3 weeks ago
The Hunting Party has been a conundrum: a Netflix deed and an NBC bubble show.
The NBCUniversal broadcast network, which is presenting its 2026-27 programming lineup and schedule to advertisers Monday morning, has made pickup decisions connected each of its existent bid and pilots isolated from one, sophomore crime play The Hunting Party starring Melissa Roxburgh.
“We’re still discussing it,” Lisa Katz, President of Scripted Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, told Deadline.
Speaking astir NBC’s pickup of 4 caller scripted series — dramas The Rockford Files and Line of Fire and comedies Sunset P.I. and Newlyweds — Jeff Bader, NBCUniversal’s President of Program Planning Strategy, said, “Honestly, we person a very, very tight schedule. Because we person a batch of sports, for our intermezo clip periods, we had to really springiness up connected immoderate shows that we really emotion to make room to motorboat our early imaginable hits. So we made room for four, we could person done pinch less, very difficult for america to do more.”
He and Katz would not elaborate whether, successful ray of nan tight schedule and nan 4 caller bid orders versus two cancellations (for play Brilliant Minds and drama Stumble) nan web has room connected nan schedule for The Hunting Party. But comments by Bader hinted that nan institution whitethorn beryllium eying existent property elsewhere for a imaginable 3rd season.
In Season 2, The Hunting Party aired successful nan Thursday 10 p.m. clip play down Law & Order: SVU, where NBC is slotting nan mothership Law & Order adjacent season.
“We’re looking for places wherever we tin turn nan network, and that is simply a clip play wherever we deliberation we tin do better,” Bader said. “Nothing antagonistic astir Hunting Party, but for our linear schedule, we perfectly request to effort and do a small spot amended there.”
Indeed, The Hunting Party, astir a squad tasked pinch search down and capturing vulnerable killers, has been a middling linear performer, holding onto a small complete half of its SVU lead-in.
But nan play has done good connected streaming, which whitethorn beryllium wherever it could spell if renewed for a 3rd season. (Katz and Bader oversee some NBC and Peacock, pinch decisions connected some platforms often done successful concert.)
The Hunting Party, produced by NBC related Universal Television, sewage a changeable successful nan limb erstwhile its first play launched connected Netflix successful nan U.S. successful February to beardown viewership.
The vulnerability connected Netflix did not consequence successful meaningful linear ratings gains connected NBC for Season 2; they remained comparatively level passim nan season. But I perceive location has been a halo effect connected Peacock wherever nan bid already had been a coagulated performer.
The Hunting Party‘s potent streaming numbers could explicate why nan show is being kept live contempt nan truth that NBC’s intermezo schedule is packed to nan gills pinch nary room, particularly for a marginal linear performer. The sophomore could beryllium taking nan way antecedently charted by Law & Order: Organized Crime, which moved to Peacock aft 4 seasons connected NBC.
According to sources, The Hunting Party is still being looked astatine for NBC too, pinch imaginable further gross from licensing early seasons to Netflix perchance offsetting soft linear ratings, moreover if nan web puts nan bid connected during off-season.
Katz would not specify erstwhile NBC needs to make nan determination connected nan early of The Hunting Party. The options connected nan formed are believed to expire astatine nan extremity of June.
