Los Angeles Times – Investigative Arts Desk
Set Designer Accused of Building Tunnels Too Convincing for Homeland Security
By Maya Kwon, Culture and Legal Affairs Correspondent
What started as a prestige satire about underground resistance, weaponized hummus, and goat-led espionage has spiraled into a full-blown federal inquiry.
Netflix’s Hogan’s Hostages is facing unexpected legal scrutiny this week after a whistleblower filed a report with Homeland Security alleging that the show’s East L.A. set—a painstakingly accurate recreation of Gaza’s tunnel networks—may be “functionally indistinguishable from real-world smuggling infrastructure.”
When Satire Meets Structural Engineering
The designer in question, Sebastian Torquell, previously known for building avant-garde sets for immersive theater and one award-winning dentist commercial, is now being investigated under the 2006 Subterranean Threat Abatement Act.
“I just wanted realism,” Torquell said in a statement issued from behind a stack of sandbags. “If people accidentally plan a smuggling operation on set, that’s a sign of good production design.”
Sources close to the crew say the tunnels featured:
- Working drop ladders made from repurposed gym equipment
- Water filtration systems repurposed from Coachella hydration tents
- Wi-Fi routers disguised as falafel stands
- Goat-proof ventilation
Federal Response: “This Isn’t a Metaphor Anymore”
Homeland Security issued a cautious statement:
“While we respect the role of satire in American culture, we cannot ignore when a tunnel system contains viable access points to underground parking structures, city infrastructure, or Trader Joe’s dumpsters.”
Several field agents were reportedly confused by the presence of mock checkpoints featuring QR-coded hostage scripts and goat-run snack bars.
Lawsuit Pending?
Netflix has retained legal firm Feinblatt, Feinblatt & Stern, known for defending controversial art installations and once representing a haunted escape room accused of accidentally creating a cult.
Feigenbaum, the showrunner, responded at a panel by saying:
“If our tunnel system is too real, then maybe the real systems should be funnier.”
She later added: “Also, we promise the goats aren’t hiding anything…except maybe trauma.”
Actors Weigh In
- Donald Glover (Kinch): “I slept in that tunnel for six weeks. If they think that counts as infrastructure, then I want back pay and a municipal zoning license.”
- Mo Amer (Klink): “We had better air quality than most studio lots. And the goat’s meditation nook changed my life.”
- Bibi the Goat (uncredited): Headbutted a subpoena and walked away.
Meanwhile, in a Bunker Somewhere
Sebastian Torquell is reportedly back underground, working on his next project: a three-level satire space set in a fictional DMV that doubles as a weapons-grade metaphysical metaphor.
“They wanted Gaza tunnels. I gave them art. Sue me.”
They just might.
Hogan’s Hostages is now streaming. All tunnels have been sealed with irony and union-approved concrete.