Created by Rebecca Cutter, and based on the 2021 novel The Hunting Wives by May Cobb.
The Hunting Wives premiered on July 21, 2025.
Distributed by Netflix.
Series Review
The Hunting Wives is a wild, addictive drama full of secrets, scandals, and shocking twists.
The story follows Sophie, a newcomer in a small Texas town, who gets pulled into the dangerous world of Margo and her glamorous circle of wives.
Malin Åkerman and Brittany Snow shine in their roles, bringing both charm and chaos to the screen.
The show is fast-paced, stylish, and full of drama, with plenty of moments that will keep you guessing.
It doesn’t always go deep into character stories, and some twists feel a little over the top, but that’s also what makes it so fun to watch.
If you like shows like Big Little Lies or Desperate Housewives, this will be right up your alley.
It’s perfect for viewers who enjoy binge-worthy suspense, complicated relationships, and guilty-pleasure drama that doesn’t hold back.
Ratings
• IMDb: 6.9/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
• Google Audience Score: 64% liked this TV show.
The Hunting Wives Actors
Malin Åkerman as Margo Banks
DOB: May 12, 1978.
Bio: Swedish-born actress, model, and singer who transitioned from modeling into acting with early roles in Canadian television before breaking out in Hollywood.
Known for her versatility, she has played everything from romantic leads to darkly complex figures.
Åkerman gained international attention with her role as Silk Spectre II in Watchmen (2009) and has since built a career spanning comedies, dramas, and prestige television, including Billions.
Role: Margo Banks is the glamorous yet dangerous leader of the “Hunting Wives” clique.
Charismatic and predatory, she draws Sophie into her orbit while instilling fear in rivals.
As the central agent of chaos, Margo embodies the series’ themes of obsession, manipulation, and secrecy.
Episodes: 8 episodes.
What to expect: Åkerman delivers a stylish, cunning, and unpredictable performance.
Expect Margo to manipulate those around her, push boundaries, and gradually reveal the darker truths that drive her actions.
Favorite things: In interviews, Åkerman has expressed her love for exploring “meaty, complicated roles” that challenge her as an actor.
Her appetite for playing characters with extremes informs her approach to Margo’s mix of allure and menace.
Notable works: Watchmen, Billions, The Comeback, 27 Dresses, Rock of Ages.
Brittany Snow as Sophie O’Neil
DOB: March 9, 1986.
Bio: American actress and singer who began her career as a child actor on the soap Guiding Light, earning early recognition before moving into teen dramas and feature films.
She is best known for her role as Chloe in the Pitch Perfect franchise and has balanced mainstream hits with indie dramas such as Someone Great and Bushwick.
Role: Sophie O’Neil is the show’s emotional anchor.
She is a woman who moves from Massachusetts to Texas with her husband and becomes entangled in the seductive but destructive world of Margo Banks and the “Hunting Wives.”
Her arc explores curiosity, vulnerability, relapse struggles, and the moral compromises she makes as she’s pulled deeper into obsession and secrecy.
Episodes: 8 episodes.
What to expect: Snow brings layered humanity to Sophie, portraying her as sympathetic yet flawed.
Favorite things: Snow often speaks about storytelling, mental health advocacy, and her passion for directing.
She made her feature directorial debut with Parachute (2023).
Notable works: Pitch Perfect trilogy, Someone Great, Prom Night, Hairspray, Parachute (director).
Dermot Mulroney as Jed Banks
DOB: October 31, 1963.
Bio: American actor and musician who has been a steady presence in Hollywood since the late 1980s.
Known for his versatility, Mulroney has starred in romantic comedies, Westerns, thrillers, and family dramas.
His breakout came with films like Young Guns and My Best Friend’s Wedding, and he has continued to balance film with notable television work on series such as Shameless and New Girl.
Role: Jed Banks is Margo’s wealthy and influential husband, an oil tycoon and political power player in Texas.
His public reputation as a respectable leader contrasts with private secrets and corruption that fuel much of the tension in The Hunting Wives.
Episodes: 8 episodes.
What to expect: Mulroney brings gravitas to Jed; think calm menace, political calculation and the slow reveal of why some people in Maple Brook get away with so much.
Favorite things: Mulroney has often highlighted his love for music, particularly the cello, and values his family life outside the industry.
Notable works: My Best Friend’s Wedding, Young Guns, The Family Stone, August: Osage County, Shameless.
Evan Jonigkeit as Graham O’Neil
DOB: February 18, 1983.
Bio: American actor who began his career in theater before transitioning to television and film.
Known for his versatility, he has appeared in major franchises and acclaimed indie films, balancing genre roles with more grounded dramatic performances.
He gained recognition in X-Men: Days of Future Past and has since built a résumé that includes horror, drama, and streaming projects.
Role: Graham O’Neil is Sophie’s husband, an architect employed by Jed Banks.
His professional loyalty to Jed draws Sophie into Margo’s world, setting up personal and marital tensions.
Episodes: 8 episodes.
What to expect: A grounded partner performance that slowly gets pulled into the chaos, forced choices and shifting loyalties.
Favorite things: Jonigkeit often highlights his love for stage work and character-driven storytelling, shaping the depth he brings to television roles.
Notable works: X-Men: Days of Future Past, Bone Tomahawk, Archive 81.
Jaime Ray Newman as Callie
DOB: April 2, 1978.
Bio: American actress, singer, and producer with a career spanning television, film, and stage.
She has starred in both network dramas and genre series, while also establishing herself behind the camera as an award-winning producer.
In 2019, she earned an Academy Award for producing the short film Skin.
Role: Callie is the second-in-command of the Hunting Wives and the wife of the local sheriff. Fiercely loyal to Margo yet consumed by jealousy and control, she has a tangled history with the group.
Her volatility, insecurity, and sharp edges drive much of the conflict within the wives’ circle.
Episodes: 8 episodes.
What to expect: A tightly wound performance: Callie’s possessiveness and pride are major story drivers, and Newman gives her real emotional teeth.
Favorite things: Newman often speaks about her love for theater, music, and producing, reflecting her commitment to layered, meaningful projects across mediums.
Notable works: General Hospital, Eureka, The Punisher, Veronica Mars; Academy Award-winning producer of Skin.
Katie Lowes as Jill
DOB: September 22, 1982.
Bio: American actress with deep roots in theater and television. She is best known for her breakout role as Quinn Perkins on Scandal, where she became a fan favorite across the show’s seven-season run.
Beyond acting, Lowes co-founded the IAMA Theatre Company in Los Angeles, highlighting her commitment to ensemble-driven storytelling.
Role: Jill is Brad’s mother, the pastor’s wife, and one of the Hunting Wives.
Outwardly devout but harboring resentment and secrets, Jill’s choices unravel with explosive consequences as the story deepens.
Episodes: 8 episodes.
What to expect: Lowes brings tragic intensity to Jill, playing her as a woman overlooked for too long.
Favorite things: Lowes is passionate about theater and ensemble projects; she’s publicly dedicated to building space for actors offscreen as well.
Notable works: Scandal, Inventing Anna, Broadway’s Waitress.
Chrissy Metz as Starr
DOB: September 29, 1980.
Bio: American actress and singer best known for her Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated role as Kate Pearson on NBC’s hit drama This Is Us.
Before her breakout, she worked as a talent agent while pursuing acting, eventually landing roles that highlighted her natural warmth and emotional depth.
Role: Starr is a hard-working single mother on the margins of Maple Brook’s wealthy elite.
When her daughter Abby becomes entangled with Brad, Starr is pulled into the Hunting Wives’ world and the tragedy that follows.
Episodes: 8 episodes.
What to expect: Metz brings rawness and moral clarity to Starr, a sympathetic but combustible presence whose scenes are among the show’s most intense.
Favorite things: Metz is a singer and a vocal advocate for body positivity and mental health work.
Notable works: This Is Us, Breakthrough, Sierra Burgess Is a Loser.
George Ferrier as Brad
DOB: November 17, 2000.
Bio: New Zealand actor making waves internationally with his combination of youthful vulnerability and striking screen presence.
He began acting in his teens and quickly gained attention for roles that balance emotional intensity with charisma.
Role: Brad is Jill’s troubled teenage son, caught between adolescent recklessness and the dangerous allure of the Hunting Wives’ world.
His entanglements, particularly with Margo and Abby, ignite some of the series’ most scandalous and destructive storylines.
Episodes: 8 episodes.
What to expect: Ferrier embodies the mix of entitlement, confusion, and insecurity that makes Brad such a volatile character
Favorite things: As a new breakout actor Ferrier has spoken about the chance to play morally messy roles and is building an international profile.
Notable works: Juniper, One of Us Is Lying, Dirty Laundry.
Madison Wolfe as Abby
DOB: October 16, 2002.
Bio: American actress who began working in film and television as a child. She quickly gained recognition for her ability to handle emotionally demanding roles, often in dark or genre-driven projects.
Wolfe broke through with her chilling performance as Janet Hodgson in The Conjuring 2 (2016) and later impressed critics in the indie fantasy-drama I Kill Giants (2017).
Role: Abby is Starr’s teenage daughter and Brad’s girlfriend.
Her shocking death becomes the catalyst for the season’s central mystery, exposing fractures within Maple Brook and triggering the unraveling of the Hunting Wives’ world.
Episodes: 7 episodes.
What to expect: Wolfe’s Abby is written as an almost unbearably sympathetic young woman whose death is the engine of the plot; the performance is heartbreaking.
Favorite things: Wolfe has spoken about the strong family support that helped launch her career and her interest in independent filmmaking and complex, character-driven projects.
Notable works: The Conjuring 2, I Kill Giants, True Detective (TV).
Chosen Jacobs as Jamie
DOB: July 1, 2001.
Bio: American actor and singer who first gained recognition for his role as Mike Hanlon in the blockbuster Stephen King adaptation It (2017) and its sequel. Before that, he appeared on TV in Hawaii Five-0.
Jacobs has since balanced film and television, bringing a grounded presence to both genre projects and teen-focused dramas.
Role: Jamie is Brad’s close friend and one of the teenagers caught in the ripple effects of the adults’ dangerous games.
His perspective helps flesh out the social world around Abby and Brad, underscoring how the tragedy impacts the younger generation.
Episodes: 6 episodes.
What to expect: Jacobs brings naturalism and a believable peer perspective to the teen storyline.
Favorite things: Outside of acting, Jacobs is passionate about music and has released his own songs.
He has also spoken about storytelling across mediums as a driving force in his career.
Notable works: It, It Chapter Two, Hawaii Five-0, Sneakerella.
Alexandria (Allie) DeBerry as Taylor
DOB: October 26, 1994.
Bio: American actress and model from Kingwood, Texas. She began her career as a child model before transitioning into television, appearing in family and teen-focused projects.
She is best known for her role as Paisley Houndstooth on Disney Channel’s A.N.T. Farm.
Role: Taylor is a young adult in Maple Brook whose presence highlights the ripple effects of the Hunting Wives’ power and allure beyond their inner circle.
She helps portray how the group’s influence reaches into the broader community and younger generations.
Episodes: 7 episodes.
What to expect: A supporting turn that helps make the town feel lived-in and generationally textured.
Favorite things: DeBerry’s career started young and she often talks about the fun of genre and family-friendly work.
Notable works: A.N.T. Farm, Lazer Team, Mamaboy.
Lauren Bowles as Sienna Coulson-Banks
DOB: March 24, 1973.
Bio: American actress with a long career in television and film. An alum of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, she has been a steady presence on screen since the 1990s, with credits spanning comedy and drama.
She is the half-sister of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and appeared in many of Louis-Dreyfus’s projects, including Seinfeld and Watching Ellie.
Role: Sienna Coulson-Banks is Jed Banks’ ex-wife, whose history with the Banks family adds crucial layers to Maple Brook’s tangled social world.
Episodes: 4 episodes.
What to Expect: Bowles plays Sienna with a grounded, matter-of-fact presence that contrasts the heightened drama of the Hunting Wives.
Favorite Things: In interviews, Bowles has highlighted her love of theatre, ensemble acting, and projects that balance humor with character depth.
Notable Works: True Blood (Holly Cleary), Watching Ellie, Veep, Seinfeld.
More Actors
Season 1 (2025)
• Branton Box as Sheriff Jonny
• Jason Davis as Reverend Clint
• Hunter Emery as Flynn
• Abigail Rhyne as Nina
• Joyce Glenn as Monae
• Paul Teal as Pastor Pete
• Emmett Moss as Jack O’Neil.
FAQ – The Hunting Wives TV Series
Will there be a Season 2?
Yes. Netflix renewed the show for a second season in September 2025. More on People
Is The Hunting Wives based on a true story?
No, the series is not based on a true story. It’s adapted from May Cobb’s 2021 novel of the same name.
What is the plot of Hunting Wives?
The Hunting Wives tells the story of Sophie O’Neil, who moves to Texas for a fresh start but gets drawn into the glamorous, dangerous world of Margo Banks and her elite circle.
When a murder rocks their town, Sophie is trapped in a web of secrets, betrayal, and scandal.
Where was The Hunting Wives filmed?
The Hunting Wives was filmed in North Carolina, mainly around Charlotte, Mooresville, and Lake Norman, which stood in for the fictional Texas town of Maple Brook.
Key spots include downtown Mooresville, Azalea Retreat at Lake Norman, and several Charlotte neighborhoods.
How many episodes are in Season 1?
Season 1 has eight episodes, all streaming on Netflix.
Conclusion
The Hunting Wives isn’t a show that tries to be subtle, it thrives on drama, temptation, and jaw-dropping twists.
While it may not satisfy viewers looking for deep, thoughtful storytelling, it’s a perfect pick for anyone who loves messy secrets, stylish characters, and addictive scandals.
With strong performances and plenty of cliffhangers, it delivers exactly what it promises: a bold, guilty-pleasure ride.
If you’re in the mood for escapist drama with a dark edge, The Hunting Wives is worth the binge.