The White Lotus Meets Yellowstone In Netflix’s The Hunting Wives

by

Netflix consistently releases a high volume of thriller series. Just in 2025, viewers could enjoy shows like Black Rabbit, The Beast in Me, the last season of You, and the critically acclaimed Adolescence, and that’s not even everything!

Aside from You, these shows were all short-run limited series, and most likely won’t stick with viewers for very long. Even with big names involved, like in Black Rabbit, it wasn’t considered essential viewing. And despite good reviews and a lot of viewers, can anyone actually recall how The Beast in Me concluded?

Most Netflix thrillers don’t generate much excitement, but The Hunting Wives is a refreshing exception. Debuting on July 21, 2025, the show quickly gained popularity with its scandalous plot and intriguing murder mystery, becoming a summer hit with viewers.

This show has a similar feel to the first season of The White Lotus, which quickly became popular on HBO when it first aired in the summer of 2021. Now, The White Lotus is one of HBO’s biggest shows, and each season fuels a lot of guessing about which character will meet their end.

In the new thriller, The Hunting Wives, Sophie O’Neil (played by Brittany Snow) finds herself investigating a murder. This happens after she and her family relocate from Boston to East Texas, and she becomes friends with a wealthy and potentially dangerous group of women. Like Yellowstone and its depiction of Montana, the series really brings Texas to life as a central part of the story.

Similar to the surprise success of Yellowstone, which captivated audiences for five seasons, The Hunting Wives has the potential to achieve the same level of popularity if it’s well-executed. It could mirror the success of Taylor Sheridan’s hit series.

The Hunting Wives Is The Perfect Blend Of The White Lotus & Yellowstone

Television consistently draws inspiration from the dramatic and often scandalous lives of the rich, and while many shows explore this theme, The Hunting Wives and The White Lotus are particularly well-done and entertaining.

Even though The Hunting Wives isn’t set in a fancy resort, the wealthy group of friends at the center of the story are very closed off from the outside world. There’s a growing conflict between Margo Banks and her friends, and the working-class people who live nearby—a dynamic reminiscent of the class differences seen in The White Lotus. Like that show, this tension builds and ultimately leads to dangerous and deadly outcomes.

Shows like The Hunting Wives and The White Lotus have gained attention for their explicit sexual scenes. Season two of The White Lotus heavily focused on cheating, and The Hunting Wives features widespread infidelity, with many characters involved in multiple affairs.

Both shows have faced criticism for their explicit content, but dismissing The Hunting Wives as simply sensationalist would be inaccurate. The Netflix series is remarkably candid in its portrayal of female desire, especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ characters. While The Hunting Wives is undeniably entertaining and a bit scandalous, similar to The White Lotus, its graphic scenes serve a purpose beyond just being shocking.

Even though The Hunting Wives shares some similarities with The White Lotus, it probably won’t reach the same level of critical recognition. This happened with Yellowstone too – it was incredibly popular and influential, but didn’t receive the same awards or positive reviews as other shows at the time.

Both shows have been labeled “red state entertainment” because they openly feature conservative settings and characters, which is a departure from many popular dramas. Although The Hunting Wives isn’t a Western like Yellowstone, both series are filled with dramatic stories about characters who will do anything to achieve their goals. In fact, Kevin Costner described Yellowstone as a soap opera—and he meant that as a positive thing.

Both Yellowstone and The Hunting Wives are filled with conflict and death. While the characters in Yellowstone struggle to hold onto their ranch, those in The Hunting Wives are fighting for their own survival, and in both shows, people end up dead. By the end of the first season of The Hunting Wives, the number of deaths would be enough to fill the train station from Yellowstone.

The Upcoming Hunting Wives Season 2 Could Make The Show Even More Iconic

Shows like The White Lotus and Yellowstone have proven that staying power is crucial for success, and it’s good news that The Hunting Wives seems to be heading in the same direction. Despite a delay, Netflix confirmed a second season in September 2025.

Details about what will happen in season 2 are still limited, but we know Margo and Sophie will cross paths again as they deal with both past mysteries and new enemies. The introduction of new enemies is expected, considering how many key characters didn’t make it through the first season of The Hunting Wives. Joining the cast for season 2 are John Stamos, Dale Dickey, and Cam Gigandet.

Brittany Snow, who plays Sophie, has been hinting at what’s coming in season 2 of The Hunting Wives. She says it will be even more intense than season one, and described one character’s death as a shocking and unexpected twist.

Season one of The Hunting Wives was a huge hit for Netflix, and the upcoming second season is expected to draw even more viewers with its promised twists and turns. If the show continues to gain popularity, it could become as well-known and beloved as series like The White Lotus and Yellowstone.

The Hunting Wives Would Benefit From Finding Franchise Potential

With so many streaming shows competing for attention, it’s important for them to have the potential to become long-running franchises. Shows like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead continue to stay relevant even after the original series have finished, because they’ve been expanded with new stories and content.

Unlike some shows that expand through spinoffs, The White Lotus became popular by evolving from a limited series into an anthology, with each season set in a new location and featuring a completely new set of characters. While The Hunting Wives is very specific to its East Texas location, making that approach difficult to copy, the broad scope of The White Lotus definitely helped it become a cultural phenomenon.

Despite being set in one main location, the show Yellowstone has become a huge television success thanks to creator Taylor Sheridan. The story of the Dutton family has expanded into several other shows, including the prequel series 1883 and 1923, as well as spinoffs like Marshals and the upcoming Dutton Ranch, which will focus on the lives of John Dutton’s grown children.

Every Yellowstone Series
Yellowstone 2018-2024
1883 2021-2022
1923 2022-2025
Marshals 2026-present
Dutton Ranch Premieres May 15, 2026

While the characters in The Hunting Wives don’t have the same extensive backstory as the Dutton family, there’s still room to develop their stories further. A series focusing on Margo’s rise to wealth, starting from very little, could be really compelling. Also, fans love Deputy Wanda Salazar and Deputy Walter Flynn – played by Karen Rodriguez and Hunter Emery, respectively – and their strong connection could easily support a spinoff show centered around police work.

These are just possibilities, but even if The Hunting Wives stays focused on its captivating and scandalous core story, it’s already made a lasting impression on television. Hopefully, the upcoming, more outlandish second season will attract an even wider viewership.

Read More

2026-04-16 18:41