The Hunting Party has quickly become one of the most talked-about crime dramas on television. The NBC series, which premiered in early 2025, follows FBI agent Rebecca “Bex” Henderson as she tracks down dangerous serial killers who have escaped from a top-secret black site prison known as “The Pit.” With its intense storylines and chilling villains, many viewers are asking one big question: Is any of this real?
The short answer is no—The Hunting Party is not based on a true story. The characters, the prison, and the specific events are fictional creations designed for entertainment. However, the show’s writers have done their homework. They pulled inspiration from real-life criminal cases, actual high-security prisons, and the disturbing psychology of history’s most notorious murderers to make the series feel grounded and terrifyingly believable.
What Exactly Is The Hunting Party About?
The series centers on a small, elite team of investigators led by Melissa Roxburgh (known for her role in Manifest) as Bex Henderson. Their mission is simple but horrifying: recapture the most dangerous serial killers ever known after they all escape from The Pit, a covert government facility that officially does not exist .
Each episode typically focuses on hunting down a different escaped killer. The twist is that these criminals have spent years inside The Pit, where the government supposedly studied them. Their time in captivity has changed their methods and behavior, making them even more unpredictable and dangerous than before .
The show blends a weekly “case of the week” format with a larger, serialized mystery about the true nature of The Pit and why the government was secretly holding these prisoners . Co-showrunners JJ Bailey and Jake Coburn developed the series as a fresh take on the procedural drama, combining the thrill of a manhunt with deep dives into criminal psychology .
The Pit: A Fictional Prison With Real-Life Roots
One of the most intriguing elements of the show is The Pit itself. In the series, this prison is hidden inside a decommissioned nuclear missile bunker in Wyoming. It was designed to be completely off the books, holding the worst of the worst without any public record .
While The Pit is entirely fictional, its concept was inspired by real American supermax prisons. The creators looked at facilities like ADX Florence in Colorado and Pelican Bay State Prison in California for inspiration. These real prisons are known for housing the country’s most dangerous criminals in extreme isolation . ADX Florence, often called the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” is where terrorists, spy ringleaders, and major crime bosses are held under conditions designed to keep them from interacting with anyone.
The show took the idea of a supermax facility and pushed it into fictional territory by making it secret and placing it in a missile bunker. This adds a layer of conspiracy and mystery that drives the show’s overarching plot.
The Killers Are “Blends,” Not Copies
The most common question from fans is whether the specific serial killers featured in each episode are based on real people. The answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no.
Showrunner JJ Bailey explained the writing process to NBC Insider. He said the team had a term they used in the writers’ room called the “OG MO” (original modus operandi). They would map out how each killer operated before entering The Pit, how they changed while inside, and how they might act now that they were out . Bailey described the killers as a “blend” of different real-life criminal profiles .
“We had a term in the writers’ room. You talk a lot about the MO of your killer, right? We always had an ‘OG MO,’ the original MO, and then there was the Pit, and then there was the post-Pit MO,” Bailey said. “There’s always a change to what they’re doing based on the time in the Pit.”
Coburn added that Bailey is a true crime enthusiast who listens to podcasts during his long drive to work, bringing that deep knowledge into the room. However, the goal is never to recreate a specific case .
“For the most part, we try and find our unique versions because it’s more original, but also it’s more fun when it’s fictional,” Coburn explained. “People don’t feel like, ‘Oh, they’re doing the Son of Sam. That’s the Son of Sam case,’ because then you know where it’s going.”
Richard Harris: The Premiere Episode’s Killer
The first killer introduced in the series premiere is Richard Harris, played by Tobias Jelinek. Harris is an organized killer who brutally murdered seven women. He would blind his victims by injecting ammonia sulfate into their eyes, plunging them into the same darkness he experienced as a child when his mother locked him in the basement .
While Harris is not a direct copy of any one criminal, he shares disturbing traits with several real serial killers:
Dennis Rader (BTK) : Like Harris, Rader was an organized killer who meticulously planned his attacks. He bound, tortured, and killed at least 10 victims in Kansas. The anticipation and planning were just as important to him as the act of killing itself .
Ed Kemper (The Co-Ed Killer) : Harris’s motivation stemmed from abuse by his mother, leading him to target women as surrogates for his rage. Ed Kemper had a similar background. His mother was allegedly abusive and forced him to live in the basement. Kemper killed six young women before ultimately murdering his mother .
Charles Albright (The Eyeball Killer) : Harris’s gruesome habit of targeting his victims’ eyes directly mirrors Albright. This Texas killer had a lifelong obsession with eyes, dating back to his childhood when he learned taxidermy and would remove the eyes of animals .
Fred and Rosemary West : The premiere’s shocking twist revealed that Harris had an accomplice, Nicole Westin, who claimed she “made him into the monster.” This dynamic echoes real-life killer couples like the Wests in England, who tortured and murdered at least 12 people, including their own children .
Brenda Lowe: The Female Serial Killer
Episode 3 introduced Brenda Lowe, a rare female serial killer with a unique method. She lived in the Montana wilderness and trained a pack of wolves to kill anyone who trespassed on her property, particularly hunters. She was responsible for at least 17 deaths .
Melissa Roxburgh‘s character described Lowe as having “anti-social tendencies,” which aligns with profiles of real female killers. The character draws comparisons to:
Aileen Wuornos : Often called “America’s first female serial killer,” Wuornos confessed to killing seven men in Florida. Like the fictional Brenda, she was considered highly volatile. Researchers later concluded she met the clinical definitions for Antisocial Personality Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder .
Ted Kaczynski (The Unabomber) : Brenda’s retreat into the wilderness because she saw society as a “cage” mirrors Kaczynski’s life. He left his position as a UC Berkeley professor to live in a primitive cabin in Montana, where he carried out his bombing campaign against what he saw as a technology-ruined society .
Susan Monica : Brenda loved her wolves more than people, and she used them to kill. Monica, an Oregon pig farmer, killed two handymen and fed their bodies to her pigs to dispose of the evidence. In a taped confession, she stated, “I do not value human life very much” .
Roy Barber: The Couple Killer
Episode 5 featured Roy Barber, a police sketch artist who was linked to the murders of 16 people. He initially appeared to target couples, leaving their blood-drenched vehicles behind. Later, the show revealed he was actually helping women escape abusive partners by killing the men and letting the women disappear .
This complex character drew from multiple real sources:
Joseph DeAngelo (The Golden State Killer) : DeAngelo had a notorious pattern of targeting couples. He would tie up the man and then sexually assault the woman in front of him. Like the fictional Roy, DeAngelo was once a police officer, giving him insider knowledge of investigations .
The Zodiac Killer : This unidentified California killer specifically targeted couples in secluded “Lover’s Lane” areas. His first known victims were high school students on a date .
Pedro Rodrigues Filho : Roy’s claim of being a “protector” who killed bad men mirrors Filho, a Brazilian serial killer who targeted drug dealers, rapists, and other criminals. He even killed his own abusive father while visiting him in prison .
What the Cast and Creators Say
Melissa Roxburgh has spoken openly about her character and the show’s connection to real crime. She studied criminal psychology in college and initially considered becoming a profiler before choosing acting instead .
“Like a lot of people, I’m fascinated by serial killers. I’m fascinated by the psychology or psychopathology each of them have,” Roxburgh said. “It’s such a foreign thing the way these people operate, so I think that’s why we like to dive in and figure out why they are the way they are.”
She also noted that the show differs from other procedurals because the audience quickly knows who committed the crimes. The mystery lies in understanding why they did it and how their time in The Pit changed them .
The showrunners have also established clear boundaries for the kind of stories they will tell. Coburn explained that there are certain “third rails” they avoid, including endangering children and exploring terrorism. They want the show to be thrilling and adrenaline-pumping, not overwhelmingly dark or politically charged .
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Where to Watch The Hunting Party
The Hunting Party airs on NBC on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT. New episodes are available for streaming the next day on Peacock . The first season consists of 10 episodes . Viewers in the UK, Canada, Australia, and India can check their local NBC affiliates or streaming platforms that carry Peacock content for availability.
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