The Hunting Wives ranks as one of the most insane shows ever put to the small screen. And people can’t get enough of it.
Based on May Cobb’s 2021 bestselling novel of the same name, Netflix’s psychological thriller has it all: sex, murder, betrayal, confusing politics, and enough dark secrets to send your head spinning.
Set in the wealthy East Texas town of Maple Brook, the story follows Sophie (Brittany Snow), a former PR specialist for Democratic politicians, who relocates from Boston with her husband and child. It doesn’t take long for Sophie to be pulled into the orbit of the town’s elite socialite clique—the self-dubbed “Hunting Wives.”
The group is led by the magnetic and mysterious Margo Banks (Malin Akerman), who immediately catches Sophie’s eye—and not just in a platonic way, if you catch my drift. But things take a deadly turn when a local teen, Abby (Madison Wolfe), is murdered, and Sophie becomes the prime suspect.
As she tries to clear her name, she’s forced to uncover the dark conspiracies lying beneath Maple Brook’s picturesque facade.
Now, from that description, you may think The Hunting Wives is like any other soapy TV show. But I assure you, it’s not. What makes it so unique, and perhaps so uniquely unhinged, is what lies at the heart of the show: politics.
Sophie is a blue-state liberal. Margo is so red, she may as well be wearing a MAGA cap. Her husband, Jed (Dermot Mulroney), is also a rising star in local Republican politics, with his sights set on the governor’s office.
The wives’ activities reflect their beliefs: the women don’t work, they love hunting, and dare I say, most of them are modeling what TikToker Suzanne Lambert coined, “Republican Girl Makeup,” which involves too dark eye makeup, cakey foundation, and unblended blush.
As is typical of very conservative towns, the residents don’t exactly practice what they preach. Margo and Jed engage in frequent extramarital affairs. It’s important to mention their affairs aren’t always of the heterosexual variety.
Though, don’t get it twisted: their marriage isn’t “open.” As Margo would say, “Open marriages are for liberals. We just keep it simple. I don’t sleep with other men, and when Jed and I see a girl we like, we go for it.”
And herein lies people’s obsession with the show. The blend of soapy drama, conservative hypocrisy, and wealthy small town secrets is addictive.
And also, it’s gay as hell.
The love triangle between Sophie, Margo, and Callie (Jaime Ray Newman) is amazing.
Some people are calling the show the new Big Little Lies. The Hunting Wives is giving Housewives with a capital “H.”
