The Hunting Partyis a new crime procedural with a novel concept, andScreenRanthas a clip to share from the latest episode. The show stars Melissa Roxburgh (Manifest) as Rebecca Henderson, who is part of a team of investigators tasked with tracking down killers who have recently escaped from a top-secret prison. Also featured in the cast are Nick Wechsler (Roswell), Patrick Sabongui (The Flash), Josh McKenzie (La Brea), and Sara Garcia (Ride).
ScreenRantis able to share a clip fromThe Hunting Partyepisode 2, which airs tonight at 10pm on NBC. The clip introduces the episode’s antagonist in Clayton Jessup, complete with a chilling origin story that reveals he murdered his own parents when he was a teenager. WithMelissa Roxburgh teasing a heartbreaking backstoryfor antagonists like Jessup, there is sure to be more than meets the eye when the episode airs. Check out the clip below.
How The Hunting Party’s Unique Concept Sets It Apart From Other Crime Procedurals
While many of thebest crime drama TV seriesstick close to reality when it comes to building out their world,The Hunting Partytakes one bold step that puts it squarely in its own niche. The central conceit of the series–that all of its villains have escaped from a top-secret prison designed to house exceptionally deadly killers–might invite suspension of disbelief, but quickly sets up high stakes for the series itself. The choice allows audiences to immediately set an expectation that any killer featured in the show is a true threat to the public and to the investigators trying to hunt them down.
The format ofThe Hunting Partyalso sets it apart form otherTV proceduralsin that a link between every episode is already established. The series may not be serialized in the way that many other dramas are, but nor does it have to reintroduce its central conflict every episode. The idea that there is a finite amount of killers who escaped from the top-secret prison puts bounds onThe Hunting Partythat could eventually see the series becoming more serialized as it goes on.
The trailer forThe Hunting Partyeven suggests that foul play could have entered into the mass breakout of the show’s antagonists. One character states that“someone wanted those killers back out in the world”, meaning that a larger arc totally unique toThe Hunting Partyis likely to reveal itself as the show progresses. Whether that makes for anaction-packed showdown the line or manifests like an unraveling conspiracy thriller remains to be seen.
