‘High Value Target: The Hunt For Saddam’ Episode 8 Release Date, Time and Where to Watch the ENding

TNT’s tense Saddam Hussein interrogation drama is finally closing the book on its story, and fans have been counting down the days since the first episode dropped. ‘High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam’ is a political thriller limited series created by Daniel Stiepleman and Jonathan Wakeham, developed by Leslie Greif for TNT, and inspired by the memoir ‘Debriefing the President’ by John Nixon. The show stars Joel Kinnaman as Nixon and Waleed Zuaiter as Saddam Hussein, and it has quickly become one of the network’s most talked about original series this fall.

The eight episode run has followed Nixon from the chaos of the 2003 Iraq invasion all the way to his face to face confrontation with the deposed dictator, and now the finale is finally within reach. With so many viewers scrambling to figure out exactly when and where they can catch the last chapter, here is everything currently known about the ‘Hunt for Saddam’ ending.

When Does Episode 8 Come Out?

The season finale of ‘High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam’ will premiere Sunday, October 4 on TNT. That caps off a release calendar that has felt a little unusual for a modern limited series, since TNT chose to lean into a classic broadcast rhythm rather than a binge drop.

The series has stuck with a schedule of two episodes each week until the finale, with TNT releasing one episode every Sunday and Monday leading up to the October 4 conclusion. That means fans have had to wait through a slower rollout than a typical streaming series, but it has also kept the story fresh in conversation for weeks at a time.

The sixth episode aired on Sunday, September 27, with the penultimate installment following on Monday, September 28, both at 9pm ET and PT. According to episode listings, the finale itself, episode eight, is titled ‘Debriefing the President,’ a direct nod to the John Nixon memoir that inspired the entire series.

For anyone who has followed along week to week, that finale title alone hints at just how personal the closing chapter is expected to feel, since it circles back to the source material’s actual name.

What to Expect from ‘High Value Target: The Hunt For Saddam’ Finale?

The build up to the finale has centered on Nixon’s growing conviction that Hussein’s fate matters far beyond one interrogation room. With Saddam on trial, John Nixon becomes convinced that the ousted tyrant holds the key to peace in the region, and he struggles to persuade the CIA to intervene and save Hussein’s life.

That setup suggests the finale will lean heavily into the moral and political tension that has defined the series, rather than wrapping things up with a simple action climax. Executive producer Leslie Greif has been candid about how carefully the writers handled that dynamic, telling TVInsider in an exclusive interview that Nixon and Hussein’s pivotal confrontation was crafted to feel grounded in reality.

Greif explained that the pivotal sit down between the two men, placed roughly halfway through the season, was constructed from actual interrogation transcripts rather than pure dramatization. He also noted that the show weaves in archival news footage throughout, which he said serves to both anchor viewers in real history and reconnect younger audiences with a war many barely remember.

The tension has clearly resonated with critics too, since ‘High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam’ debuted to a striking 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes according to CBR, which also shared an exclusive clip from one of the show’s later episodes showing the manhunt intensifying as insurgent attacks rock Baghdad.

Where to Watch ‘High Value Target: The Hunt For Saddam’?

‘High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam’ airs on TNT, and viewers can also stream the network through a supported live TV streaming service that carries it. That makes a cable package or a live TV streaming subscription the most straightforward way to catch the finale the moment it airs.

Fans without a way to watch live can also catch up on the season at TNTDrama.com, though that option requires a valid cable subscription to unlock full episodes. That access point has become the go to option for people who miss the Sunday or Monday air times but still want to stay caught up before the finale.

There is also a longer term streaming plan in the works for anyone who prefers to wait. A production company page currently lists HBO Max as the eventual streaming destination starting October 14, one week after the TNT finale airs, although TNT’s own official announcement has not confirmed that streaming date.

Worth noting too, the series carries a TV-MA rating, with its war setting, violence and mature themes making it best suited for adult viewers rather than a family watch. That rating tracks with how unflinching the show has been in portraying the realities of the Iraq War throughout its run.

‘The Hunt For Saddam’ Cast Bringing This True Story to Life

Joel Kinnaman, known for ‘For All Mankind,’ and Waleed Zuaiter, known for ‘The Girlfriend,’ lead the cast as CIA analyst John Nixon and former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein respectively. Lena Góra rounds out the central trio as Polly Stevens, and the story follows Nixon’s work in Iraq as the search for Saddam leads to his eventual capture, identification, and interrogation.

The supporting cast has helped flesh out the political and personal stakes surrounding Nixon’s mission. That includes Rebecca Night, Tom Berenger, Paul Ryan portraying George W. Bush, Christopher McDonald, Dar Salim, Matt Barr, Ewan Miller and Talia Balsam, all of whom have appeared across the eight episode run.

Critics have generally responded well to Kinnaman’s performance as a somewhat unlikely hero. TVInsider’s Matt Roush described Nixon as a somewhat nerdy crusader for truth whose bosses mostly ignore his counsel because the White House only wants evidence of weapons of mass destruction and the location of the dictator.

That framing of Nixon as an outsider fighting an uphill battle inside his own agency has given the series its emotional throughline, and it is likely to pay off directly in how the finale resolves his relationship with Hussein. With the interrogation room standoff finally reaching its conclusion this Sunday, it feels only fitting to ask which side of the Nixon and Hussein confrontation left the bigger mark on you.