The Hunting Wives (2025)
The Hunting Wives Review: A Diabolically Fun Southern-Fried Soap Opera
The Hunting Wives is the kind of show that knows exactly what it is and revels in it. Created by Rebecca Cutter and based on May Cobb’s novel, this Netflix drama transplants a Massachusetts family into the sweltering, gossip-soaked world of East Texas, where the local elite play by their own rules—and the consequences can be deadly. It’s a show about desire, obsession, and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets, and according to critics, it’s an irresistible, binge-worthy ride.
The numbers reveal a show that critics have embraced with surprising warmth. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Hunting Wives holds an 81% critics score based on 32 reviews, with a consensus that reads: “Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman are diabolically fun to watch in The Hunting Wives, a risquĂ© soap that turns bad behavior into highly bingeable fun.” Metacritic assigned a score of 73 out of 100, indicating “generally favorable” reviews. The series was a streaming juggernaut, ranking third on Netflix’s English-language TV list with 5.2 million views in its debut week, and becoming the most-streamed series in the United States for the week of July 25–31, accumulating over 2 billion minutes viewed.
Critics have praised the show’s addictive blend of soapy melodrama, sharp social commentary, and genuinely surprising twists. The performances have been universally lauded, particularly the chemistry between Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman, which critics describe as “diabolical” and “highly bingeable.” The series’ willingness to explore themes of repression, hypocrisy, and desire—particularly in the context of a conservative Southern community—has been singled out for praise. The show also won the Dorian TV Award for Campiest TV Show, a fitting honor for a series that embraces its own outrageousness with gleeful abandon.
Where the show has drawn some criticism is in its pacing and its occasionally convoluted plotting, but even the detractors admit that The Hunting Wives is impossible to look away from. It’s a show that understands the appeal of watching beautiful people behave badly, and it delivers that pleasure with style, wit, and a surprising amount of emotional depth. In October 2026, ahead of the second season premiere, Netflix renewed the series for a third season—a testament to its enduring popularity and the creative team’s ability to keep the story compelling.
The Hunting Wives Cast: Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman Lead a Stellar Ensemble
The series assembles a talented ensemble of familiar faces and rising stars, led by two powerhouse performances at its center:
Brittany Snow delivers a career-best performance as Sophie O’Neil, a woman haunted by a tragic accident in her past who moves to Texas seeking a fresh start. Snow brings a compelling mix of vulnerability and recklessness to the role, making Sophie’s descent into Margo’s world feel both inevitable and deeply human. Malin Akerman is magnetic as Margo Banks, the queen bee of the Hunting Wives. Akerman reportedly used Melania Trump as a reference for the character, and her performance is a masterclass in controlled menace—charming, seductive, and terrifying in equal measure. The chemistry between Snow and Akerman is the engine that drives the entire series.
Dermot Mulroney brings gravitas and a hint of danger to Jed Banks, Margo’s wealthy husband and a candidate for governor. Evan Jonigkeit is solid as Graham, Sophie’s husband, whose attempts to fit into the Texas elite are both sympathetic and frustrating. Katie Lowes delivers a standout turn as Jill, a woman whose desperation to protect her son leads her down a dark path. Jaime Ray Newman is excellent as Callie, Margo’s second-in-command and the sheriff’s wife, whose jealousy and suspicion drive much of the show’s tension. Chrissy Metz brings raw emotion to Starr, a working-class mother whose daughter Abby becomes the center of the murder mystery.
George Ferrier plays Brad, the teenage son caught in a web of secrets, while Madison Wolfe delivers a heartbreaking performance as Abby, his doomed girlfriend. Karen Rodriguez and Hunter Emery are effective as the deputies investigating Abby’s murder, and Jason Davis rounds out the cast as the local reverend whose secrets prove to be just as damaging as everyone else’s.
The Hunting Wives Plot: A Murder in Maple Brook
The story follows Sophie O’Neil (Brittany Snow), a wife and mother who moves from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to the fictional East Texas town of Maple Brook with her husband, Graham (Evan Jonigkeit). Sophie is haunted by a tragic incident from her past—she killed a pedestrian while driving under the influence—and is hoping for a fresh start. At an NRA fundraiser hosted by Jed Banks (Dermot Mulroney), Graham’s wealthy boss, Sophie has an unusual first encounter with Jed’s wife, Margo (Malin Akerman), and finds herself unexpectedly drawn to her.
Margo is the leader of an elite socialite clique known as the “Hunting Wives,” a group of wealthy women who drink, shoot skeet, and play by their own rules. Sophie is initially resistant to their world, but Margo’s seductive charm and the allure of their glamorous lifestyle prove impossible to resist. As Sophie grows closer to Margo, she becomes entangled in a web of obsession, secrets, and betrayal—and when a teenage girl named Abby (Madison Wolfe), the girlfriend of Jill’s son Brad (George Ferrier), is found dead in the woods where the Hunting Wives meet, Sophie finds herself at the center of a murder investigation.
As the investigation unfolds, dark secrets come to light. Sophie’s handgun, which she purchased in secret, is recovered from a robber in another town and confirmed to be the same weapon that killed Abby, making her the prime suspect. Margo, meanwhile, has her own secrets—including an affair with Brad and a hidden past as a woman named Mandy. As Sophie races to clear her name, she uncovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of Maple Brook society, and she must decide how far she’s willing to go to protect the people she loves—and herself.
The first season builds to a shocking conclusion that reveals the true killer and leaves Sophie’s future—and her relationship with Margo—in question. With a second season set to premiere on November 26, 2026, and a third season already ordered, The Hunting Wives is a show that understands that the best stories are the ones that leave you desperate for more.
“Bad behavior has never looked so good.”
