Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Critics Praise Interrogation Scenes in ‘High Value Target’ but Call Series Overlong

Early reviews single out Waleed Zuaiter’s Saddam and the Nixon–Hussein exchanges as the series’ strongest work, noting sluggish pacing across eight episodes.

Overview

  • Critics who were screened all eight episodes published reviews on Thursday, Sept. 10, ahead of the U.S. premiere on TNT on Sunday, Sept. 13.
  • Waleed Zuaiter’s performance as Saddam Hussein and the filmed interrogation sequences drew near-universal praise for their tension, writing, and psychological detail.
  • Reviewers say the show’s eight-episode scope feels over-extended, with slow pacing and repetitive setup that delays the most compelling Nixon–Hussein material.
  • The series frames its story through CIA analyst John Nixon, uses original and archival footage to link the drama to the U.S. WMD narrative, and critiques Bush-era policy choices.
  • WATCH IT co-distributes the series and will air episodes before the U.S. debut, a move reviewers say could shape how audiences in the Middle East and United States receive the show.