Naman Shrestha
Based on the eponymous podcast and inspired by true events, MGM+’s ‘American Hostage’ is a psychological thriller drama series created by Shawn Ryan and Eileen Myers. The narrative centers on a popular, well-liked radio reporter named Fred Heckman, who hosts a popular news program in Indianapolis. During a seemingly regular day at the office, Fred finds himself in the middle of a life-or-death situation when he receives a call from Tony Kiritsis, a local individual who has taken a bank employee hostage. In exchange for the safety of the hostage, Tony demands to be interviewed on Fred’s live radio news program. Featuring stellar onscreen performances from Jon Hamm, William Jackson Harper, Mireille Enos, Kristoffer Polaha, and Giovanni Ribisi, the crime show is set in the 1970s in Indianapolis, with most of the drama unfolding in Fred’s residence and radio station.
American Hostage Filming Locations
Production on ‘American Hostage’ was conducted in Manitoba, especially in and around Winnipeg. As per reports, principal photography for the inaugural iteration of the MGM+ production commenced in early November 2025 under the working title ‘Shortwave’ and went on for about three months before concluding in early February 2026. Given Manitoba’s vastness and versatility, it could double as Indianapolis in the 1970s, making it an ideal filming destination for the Jon Hamm starrer.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
While the events in the high-stakes thriller series unfold in Indianapolis, the capital of Indiana, the filming actually took place outside the country. To paint the visual canvas of Indy in 1977, the team of ‘American Hostage’ visited several spots across the Canadian province of Manitoba, particularly in and around Winnipeg. The crew utilized the streets, structures, landmarks, and surroundings of downtown Winnipeg, specifically the neighborhood of Exchange District and the central downtown area, to represent Indianapolis in that time period. A portion of the shooting was carried out at The Millennium Centre at 389 Main Street, near Portage and Main, in the Fall season.
While filming inside the historic and grand The Millennium Center, Jon Hamm, who plays Fred Heckman, spent some time with Greg Agnew, the President of Heritage Winnipeg, wherein they also discussed Greg and Robert Sweeney’s book ‘Winnipeg150: Stories Our Buildings Tell,’ which commemorates the city’s cultural and architectural legacy. In the show, the Indianapolis radio station WIBC 1070 AM serves as a significant setting, as it is where the news director, Fred Heckman, engages in an intense negotiation with Tony Kiritsis live on the radio. Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (Royal MTC) at 174 Market Avenue is where the scenes set in the radio station were lensed. The production team carefully dressed and repurposed the venue’s versatile interior spaces and stages, as well as the advanced technical facilities, to capture the period-appropriate broadcast environment of the 1970s.
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