Dear “Hostages,”
I always give a show three episodes to get me hooked. I get
it – it’s rough to get things rolling, and it takes a while for characters to
find their stride and for the plot to get “good.” 
I’ll do the same for Hostages, but come on people, you gotta hold up your end of the bargain. The premise is interesting enough, for sure, but when your series premiere spends half of its time establishing characters at the expense almost any plot, I get a little worried. And bored.
That’s not to say this show can’t get really good down the line. And I’ll keep watching whether or not I enjoy it, because it’s my lot in life. There’s certainly potential there. And while the pilot is roundly dry, it does give us a boatload of questions that should get us through the rest of the season. It seems everyone in the Sanders family has a skeleton or two in their closet. And FBI Special Agent Duncan Carlisle and his team of hostage-takers aren’t your typical terrorists.
Here’s hoping the show gets better. I’m betting it will, but I have a feeling there’s only so far this show can rise.