Netflix’s The Hunting Wives has officially started filming its highly anticipated second season in Charlotte, North Carolina, as of November 17, 2025. After dominating streaming charts as one of the most-watched thrillers of 2025, the Texas-set crime saga is expanding its dark, seductive world with a brand-new storyline.
Originally a Starz series, The Hunting Wives found a much larger audience when it premiered globally on Netflix. Following its breakout success, the streamer quickly renewed it as a Netflix Original, ensuring exclusive worldwide release for Season 2.
Rebecca Cutter (Hightown) returns as showrunner and executive producer alongside novelist May Cobb, who penned the original book. The series is produced by Lionsgate Television and 3 Arts Entertainment, with Cutter, Cobb, Erwin Stoff, and Julie Anne Robinson serving as executive producers.
TV critic Laura Bernstein (The Verge) called Season 1 “a delicious cocktail of Southern glamour and psychological warfare,” adding that Season 2 “looks ready to pour another round — stronger and darker.”
What Is The Hunting Wives About?
Based on May Cobb’s bestselling novel, The Hunting Wives follows Sophie O’Neil (Brittany Snow), a former Boston socialite who moves to small-town East Texas with her husband, Graham (Evan Jonigkeit). There, she’s drawn into the magnetic orbit of Margo Banks (Malin Akerman) and her elite circle of glamorous, morally ambiguous women known as The Hunting Wives.
But their luxurious lives of parties, guns, and secrets take a dark turn when a teenager, Abby Shoop, is found dead in the woods — the same place the women meet for their escapades. By the end of Season 1, the façade of Maple Brook’s perfection was shattered by betrayal, guilt, and bloodshed.
| Main Character | Actor | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sophie O’Neil | Brittany Snow | A woman trying to rebuild her life while concealing a deadly secret. |
| Margo Banks | Malin Akerman | The seductive, manipulative leader of the “Hunting Wives.” |
| Graham O’Neil | Evan Jonigkeit | Sophie’s husband, whose loyalty begins to fracture. |
| Deputy Walter Flynn | Hunter Emery | Local officer, now a series regular, entangled in the investigation. |
| Deputy Wanda Salazar | Karan Rodriguez | Promoted to series regular; a voice of reason in a corrupt town. |
What to Expect in Season 2?
While the first season followed the events of May Cobb’s novel, Season 2 will depart from the source material, venturing into original territory crafted by Cutter and her writers’ room.
The fallout from Abby’s murder — and Margo’s role in covering it up — continues to haunt the surviving characters. Sophie, who accidentally killed her brother Kyle while trying to protect herself, is now living under an unbearable weight of guilt. With Jill falsely blamed for the earlier murders and the case officially “closed,” Maple Brook seems calm — but only on the surface.
Season 2 will see:
- Sophie and Margo locked in a dangerous game of mutual blackmail and self-preservation.
- A new police investigation into Kyle’s disappearance that threatens to expose both women.
- Deputy Wanda Salazar stepping into a leading role as she suspects inconsistencies in the official case files.
- Fresh faces and flashbacks expanding Maple Brook’s dark social web.
Entertainment analyst Rick Dolan explained:
“What The Hunting Wives does best is fuse Southern charm with psychological tension. Season 2 will likely elevate both, turning the town of Maple Brook into its own seductive character.”
Behind the Scenes: Production Timeline and Details
Filming for The Hunting Wives Season 2 began on November 17, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina, standing in for East Texas. The shoot is expected to continue through March 20, 2026, with several key scenes planned in surrounding rural areas to capture the moody Southern aesthetic.
The production crew confirmed that this season will feature more on-location sequences, including lakeside hunts, gala scenes, and flashback sequences to Abby’s final days.
| Production Phase | Dates | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Filming Start | November 17, 2025 | Charlotte, NC |
| Filming Wrap | March 20, 2026 | North Carolina & nearby areas |
| Post-Production | April 2026 – February 2027 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Expected Release | April 2027 | Netflix (Worldwide) |
If the post-production and marketing timelines mirror Season 1’s, fans can expect the series to premiere spring 2027.
Returning Cast and New Additions
Nearly all of the main cast from Season 1 will return, with a few exciting promotions and possible new faces.
Returning Cast:
- Brittany Snow as Sophie O’Neil
- Malin Akerman as Margo Banks
- Evan Jonigkeit as Graham O’Neil
- Hunter Emery as Deputy Walter Flynn (now a series regular)
- Karan Rodriguez as Deputy Wanda Salazar (now a series regular)
- Chosen Jacobs as Jamie
- Branton Box as Sheriff Jonny
- Madison Wolfe as Abby Shoop (in flashbacks)
- Abigail Rhyne as Nina
Casting Note:
Deadline reports that Jason Davis, who played a key recurring role in Season 1, has not yet been confirmed for Season 2.
Fans should also expect several new supporting characters, including a state investigator and an ambitious reporter digging into Maple Brook’s secrets.
Why Fans Are Excited?
The Hunting Wives quickly built a loyal fanbase by combining high-stakes drama with noir undertones and female-driven storytelling. Its blend of wealth, lust, and secrets drew comparisons to Big Little Lies, but with a sharper Southern bite.
Entertainment journalist Kelly Simms summed it up:
“If Big Little Lies had a darker cousin raised in Texas, it would be The Hunting Wives. It’s glossy, guilty, and dangerously addictive.”
As Netflix’s next prestige thriller, the series promises to lean further into the themes that made Season 1 compelling — female rivalry, moral corruption, and the thin line between victim and villain.
Expected Release and Season Outlook
Based on the first season’s production-to-release schedule (13 months after filming wrapped), Season 2 of The Hunting Wives is expected to hit Netflix around April 2027.
With the plot venturing beyond the novel, audiences can look forward to fresh mysteries, new alliances, and an even more unhinged rivalry between Sophie and Margo — two women bound by secrets, lies, and blood.
Conclusion
With its intoxicating blend of glamour and guilt, The Hunting Wives remains one of the most addictive thrillers on television. Season 2 promises to up the ante with darker secrets, higher stakes, and an even more dangerous game between Sophie and Margo.
As filming continues through spring 2026, anticipation is building for the return of Maple Brook’s most scandalous social circle. The question isn’t if someone will get hurt — it’s who’s next.
FAQs
Filming officially began on November 17, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Based on production timelines, the expected release window is April 2027.
No. While Season 1 adapted the novel, Season 2 will tell an original, Netflix-exclusive story.
Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman return as Sophie and Margo, with much of the supporting cast reprising their roles.
Yes. After moving from Starz, the show is now a global Netflix Original produced by Lionsgate Television and 3 Arts Entertainment.
