The Hunting Party is an American procedural crime drama television series created by JJ Bailey for NBC. The series premiered on January 19, 2025, and revolves around a small investigative team assembled to track down and capture the most dangerous killers known to have just escaped from a top-secret prison whose existence is not known to the public.
In May 2025, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on January 8, 2026. In June 2026, the series was canceled after two seasons.
Contents
Premise
After a prison hidden underneath the Wyoming countryside suffers an unexpected explosion, the nation's worst serial killers are once again at large. Former FBI profiler Rebecca "Bex" Henderson is brought back into the fold alongside an elite team of soldiers, spies, and special agents to help track down and recapture these deadly criminals before they kill again. Thrust into a world of intrigue and conspiracy, Bex must grapple with not only her own complex past but also the enduring mystery of what was happening at this prison and who caused the explosion in the first place.
Cast and characters
Main
Melissa Roxburgh as Rebecca "Bex" Henderson, an FBI Special Agent and criminal profiler
Nick Wechsler as Oliver Odell (season 1), Bex's former partner and lover
Patrick Sabongui as Jacob Hassani, a CIA officer
Josh McKenzie as Shane Florence, a prison officer at an underground silo known as The Pit in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Sara Garcia as Maj. Jennifer Morales, an Army Intelligence officer
Recurring
Zabryna Guevara as Elizabeth Mallory, the United States Attorney General
Kari Matchett as Colonel Eve Lazarus, a high-ranking military officer and a former inmate of The Pit who is secretly Shane's mother
Matt Frewer as Dr. Henry Dulles, a scientist and doctor who used to work in The Pit studying the inmates
Siobhan Williams as Sarah Dulles, Dr. Dulles' daughter
Luke Forbes as Jonathan Peck (season 2), an associate of Colonel Lazarus who is part of the Inmate Recovery Task Force
Special guest stars
Eric McCormack as Ron Simms (season 2), a serial killer who preys on women who are searching for love
Niecy Nash-Betts as Erica Burke (season 2), a detective who brought a serial killer to justice in the past
Kelsey Grammer as Noah Cyrus (season 2), the leader of a Chicago-based doomsday cult known as the Thirteenth Hour
John Corbett as Xander Wax (season 2), a biochemist who kills people by using lethal animal venoms
Episodes
Production
Development
In August 2022, it was announced J.J. Bailey had entered into an overall deal with Universal Television with the first project to be developed being procedural drama, The Hunting Party, created by Bailey and Jake Coburn. In February 2023, it was announced NBC had set up a writers room for the series with a formal straight-to-series order taking place one year after.
On May 12, 2025, NBC renewed the series for a second season. On June 2, 2026, NBC canceled the series after two seasons, but is slated to be shopped to other networks.
Casting
In May 2024, it was announced Melissa Roxburgh was cast as the show's lead. Later that same month, it was announced Patrick Sabongui, Josh McKenzie and Sara Garcia had joined the cast as series regulars. In June 2024, Nick Wechsler joined the cast as a series regular while Kyra Leroux was cast in a recurring role.
Filming
Filming in Vancouver for the first season of the series began on June 20, 2024, and concluded on November 19, 2024. Production moved to New York City for the second season, the premiere of which was moved to midseason after initially being scheduled for the fall.
Broadcast
The series premiered on January 19, 2025, on NBC. The second season premiered on January 8, 2026.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an 18% approval rating based on 11 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Thrilling in theory but glaringly dull in execution, The Hunting Party plays it too fast and loose with its serial killer mayhem ideas, making it just another procedural in the sea of many." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 34 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.