“I knew it was special”: The Hunting Wives creator makes her feelings known about the Netflix show’s massive success

When The Hunting Wives premiered on Netflix on July 21, showrunner Rebecca Cutter says she hoped it would resonate with viewers, but kept her expectations measured. Less than a week later, the series reached number four on the platform’s Top 10, and Cutter realized audiences were responding strongly.

“I let myself fantasize that maybe it would be (a hit) because I knew it was special when we were making it,” she said. “I knew it was pretty juicy, the chemistry and performances good, but I never wanted to put the cart before the horse. I never really let myself think about going to number one.”

Based on May Cobb’s 2021 novel of the same name, The Hunting Wives follows Sophie O’Neil (Brittany Snow), who moves from Boston to small-town Texas and gets drawn into the world of Margo Banks (Malin Åkerman) and her group of wealthy friends.

What starts as a glamorous escape turns into a murder mystery after the death of a local girl. For Cutter, bringing this story to the screen meant capturing both the thrills and the cultural backdrop of East Texas while creating a fresh interpretation of Cobb’s story.

---

Bringing The Hunting Wives to life

Cutter first encountered the novel when executive producer Erwin Stoff handed her a copy.

“I devoured the book, reading it in pretty much one sitting on a plane,” she said.

She connected immediately to its themes and tone.

“I loved how juicy it was. I loved how horny it was,” Cutter explained.

To capture the setting authentically, Cutter visited Texas with Cobb and Cobb’s best friend from high school. The trio explored small towns, absorbing the culture and atmosphere that would shape the series. One aspect that stood out was the local approach to firearms.

“I was surprised by how comfortable and how many guns there were,” she said. “Even though I knew that was in the book, but being there, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s just like, everybody has it all the time. And that’s considered totally normal.’”

Cutter even tried shooting an AR-15 and a handgun herself to

“see what the fun is.”

---

Making changes to the Book

While the series draws heavily from Cobb’s novel, Cutter introduced significant differences. One of the biggest changes involves the killer’s identity. In the book, Jill kills Abby, the young girl whose death sets off the central mystery. In the Netflix adaptation, Margo is revealed as the killer after Abby discovers Margo’s affair with Brad Thompson, which results in a pregnancy.

Cutter described her reasoning for the shift.

“My favorite, favorite thing in the book was when you think that Margo is sort of framing Sophie for the murder, and when it turned out not to be that in the book, I was like, ‘Can I get away with it?’” she said. “It’s hard, but can you get away with it being the most obvious person? And so that was the challenge I set out for myself.”

She also chose to keep Margo alive, saying,

“She dies in the book, and no fricking way is that character dying.”

The Hunting Wives also features explicit scenes, but Cutter emphasized their narrative purpose.

“Nothing is just to show boobs,” she said.

Referring to Margo’s early bathroom scene, she explained,

“That is a power move by Margo to say, ‘I am so comfortable, I don’t even care that you’re here.’ So, every single scene has a purpose.”

---

Looking ahead to a possible The Hunting Wives Season 2

While Netflix has not confirmed a second season of The Hunting Wives, Cutter is optimistic.

“There has not been an official Season 2 order yet, but I’m feeling very hopeful, and even confident that there will be, just because the fans are demanding it,” she said. “I want to give the people what they want.”

The finale of The Hunting Wives sets up multiple directions for the story. Sophie learns Margo killed Abby, leading to a fallout between them. Later, Sophie accidentally runs over Margo’s brother, Kyle, after panicking when he approaches her to talk. Cutter said this ending was intentional to challenge Sophie’s moral position.

“I wanted to go one step beyond the tampon moment and see what happens next and to get them on more equal footing because Sophie, after the tampon moment, has the total moral high ground over Margo,” she said.

On Sophie’s transformation, Cutter added,

“She certainly is going back to her old ways, but throughout the season, she is becoming Margo-ized. By the end, she has sort of fully realized herself as a killer. They both have.”

---

The Hunting Wives has quickly become one of Netflix’s most talked-about series, with Cutter crediting its success to compelling characters, bold storytelling, and audience enthusiasm.