Starz gives green light to series The Hunting Wives based on novel by May Cobb

Starz has given thriller drama The Hunting Wives an eight-episode series order. The Hunting Wives tells the story of Sophie O’Neil and her family’s move from the East Coast to deep-red East Texas, where she succumbs to socialite Margo Banks‘ irresistible charms – and finds her life consumed by obsession, seduction, and murder.

The project, based on the novel by May Cobb, is executive produced by Cobb, Hightown creator Rebecca Cutter, who wrote the adaptation and will serve as showrunner, and 3 Arts Entertainment’s Erwin Stoff. Lionsgate Television produces with 3 Arts.



The Hunting Wives gives both Cutter (pictured) and Stoff a second series at Starz where she created and executive produces Hightown, renewed for a third season, and he executive produces The Serpent Queen, returning for a second season next year.

After decades focused on features, producing tentpoles like The Matrix and Edge of Tomorrow, 3 Arts co-founder Stoff has been expanding into TV over the past several years and currently executive produces five series, the two Starz dramas as well as Max’s comedy Julia, which is coming back for Season 2 next month, and the upcoming Netflix animated series Blue Eye Samurai and Fox drama Doc.

The Hunting Wives is Starz's first new series since the end of the writers' strike. Recently, the network canceled the second seasons of Heels, Run the World and Blindspotting and decided not to move forward with The Venery of Samantha Bird, which had paused production in May due to the strike with two episodes left to film.

The Hunting Wives joins another female-centric series that Starz has in the wings, Three Women, as the network adjusts its programming schedule built around the hit franchises Power and Outlander.

“The Hunting Wives is a juicy, suspenseful and sultry thrill-ride,” said Kathryn Busby, Starz’s President of Original Programming. “We’re excited to continue to work with Rebecca and Erwin on this propulsive series that perfectly complements Starz’s slate of edgy, female-forward premium content.”

Alex Alberts, Director of Original Programming, Tara Roy, Director of Original Programming and Christina Jokanovich, Senior Vice President of Original Programming, are the executives overseeing The Hunting Wives for Starz, and Scott Herbst and Courtney Mock are overseeing for Lionsgate Television.