NBC’s sophomore drama series The Hunting Party follows the story of an FBI agent who is pursuing escaped serial killers after they went missing from a maximum-security facility. Melissa Roxburgh stars as agent Rebecca “Bex” Henderson and takes viewers for a suspenseful ride as she chases the prisoners who escaped from the facility known as The Pit. The series is gaining more traction on social media now that the first season is on Netflix, and some fans have a lot of questions.
Is The Pit inspired by a real prison?
While many viewers are wondering if The Pit is a real-life prison, the show’s creators have confirmed that it’s a fictitious facility, Collider reported. The Hunting Party executives said they avoided similarities to prisons such as Guantánamo Bay because they didn’t want the show to be marked with a “human rights violation-type of thing.”
“We talk a lot about staying away from the GITMO of it all,” writer JJ Bailey said, per NBC Insider. “We don’t want this to feel like a terrorist, human rights violation-type thing even though it is a human rights violation-type of thing. We wanted it to always feel — this is going to sound weird — but we always wanted [the series] to feel fun. It’s crazy and it’s weird and it’s dark. We always want it to be fun and interesting and feel like a fun ride.”
Although The Pit is not an actual place, it did get some inspiration from real buildings, especially maximum-security facilities. Similar prisons such as Colorado’s ADX Florence and California’s Pelican Bay State Prison hold violent prisoners who can’t be held in general population facilities.
Much like The Pit, which is found in a nuclear missile bunker in Cheyenne, Wyoming, other real-life prisons are also found in similar locations. According to Collider, more than 400 missile silos are located in the U.S., and many people don’t know about them. These sites, which are off-limits to the public, can be used as maximum-security prisons.
What happens in The Pit on ‘The Hunting Party’?
The Pit serves as a place where the government conducts experiments on the prisoners to study their behavior. Law enforcement studies the criminals’ behavior in this facility in hopes of preventing future crimes, according to NBC. In some cases, the prisoners in The Pit show a change in behavior.
“They’ve changed, and the change that occurred in them is manifesting itself in their behavior,” co-creator Jake Coburn said about the prisoners, per NBC. “So it’s this process of trying to figure out who this person is now, why they’re doing what they’re doing.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Oliver Odell in ‘The Hunting Party’?
Oliver, played by Nick Wechser, was poisoned in the Season 1 finale. In the first episode of Season 1, it was revealed that he died from this. The character was the ex of Bex Henderson.
What night is ‘The Hunting Party’ on?
New episodes of The Hunting Party Season 2 air Thursdays on NBC following Law & Order: SVU. It returns with new episodes on Feb. 26 after a short break due to Winer Olympics coverage on the network. Season 1 began streaming on Netflix on Feb. 15.
Are there only 10 episodes of ‘The Hunting Party’?
There are only ten episodes of The Hunting Party for Season 1. However, there are more than 10 episodes overall once Season 2 premieres. It is unknown exactly how many episodes will be in Season 2 .