The Hunting Wives may not have been on the radar of a lot of US Netflix subscribers, but allow me to reassure you that it should be. It debuted on July 21, and since then, I’ve found myself completely captivated by the murder mystery series.
It follows the story of Sophie O’Neil (Brittany Snow), a Massachusetts Yankee, who moves to East Texas with her husband and son in search of a fresh start. However, what she thought would be a nice, slower change of pace turns out to be a highly volatile tinderbox of drama waiting for just the right match to be lit.
From scandalous extramarital affairs to dubious past mistakes to murder, all the secrets that surround Sophie and her new housewife friend group are all hidden behind Texas-sized smiles and Southern hospitality.
Beyond the intriguing storyline that unfolds, my favorite aspect of the brand-new series is the witty comedy peppered throughout all the episodes. Right off the bat in the series premiere, I found myself laughing out loud as Sophie was given the culture shock of her life, meeting people who clearly don’t share her same political views. And her continued cultural adjustment kept me entertained.
Oh, and I can’t forget, the series is downright sexy. The women at the heart of the show may be housewives, but trust and believe, they make sure they’re never bored and have lives outside of taking care of their families. Heck, the leader of the bunch, Margo (Malin Akerman), prioritizes her sexuality and makes sport of her conquests.
Having said all of that, while the show has the recipe to make it great on its own, I’m also infatuated with it because it reminds me of a popular series that debuted back in 2004. I’m talking about Desperate Housewives.
The Emmy-winning series was a jewel in its prime. Similar to The Hunting Wives, the first season of Desperate Housewives kicked off with a mystery surrounding death, and as the episodes went by, all the women on Wisteria Lane were revealed to have a few skeletons in their closets, including an extramarital affair with someone a bit risque in the case of Eva Longoria’s Gabrielle Solis.
Desperate Housewives also had a healthy dose of comedy among all the jaw-dropping drama. To this day, I still find Felicity Huffman’s Lynette Scavo scene where she walked into a pool with a funeral dress on to get her misbehaving children one of the funniest moments I’ve seen in a drama. Take a peek at the scene below.
All in all, The Hunting Wives is a must-watch in my book, whether you’ve previously seen Desperate Housewives or not. But if you have, you may find it quite entertaining to draw a comparison between the two shows.
The Hunting Wives is now streaming on Netflix in the US, and Desperate Housewives is streaming on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.
