If you want a fun guilty pleasure show to binge-watch this summer, Netflix’s The Hunting Wives is the one to check out!
Summer is filled with scores of TV shows on streaming services, from big sci-fi or fantasy epics to some light-hearted fare. It’s also a time to binge on some shows that may be “guilty pleasures” involving some steamy escapades. That’s why Netflix’s new series The Hunting Wives is just the thing for fans of wicked thrillers.
What is The Hunting Wives about?
Initially developed for Starz, that network passed on The Hunting Wives after its production was wrapped. Netflix stepped in to drop the entire eight-episode season on July 21, and it’s a very frothy watch based on the May Cobb novel.
The series focuses on Sophie (Brittany Snow), a soft-spoken New England native who, with her husband Graham, moves to the small Texas town of Maple Brook. At a company party, Sophie has an interesting encounter with Margo (Malin Akerman), the wife of Jed Banks (Dermot Mulroney), a local oil baron who’s preparing to run for governor.
Margo takes a shine to Sophie and brings her into the local club called the Hunting Wives with Callie (Jamie Ray Newman), church-going Jill (Katie Lowes), Taylor (Alexandra DeBerry), and Monae (Joyce Glenn). The ladies spend their time drinking, firing off guns and often engaging in wild affairs with Margo taking up with Brad (George Ferrier), Jill’s teenage son.
Sophie gets deeper into the group, with her and Margo seeing some very interesting turns in their relationship. When a local resident turns up murdered in the woods, the investigation soon brings up some dark secrets of the town.
That’s already a fun setup, and the series gets better as it goes to suck you in. Why should you be watching?
The cast is terrific
The cast is one of the best you could ask for from a streaming TV show, packed with TV veterans. Akerman knew the assignment with Margo as a scheming gal who all but openly brags about cheating on her husband (who has his own affairs). She and Snow have blistering chemistry as the Margo/Sophie relationship deepens, with Snow smartly showing Sophie has a dark side and secrets.
It’s always great to see Newman on TV with Callie, a more catty character, though with some surprising nuance and a personal stake in taking Sophie down. Lowes takes what could have been the one-note role of the judgmental religious woman and shows her own drive and truly caring for her son, not grasping how bad he is.
Chrissy Metz delivers a dramatic turn as a poor mom who suffers a tragedy, which is a nice contrast to the rich ladies. Karen Rodriguez is also a scene-stealer as the one competent cop on the force. The men are also good with Mulroney loving his “good old boy” persona while Ferrier gets major dramatic turns for his jock character. The cast helps the show shine.
It’s very steamy
As mentioned, this was originally a Starz show, and that's obvious in the first five minutes of the pilot. Margo strips down in a bathroom in front of Sophie. This show is definitely not for younger viewers.
There's nothing chaste about this show, which gives it a lot more spark than the typical streaming service drama. It fits the Texas setting, not always gratuitous yet always outrageous. If you like a soap with a lot more heat than usual, this fits.
The twists are great
The first episode closes with a murder, although it takes until the end of the third episode to find out who the victim is. From there, the mysteries abound with double and triple crosses. The characters clash. For most of the season, we're truly unsure who’s guilty or not.
Overall, the writing is sudsy and cheesy, yet it works for the story. The show is great at showing how the wives take their social standing seriously and go to any lengths to safeguard it. The more you learn about the town and its residents, the better it gets. It builds to a thrilling finale that wraps the tale up, but there's enough room for another season if Netflix goes for it.
Hopefully, they will, as this show may not be top-tier TV, but those who love wild soaps like Yellowstone will get a kick out of this
The Hunting Wives is now streaming on Netflix.