Tom Hiddleston’s 3-Part Disney+ Series Makes This Historical Disaster More Relevant

Published Jul 30, 2026, 7:04 PM EDT Giovana Gelhoren is a High-Trending Topics Writer at Collider, covering the most-talked-about stars, movies, and TV shows. Before joining Collider, she was a Digital News Writer at People Magazine and served as Associate Editor at SheKnows, where she honed her expertise in celebrity coverage and entertainment journalism. A proud Latina from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Giovana graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism and International Studies. She has interviewed countless celebrities, including Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Brenda Song, and is known for her encyclopedic knowledge of film, TV, and pop culture. Since the premiere of Thor back in 2011, Marvel fans have gotten to know and love Tom Hiddleston as the mischievous Loki. But while his tenure as the villain turned anti-hero continues later this year in Avengers: Doomsday, Hiddleston is showing a whole new side of himself in the new docuseries, Pompeii: Out of Time. Premiered on Hulu and Disney+ on July 23, 2026, the series sees the actor revisit one of history's most devastating tragedies in his hope to redefine the story with a whole new perspective. While reuniting with Loki executive producer Kevin R. Wright, Hiddleston retells the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, and embarks on a mission to reframe the worldview on the disaster. The series, which holds an impressive 92% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, is already #2 in streaming worldwide on Disney+, per FlixPatrol, and is quickly establishing itself a must-watch. 'Pompeii: Out of Time' Hopes to Redefine the Tragedy Pompeii: Out of Time, which consists of three episodes, is a blend of a cinematic scripted drama and an investigative documentary that transports audiences to ancient Rome in the hours before and during the eruption. With stories from real archaeologists, historians, geologists, and disaster experts, Hiddleston hopes to reframe the tragedy into a "story of survival." Throughout the episodes, he discovers remarkable evidence that challenges long-held assumptions about Pompeii during its final hours, including the idea that everyone perished in ash. "This is the story we don't know," he says in the trailer, "this is the story I want to tell." Using cutting-edge historical discoveries, expert analysis, and intimate storytelling, the show reframes Pompeii as a human drama of resilience, a refreshing juxtaposition to the often destructive story of Pompeii’s final hours. As Hiddleston himself puts it, the series uses "evidence and imagination intermingled." From the critics' reviews, it's clear the series balances being informative and entertaining, while changing viewers' perceptions. "It's a different perspective on one of the most well-known episodes of ancient history and a demonstration of how archaeology continues to uncover new stories to tell almost two thousand years later," writes one review. 'Pompeii: Out of Time' Hits Home for Tom Hiddleston Image via Disney+ In a recent sit-down interview with Collider’s Maggie Lovitt for an episode of Collider Behind-the-Scenes, Hiddleston explained why this project meant so much to him. In the summer of 1998, when he was 17 years old, Hiddleston visited Pompeii for the first time, and was instantly fascinated. "It was the first time I understood that our relationship with the past was alive," he said. "That the past was a place you could visit, and walk through and hear the echoes of our ancestors contained in the buildings preserved at that site." Almost thirty years later, Hiddleston returned to the site, and while he felt that same connection, he also had a different, more mature outlook on the city. He said he had a "more mature understanding of time and a more keen awareness of the brevity” of his own life. In the reviews for the series, it's clear Hiddleston's passion for the subject shines through. "Hiddleston’s charm draws viewers in, but his connection to and excitement for the material are what infectiously hold our attention and make this three-part series so compelling," writes one review. "I admire Tom for taking his burning passion and turning it into something that he can share with others," echoes another review. "It might be cheesy, but he’s daring to be different, and perhaps he’ll inspire more classics enthusiasts in the process." With that said, while Hiddleston's time as Loki has yet to come to an end, Pompeii: Out of Time dives deep into one of his personal passions, and delivers a fascinating docuseries that will leave viewers looking at the tragedy in a different light, while likely becoming even more endeared to the actor. Plus, with only three episodes in the series, Pompeii: Out of Time is a weekend binge waiting to happen. Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Network National Geographic Directors Tom Barbor-Might Writers Tom Barbor-Might, Mark Ravenhill, Jessica Ruston, Kevin R. Wright Cast Lubna Azabal, Tom Hiddleston, Barry Aird, Buket Komur, Robert Bowman, Theo Ogundipe, Madeleine Walker, Angelina Chudi, Christina Cole, Frankie Treadaway, Bernard Satariano Creator(s) Jessica Ruston, Tom Barbor-Might, Mark Ravenhill, Kevin R. Wright