Netflix's viral series The Hunting Wives is zanier, gayer, and more political than you'd expect from the streamer's latest book-to-series adaptation. Based on May Cobb's 2021 mystery novel of the same name, the eight-episode show follows Sophie (Brittany Snow), a married East Coast liberal who moves to a wealthy Texas enclave and immediately becomes obsessed with Margo (Malin Akerman), the local queen bee of a clique dubbed the Hunting Wives. Before viewers can stop reeling from the conservative women-behaving-badly antics and Sophie and Margo's overt flirtation, a crime turns the town of Maple Brook upside down.
Since the eight-episode murder-mystery series dropped on July 21, 2025, The Hunting Wives has become a word-of-mouth hit, with fans demanding more episodes after a wild ending cliffhanger. Below, read on for everything you need to know about a possible The Hunting Wives season 2 so far.
Has 'The Hunting Wives' been renewed for season 2?
Yeehaw! Yes, The Hunting Wives will officially return for season 2. Netflix ordered a second season of the hit in mid-September, about two months after it premiered, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Series creator and showrunner Rachel Cutter shared a statement to celebrate: "I’m so excited to write these amazing characters again, and I can’t wait to take the audience on another sexy, twisted, batshit crazy ride through Maple Brook."
Netflix and stars Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman also celebrated the news by sharing a cheeky video. In the clip, the two actresses channel their characters on a desperate, horny FaceTime call, as Snow, with mascara streaming down her face, pleads to see Akerman again soon. At the end, Akerman announces it won't be long until they're reunited and shares the good news by throwing on a wig and declaring, "Pack your boots and load your guns. We're going back to Maple Brook, baby!"
It was all but likely that fans would return to Texas: The Hunting Wives was a runaway success, becoming the most popular show in the U.S. shortly after its debut. However, the road to more episodes was a bit more complicated than most Netflix shows, considering the soapy drama was produced by Lionsgate TV and set to stream on Starz until Netflix picked it up in June. Now that it's coming back, THR reports the series will be labeled a Netflix Original.
We can't wait to see what's more in store!
When will 'The Hunting Wives' season 2 come out?
There is no release date for The Hunting Wives season 2 quite yet, but odds are a straightforward drama like The Hunting Wives could have a short hiatus. In mid-November, just two months after the season 2 renewal was announced, the show entered production. Netflix confirmed the news in a press release, along with a photo from the set featuring none other than the wig in its own chair. Devout fans will likely catch the reference right off the bat, but if not, the show and Akerman caught major flak for her awkward wig on the show was...and how it was swapped out midseason. (IYKYK! We can't help but love her in all her campy glory!)
Should the series film through late fall 2025/winter 2026, it could premiere before the end of 2026. For example, filming for season 1 began in spring 2024 in North Carolina, before Netflix took the show's distribution from Starz in June 2025. Fingers crossed new episodes arrive sooner than later!
Who will be in the cast of 'The Hunting Wives' season 2?
With the shockingly high body count at the end of season 1 (though maybe not that surprising considering all the guns), several of the supporting cast of The Hunting Wives probably won't be back for season 2. The cast set to return includes Brittany Snow (Sophie O'Neil), Malin Akerman (Margo Banks), Dermot Mulroney (Jed Banks), Evan Jonigkeit (Graham O'Neil), Jaime Ray Newman (Callie), George Ferrier (Brad), Chosen Jacobs (Jamie), Karen Rodriguez (Detective Salazar), Hunter Emergy (Deputy Flynn), and Branton Box (Sheriff Johnny).
Are there any new cast members in 'The Hunting Wives' season 2?
Yeehaw, you bet there's a few new names joining this rodeo! In early December, Variety reported two names have been cast in season 2: Texas-born actress Kim Matula (Saturday Night, LA to Vegas) and rising Australian actor Alex FitzAlan (The Society, The Wilds). According to Variety, their character details have not been made available, but Matula will portray Nadia Kelly and FitzAlan will play Lincoln Trout.
What will 'The Hunting Wives' season 2 be about?
Netflix has released an official synopsis for the forthcoming installment: "At the start of season 2, Sophie and Margo are on the outs. But soon enough, old secrets and new foes force them back together. As they play their dangerous games the question arises. Are they the hunters or the hunted?"
That sounds about right, considering where things stand by the end of season 1. By the end of the debut season, it's revealed that Abby, the teen whose murder is season 1's central mystery, was killed by Margo, who'd been having an affair with Abby's boyfriend Brad and got an abortion. When Sophie figures this out, Margo's troubled brother Kyle comes after her to protect his sister. Sophie runs Kyle over with her car (arguably self-defense) and then dumps his body off a cliff. She also answers a call from Margo on Kyle's phone, so Margo will soon figure out that someone killed her brother. (Also, Netflix has confirmed that Pastor Pete (Paul Teal), Abby's mother, Starr (Chrissy Metz), and Brad's mother, Jill (Katie Lowes), are all dead as well, and Jill takes the blame for both Abby and Starr's murders.)
Speaking to Variety, show creator Rebecca Cutter teased that it would be "smart" for season 2 to cover a new murder-mystery, before adding, "I don’t know whodunit yet or who got done!" She also said that the episodes could pick up a little after the deadly encounter between Sophie and Kyle.
She also suggested that there may be a "time jump." She told the outlet, "By the end of shooting, I realized that the two engines of the show are the whodunit and the Margo/Sophie relationship, and tracking how those spines intersect with each other. The first thing I’m thinking about is, where are these two women at the start? Where are they at the end? What are the peaks and valleys of their individual power, of their relationship? So it’s tracking a course for that, and then figuring out what the crime engine is."
What have the cast and crew said about 'The Hunting Wives' season 2?
In an interview with Vulture, Malin Akerman shared her thoughts on Margo's journey in season 2 and suggested that her character will be on the warpath after Kyle's death. "Margo is at the point of fear her wrath—because this is not going to be good when what happened to Kyle comes out."
She also said that, though getting back with Jed would make the most sense, "that’s such a straight-edge kind of answer because it’ll never be that easy...I would like to see Margo come into her power and take over the fucking world, truly, but she’s a murderer, so I don’t know how that’s gonna work out for her. I think she’ll have to reconcile with Jed. I don’t know how she moves forward without doing that. I can’t imagine the relationship will be easier or be the way she wants it. But you can’t put Margo in a cage."
She added, "I don’t want her to go to jail. I want to keep going. Let’s get a few seasons out of it. Everyone thinks Jill killed Abby, so let’s see how long she can keep Sophie at bay. And now she’s got a terrible ace card with her brother being dead."
