For anyone who was left clutching their pearls at the steamy romps of Bridgerton or gasping at the frisky goings-on in the Disney+ series Rivals, 
Netflix has turned up the raunch factor this summer with the release of The Hunting Wives. Just over a week after dropping on the platform, the series has overtaken the hugely popular crime drama Untamed to grasp the number one spot in a dominating, sweaty clinch.
The Hunting Wives is based on the novel by May Cobb, and, as per the synopsis, tells the story of “Sophie, a young woman and mom, falls into an affluent socialite’s seductive orbit – where a circle of housewives have dangerous secrets themselves – that culminates in her becoming a prime suspect in the death of a teenage girl.” The series stars Malin Akerman, Brittany Snow, Dermot Mulroney, Evan Jonigkeit, Chrissy Metz, Jaime Ray Newman, and Katie Lowes.
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The series stars Eric Bana and Sam Neill and is available to stream on Netflix now.
The strange thing about The Hunting Wives is that while it looks like the latest Netflix-created binge series, the show was originally created for Lionsgate’s streaming service, Starz. The series was given an eight-episode order in 2023, and filming took place early in 2024. However, the split of Starz Inc from Lionsgate Studios saw Lionsgate Television claim the rights to the series and subsequently license it to Netflix, but only in the U.S. This means that, for now, only those in America have been able to feast their eyes on the debauchery and sudsy drama in all its (often butt-naked) glory.
What Are People Saying About ‘The Hunting Wives’?
The Hunting Wives has not completely blown everyone away, but that has not stopped it shooting down the competition on Netflix’s domestic chart. The series currently holds an 81% Tomatometer and 68% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes, but has certainly been having a bigger impact than its so-so reactions would suggest.
The series has been billed as an “erotic thriller,” and it certainly appears to be living up to one half of that description. As Jen Maravegias of Pajiba wrote in one review, “Netflix really wasn’t messing around when they labeled The Hunting Wives an ‘erotic thriller.’ Keep that in mind when you decide to watch it.” For THR’s Angie Han, the series is not the “deepest show of the summer,” but “In terms of pure over-the-top fun, I suspect it’ll be hard to beat Margo and Sophie and friends screwing and backstabbing their way through Maple Brook.”
However, while the series may be gaining a reputation for its 70s sexploitation vibes, audience reviews have settled on the fact that it is a show people will either love or hate thanks to it being “vulgar viewing,” “the crappiest crap,” and “reeking of Texas stereotyping” for some, while being a “tremendously acted,” binge-watch that is “an incredibly accurate portrayal of Texans” for others. Perhaps there is a reason why stereotypes exist.
What cannot be put into doubt is that viewerships of Bridgerton, Rivals and now The Hunting Wives, combined with the recent headline-grabbing American Eagle jeans campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney, is that, despite what some will have you believe, sex still sells. And it is selling very well right now on Netflix.
Source: FlixPatrol/Rotten Tomatoes
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