‘High Value Target: The Hunt For Saddam’ Episode 7 Release Date, Time and Where to Watch “The Reckoning”

Fans of TNT’s Saddam Hussein interrogation drama have circled their calendars again, because a new chapter of ‘High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam’ is about to drop. The limited series has been rolling out at an unusual pace, and episode 7 is the next stop on the road toward its finale.

The eight episode limited series tells the story of John Nixon, the CIA analyst who became the first American officer to interrogate Saddam Hussein after his capture in December 2003. With the show’s back half now airing, viewers want to know exactly when, where, and how to catch the next installment.

Episode 7 Release Date and Time

Episode 7, titled “The Reckoning,” is set to air on September 28, 2026. That places it squarely within the show’s established two night a week cadence rather than a standalone Sunday drop.

The series first debuted with its opening two episodes on Sunday, September 13, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, with the third episode following the very next night, and new episodes have continued to drop on subsequent Sundays and Mondays, building toward a finale set for Sunday, October 4. That means episode 7 keeps the Monday night slot that episodes 3 and 5 also used.

Since the series has stuck to a consistent hour long broadcast window since launch, viewers should plan on ‘High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam’ episode 7 hitting screens at 9 p.m. ET/PT once again. Each episode has run around 60 minutes, consistent with the drama’s format across its eight episode season.

That unusual Sunday and Monday release pattern has made the show a bit trickier to track than a typical weekly drama, but it also means fans get two fixes some weeks and none the next, which has kept the online conversation about the series fairly steady heading into its final stretch.

Where to Watch ‘The Hunt for Saddam’?

‘High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam’ airs exclusively on TNT in the United States. That means cable subscribers or those with a live TV streaming package that includes TNT will have the most direct access to episode 7 the moment it premieres.

Outside the United States, the series has also been airing in the MENA region since September 9, 2026, exclusively on the Watch IT platform. That earlier regional rollout has already given some international audiences a head start on the story before American viewers caught up.

For those hoping to binge later, the show is expected to arrive on HBO Max in the United States on October 14, 2026. Worth noting, that streaming date has circulated widely but has not been directly confirmed through TNT’s own scheduling announcements, so it is best treated as a reported date rather than an official one for now.

Anyone without a traditional cable package can still catch new episodes through a supported live TV streaming service that carries TNT, giving cord cutters a workaround while they wait for the eventual streaming rollout.

What to Expect In “The Reckoning”

The back half of the season has leaned hard into the psychological weight of Nixon and Saddam’s exchanges rather than pure action beats. Eight episodes built around one interrogation room have generated a psychological standoff that does not need action set pieces to create tension.

Executive producer Leslie Greif has been candid about how closely the show hews to the historical record heading into these later episodes. According to an interview with TVInsider, the pivotal confrontation between Nixon and Hussein that anchors the middle of the series is grounded in transcripts of the two men discussing how they feel and what they believe, with archival news footage woven in throughout to keep the history grounded and immediate for viewers who may barely remember the era.

Across the season, Nixon’s conversations with Saddam push him to examine the former dictator’s government, the fallout of removing him from power, and the broader humanitarian and geopolitical situation unfolding in Iraq. Episode 7 arrives right as that reckoning with consequences reaches its most personal point for Nixon.

Critical reaction has remained mixed but engaged as the series has progressed. A Screen Rant review argued that this politically charged war drama goes above and beyond its thematic brief, even if it does not always deliver thrills to match its piercing analysis. That tension between prestige ambition and pacing has followed the show since its premiere, and episode 7 will be another test of whether the payoff matches the buildup.

The Cast and Creative Team Behind the Series

‘High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam’ is inspired by the memoir “Debriefing the President” by CIA analyst John Nixon, and was created by Daniel Stiepleman and Jonathan Wakeham, with a writing team that also includes Leslie Greif and Graham Sack. Nixon himself is credited as an executive producer, which has shaped how faithfully the writers’ room has treated his real life experience.

Joel Kinnaman stars as Nixon, with Waleed Zuaiter playing Saddam Hussein opposite him. Zuaiter’s casting drew attention given his recent role in ‘The Girlfriend,’ while Kinnaman’s presence carries over from his work on ‘For All Mankind.’

The supporting cast rounds out a large ensemble built around the geopolitical drama surrounding the Iraq War. The roster includes Lena Góra as Polly Stevens, Rebecca Night as Rebecca Nixon, Tom Berenger, Christopher McDonald as Alexander Van Dusen, Dar Salim as Samir, and Paul Ryan portraying George W. Bush.

At the network level, Turner Networks president Jason Sarlanis has framed the project as exactly the kind of bold, character driven drama TNT wants to be known for, describing Nixon’s position face to face with Saddam Hussein as a singular moment in modern history. With critics landing at a 71 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a “mixed or average” score of 53 on Metacritic, the show has clearly split opinion even as it holds a loyal audience heading into its final two episodes.

With Nixon and Hussein’s dynamic only getting heavier as ‘The Reckoning’ approaches, how do you think this interrogation drama is holding up compared to the real history it is drawing from.