NBC’s newest crime drama The Hunting Party left a lot of room for more action ahead, but will it get the chance to resolve its biggest finale cliffhangers?
The series centers on a team of elite investigators — with backgrounds in FBI, military, and espionage — who are tasked with tracking down a group of serial killers who escaped a secret underground prison after an explosion.
After its inaugural season ended with one of its main characters in mortal peril, fans are probably desperate to find out the fate of the show, so here’s what we know so far.
Has The Hunting Party been renewed for Season 2?
The Hunting Party is one of NBC’s scripted series that still hasn’t been renewed or canceled for the fall, so not yet.
What will happen in The Hunting Party Season 2?
If it is renewed for a second season, fans can expect the series to resolve the biggest question mark of the Season 1 finale: whether Oliver (Nick Wechsler) actually died in Bex’s (Melissa Roxburgh) arms. “You have to wait until Season 2 to get the answer,” executive producer JJ Bailey told TV Insider. He also teased of that scene, “The moment that you see at the end of the season is going to be hugely motivating for Bex and for the rest of the team.”
Then there’s the matter of whether the title hunting party will really be disbanded: “That will be the key thing of the first episode of Season 2. It will be all about how they succeed at figuring out a way to change her mind so The Hunting Party can continue,” executive producer Jake Coburn explained.
There’ll be major fallout ahead after it was revealed that Shane’s (Josh McKenzie) mother is a former inmate who’s now “graduated” to become Colonel Lazarus (Kari Matchett). As Bailey teased, “He’s going to find out for sure, but I think he’s really going to struggle with it because I don’t think it’s a secret at this point that the reason he works there is he was looking for mom. He knew she was an inmate there, but he didn’t know that she’s ‘graduated’…. That changes everything for Shane.”
Plus, of course, the show bosses hope to follow up on the physical and emotional pain Hassani (Patrick Sabongui) will grapple with after being shot (and the rest of the team learning that his wife is dead. “I think in Season 2, giving him a personal journey where he can find peace and acceptance through conversations with Bex and with the team, it provides an opportunity for them to grow closer in Season 2 as those personal things do get revealed by choice as opposed to finding out without him telling the team.
Meanwhile, Melissa Roxburgh shared that her Season 2 hopes include “maybe seeing more Lazarus, more past prisoners that have been put into roles of leadership.”
When will The Hunting Party Season 2 premiere?
If renewed, the series would receive a yet-to-be-announced fall premiere date on NBC.