the hunting party: Season 1 Lands on Major Streamer and Rockets Up U.S. Charts
After a recent streaming debut on February 15, 2026 (ET), the Hunting Party has become one of the most-watched shows in the United States, driven by a compact, twist-heavy first season and a second season already unfolding on the broadcast schedule. The FBI procedural’s rise highlights how a high-concept crime series can find fresh momentum once it reaches a wider audience.
What the series is and why viewers are drawn in
The Hunting Party centers on Rebecca “Bex” Henderson (played by Melissa Roxburgh), a former FBI profiler pulled back into fieldwork to lead an elite team tasked with tracking down the nation’s most dangerous criminals. The core conceit — that several inmates have escaped from a clandestine detention site called The Pit, including the serial killer Bex once put away, Richard Harris — gives the show a serialized spine while each episode offers procedural momentum.
Viewers and early audience metrics have gravitated to the show’s fast pacing, compact 10-episode first season and a blend of case-of-the-week storytelling with longer mystery arcs. The series leans on tight plotting and frequent twists; scenes are structured to escalate quickly, which makes the episodes easy to binge and hard to put down. A review aggregator score in the low 80s for audience reception mirrors that response: viewers are rewarding the show’s energy and the central performance.
Current standing and the road ahead
The Hunting Party entered streaming charts immediately after the season 1 drop and currently sits among the top programs in the U. S. list. The arrival on a major streaming service means the entire Season 1 is now available to a broader audience, which can accelerate chatter and viewership just as Season 2 is airing on the broadcast schedule.
Season 2 began airing in January 2026, with four of its planned 13 episodes broadcast so far. The next new episode is scheduled to air on February 26, 2026 (ET). That staggered model — a full season available to stream alongside an episodic run on linear TV — is amplifying two viewing pathways: new fans can catch up instantly, and current viewers can follow fresh weekly installments.
Behind the scenes, the show’s structure supports continued expansion. The ensemble procedural format makes it accessible for newcomers while serialized mysteries reward long-term viewers. If the show maintains its current audience momentum, it could see renewed investment and an extended presence across platforms.
What to watch for and how to catch up
For viewers just discovering the series, starting season 1 offers the quickest route to full context: the 10-episode arc establishes the major players, The Pit’s implications and the personal stakes for Bex. Fans watching both ways should keep an eye on how season 2 deepens the mythology around the escapees and how the team responds when personal histories collide with active investigations.
Expect continued emphasis on high-stakes set pieces, character-driven reveals and a focus on Bex’s past cases coming back to haunt the present. With streaming exposure boosting the show’s profile in the U. S., the Hunting Party is positioned to become a conversation driver in crime-TV circles this year.
