MiddKid Productions is the television production company of creator, writer, showrunner, and executive producer Shawn Ryan. The name is a nod to Ryan’s alma mater, Middlebury College in Vermont. MiddKid’s credits include The Shield, The Unit, Terriers, The Chicago Code, Last Resort, Timeless, S.W.A.T., and The Night Agent.
MiddKid has been one of the most active and independent TV production banners in the industry, producing prestige broadcast and streaming drama for more than two decades.
From 2011 – 2024, MiddKid Productions operated under a deal with Sony Pictures Television, producing hits like The Night Agent, Last Resort, Timeless, and S.W.A.T. In 2024, the company signed a four-year deal with Netflix following the monumental success of the Netflix spy thriller The Night Agent.
Currently, MiddKid is in production of the psychological thriller anthology series, American Hostage, on MGM+. Based on a 1977 Indianapolis hostage crisis, the series follows Fred Heckman (Jon Hamm), a beloved radio reporter thrust into the middle of a life-or-death crisis.
Shawn Ryan is an American screenwriter and television producer. He has created and/or produced television series including The Shield (2002–08), The Unit (2006–09), Lie to Me (2009–11), Timeless (2016–18), S.W.A.T. (2017–25), The Night Agent (2023–present) and American Hostage (2026).
Hailing from Rockford, Illinois, Ryan graduated from Middlebury College in 1988, majoring in both theater and economics. His time writing in college nurtured an unmistakable talent for writing the compelling stories that have shaped his storied career. His Midwestern humility shines through as he credits the Middlebury College professors, classes, and students for shaping his world view, sharpening his pen, and later serving as the inspiration behind his production company, MiddKid Productions.
He got his start in television by winning the Columbia Pictures Television Comedy Award for Best Comedy College Play in the country. The prize included meetings with top television producers. He went on to work as a staff writer on Nash Bridges and as a writer/producer on Angel.
Ryan formed MiddKid Productions in 2002 to produce his acclaimed drama The Shield. He has received major industry accolades including a Golden Globe Award for Best Televisions Series (2003, The Shield), Peabody Awards for Television Excellence (2005, The Shield), a Primetime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (2002, The Shield), and two AFI awards.
While the industry awards and recognitions are an honor, Ryan’s focus is to create compelling stories that resonate with viewers beyond the hype that comes with any highly anticipated show.
Ryan told Variety in 2002, “A gimmick can get you started, but that goes away, so what’s left better be sturdy on its own.”
Jon Hamm and Giovanni Ribisi meet face to face as Fred Heckman and Tony Kiritsis in the season finale of American Hostage.
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The season finale of American Hostage airs today along with our final Writers' Room Blog! Check out the show and the blog and let us know what you thought of the series.
https://middkidtv.com/blog/american-hostage-writers-room-blog-episode-108/
#MGMplus #AmericanHostage
More vintage broadcast gear on the set of American Hostage.
#MGMplus #AmericanHostage #behindthescenes
The story off the air is just as complicated. Catch up on #AmericanHostage on #MGMplus.
The next American Hostage Writers' Room Blog dives into the the illegal wiretaps that were made (and prematurely destroyed) during the Kiritsis hostage crisis. Check it out on our website!
https://middkidtv.com/blog/american-hostage-writers-room-blog-episode-107/
#MGMplus #AmericanHostage
William Jackson Harper on the WIBC set of American Hostage. The soundstage for the radio station was outfitted with vintage broadcast equipment to set the tone for the 1977 story.
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