If it feels like everyone and their mother is watching The Hunting Wives, it’s because they are. Literally. My mom just texted me that she’s watching the show (I knew those gals in her canasta group were a bad influence on her).
This Netflix series, based on the book by May Cobb, is making all those other “wives” shows like Desperate Housewives, Real Housewives, and Mormon Wives look like Bluey. It’s so juicy that PEOPLE’s chief critic, Tom Gliatto, described it as “a watermelon so overripe the seeds are spitting out through the rind” in his review.
So, when I read Features Editor Steph Sengwe’s hot take about watching it because she had FOMO, I got FOMO too—and now I’m the latest PEOPLE person to binge the entire season in an alarmingly short period of time (all for work purposes, of course).
The Plot: Murder, Sex, and Margarita-Fueled Chaos
If you’re wondering what all the giggling and gasping is about, here’s the deal: The Hunting Wives follows Sophie O’Neil (played by Brittany Snow), a Bostonite who relocates to East Texas with her family after her husband, Graham (Evan Jonigkeit), lands a job with wealthy businessman Jed Banks (Dermot Mulroney).
Sophie quickly befriends Margo (Malin Akerman), Jed’s wife, who’s basically the queen bee of a group of conservative women who spend their time downing margaritas, shooting guns, and having a lot of sex with each other. And I thought my book club was fun!
While the main plot revolves around a murder mystery (R.I.P. Abby, you seemed nice, albeit a little dim), that’s not why we’re here. We’re here for the sex. And trust me, there’s a lot of it. Between various duos (and trios!), the sex scenes in this show are so graphic that they might just make your jaw drop.
Remember that one with Callie and her husband? You’ll be left wondering if you really just saw what you think you saw (hint: you did).
Soapy, Scandalous, and Extremely Graphic
The sex is so raunchy that it had me laughing when I read an interview with Akerman, where she said the show is “reminiscent of Dynasty or Dallas,” two classic ’80s dramas about wealthy people behaving badly. But trust me, even the most scandalous moments from those shows would be too tame for The Hunting Wives.
This is a whole new level of drama—one you definitely don’t want your kids walking in on. Let’s just say, if your kids ask why the women on the screen are wrestling in bed with no clothes on, you might want to switch to Bluey real quick.
What’s Next? A Wild Finale and Season 2 Possibilities
If you made it through the wild finale and still have lingering questions (like why are the wigs so hilariously awful?), you’ll be happy to know there’s hope for a second season.
While I wait for the writers to figure out what sex combinations they haven’t explored yet, I’ll be over here on Amazon searching for the perfect ombre wig and plunging metallic gown to pull off my Margo Banks Halloween costume.
P.S. Graham is the absolute worst.
