'The Hunting Party' has been making headlines for its return with Season 2. So, as the show marks its stellar comeback, let's see what inspired the drama series.
The Hunting Party will soon be back with its Season 2, and fans have been extremely excited to see what the upcoming series has in store. However, one question has been plaguing their minds since the show began: Is it based on true events and locations? Well, here's what we know about the show's inspiration.
Before we dive into whether the show is inspired by true events, let's look at what it's about. For the unversed, NBC's sophomore drama series, The Hunting Party follows an FBI agent who is after escaped serial killers after they went missing from a maximum security prison. The show stars Melissa Roxburgh as agent 'Rebecca (Bex) Henderson' as she takes viewers on a suspenseful ride chasing the prisoners who escaped from the facility known as 'The Pit'.
While many viewers believe that 'The Pit' in The Hunting Party is based on a real-life prison, the show's creators have finally revealed if it's true. According to a Collider report, 'The Pit' is a fictional facility. The show's executives, in a conversation with the outlet, said they intentionally avoided any similarities to prisons, such as Guantánamo Bay, because they didn't want the show to be marked by a "human rights violation-type of thing."
According to NBC Insider, The Hunting Party writer, JJ Bailey said they had an extensive conversation about avoiding real-life prisons when visualising 'The Pit'. He added that they didn't want to get into any sort of violations and just wanted the show to be fun. He was quoted as saying:
"We talk a lot about staying away from the GITMO of it all. 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."
However, while 'The Pit' is not an actual place, it was inspired by 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 are off-limits to the public and can be used as maximum-security prisons.
'The Pit' serves as a place where the government conducts experiments on the prisoners to study their behaviour. According to NBC, law enforcement keeps a close eye on the prisoners and studies the criminals' behaviour in this facility in hopes of preventing future crimes. In some cases, the prisoners in 'The Pit' show a change in behaviour. Jake Coburn, the co-creator of The Hunting Party, commented on the same and shared:
"They’ve changed, and the change that occurred in them is manifesting itself in their behaviour. So it’s this process of trying to figure out who this person is now, why they’re doing what they’re doing."
What are your thoughts on The Hunting Party? Let us know.
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