken Hostage revisits the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran. For the next 444 days, the world watched as the U.S. endured humiliation, vitriol and hatred from a country that had long been a close ally. The crisis would transform both the U.S. and Iran and forever upend the focus and direction of American foreign policy.

2023 · 1h 52m

Season 1

  • EPISODE 1
    Episode 1
    Explore how America’s quarter-century of unwavering support for its ally, the Shah of Iran, and the violent Islamic revolution that overthrew him in 1979, set the stage for the Iran hostage crisis.
    1h 52m
  • EPISODE 2
    Episode 2
    Through riveting accounts from hostages, journalists and officials, learn how Iranian students held 52 hostages at the American embassy in Tehran from November 1979 to January 1981—a defining crisis of Jimmy Carter’s presidency.
    1h 51m

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About

Taken Hostage

Documentary

Unfolding like a political thriller, Taken Hostage revisits the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran. For the next 444 days, the world watched as the U.S. endured humiliation, vitriol and hatred from a country that had long been a close ally. The crisis would transform both the U.S. and Iran and forever upend the focus and direction of American foreign policy.

Information

Studio
PBS
Released
2023
Rated
TV-MA
© 2022 WGBH Educational Foundation

Languages

Original Audio
English (United States)
Audio

English (United States) (AAC)

Subtitles

English (United States) (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions (CC) refer to subtitles in the available language with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

Europe

  • Armenia
  • Österreich
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Ireland
  • Italia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg (English)
  • Malta
  • Moldova, Republic Of
  • Nederland
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal (Português)
  • Россия
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • España
  • Sverige
  • Schweiz
  • Türkiye (English)
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina (Español)
  • Bahamas
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia (Español)
  • Brasil
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile (Español)
  • Colombia (Español)
  • Costa Rica (Español)
  • Dominica
  • República Dominicana
  • Ecuador (Español)
  • El Salvador (Español)
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala (Español)
  • Honduras (Español)
  • México
  • Nicaragua (Español)
  • Panamá
  • Paraguay (Español)
  • Perú
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

  • Canada (English)
  • Canada (Français)
  • United States
  • Estados Unidos (Español México)