Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Drama, violence, drinking, drugs in formulaic crime series.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Hunting Party
What's the Story?
THE HUNTING PARTY is a crime procedural series that follows an investigate team charged with tracking down fugitives that just escaped a top-secret federal prison. Located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, "The Pit" is a sophisticated underground prison built inside an empty nuclear missile silo. The facility houses some of the world's most dangerous serial killers, many of whom were sentenced to capital punishment and are publicly assumed to be dead. But when a large explosion in the underground prison leads to the mass escape of inmates, the government calls on former FBI profiler Rebecca "Bex" Henderson (Melissa Roxburgh) to work with CIA operative Jacob Hassani (Patrick Sabongui) to track them down. Joining them is Shane Florence (Josh McKenzie), a military officer-turned-prison-guard who can fill in the gaps about each fugitive's prison life, and intel officer Jennifer Morales (Sara García). It's an important job, but much to Henderson's dismay they must also work with the prison warden, Oliver Odell (Nick Wechsler), her former FBI partner with whom she has a troubled professional history.
Is It Any Good?
The formulaic crime series attempts to heighten the drama by positioning a weekly cat-and-mouse plot within a larger narrative about secretive and unethical government behavior. The Hunting Party quickly get complicated as individual secrets are revealed and conspiracies are brought to light. The writing isn't as sharp as it needs to be, and lots of weak and predictable lines fail to address plot developments with any nuance or depth.
Meanwhile, most of the serial killers being hunted have caricature-like personalities and behaviors; they feel like they were pulled from comic books. But whatThe Hunting Party does well is maintain a solid dramatic pace as the details surrounding the larger covert federal prison operation are slowly revealed. As a result the fact that it's an average TV procedural is forgivable for fans of the genre.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about measures taken to keep the U.S. public safe. Is it appropriate for governments to violate the law, even if it means that streets may be potentially safer?
Does The Hunting Party purely lean into stereotypes about the mentally ill when discussing serial killers? If so, how?
TV Details
- Premiere date : February 3, 2025
- Cast : Melissa Roxburgh , Patrick Sabongui , Josh McKenzie , Sara Garcia , Nick Wechsler
- Networks : NBC , Peacock
- Genre : Action
- Character Strengths : Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : July 28, 2025
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