The Hunting Party’s Cancellation Was Predictable, But the NBC Serial Killer Show Deserved Better

R.I.P The Hunting Party. I’ll deeply miss NBC’s serial-killer show.

I’m not overly surprised by its cancellation, but it felt like NBC led fans on for the last three weeks, giving us false hope by saying they might find a home for the series, only to cancel it anyway.

The series and the fans deserved better. The Hunting Party may have had only a small fanbase, but we were loud, and the series deserved to grow to its potential.

It often feels like, unless it’s part of the Dick Wolf franchise, all other NBC shows get canceled within two to three seasons.

I’ve lost several favorites, generally of the sci-fi or offbeat variety.

The Hunting Party Season 2 Improved, but It Wasn’t Enough

It was different from many other procedurals, offering a fresh take on profiling and an in-depth look at many of these creepy, sinister killers.

The Hunting Party Season 2 was better than the first season, adding quirkier killers, better guest stars, and deeper character arcs.

The serial killers weren’t quite as evil, sometimes offering a more compelling or sympathetic story.

I thought having actors like Piper Perabo and Josh Dallas would help the show get more recognition, but it wasn’t enough.

Neither were the brief streaming numbers from Peacock ot Netflix. Many new fans found the show, but it was either too late in the game, or they thought it was exclusive to streaming .

The Hunting Party Showcased One of the Best Found Families

But The Hunting Party provided more than serial killers and guest stars. It gave us a team that evolved from strangers into “found family.”

On so many other procedurals, the team worked together for years, even if you didn’t see it on-screen.

Watching The Hunting Party trio form such a close bond, and then losing them, is what hurts the most.

We’ve watched Shane struggle to fit and realize that his true family was Bex and Hassani. There was nothing more bittersweet than the trio bonding together over losing their loved ones.

All three of them teetered near the dark side and needed the others to bring them back to the light.

It’s tempting to murder these serial killers and call it justice after everything they’ve been fighting for, and these three balance each other out.

There was nothing sweeter than seeing Shane worry more about Bex and Hassani than himself when faced with his birth mother. They were his family.

I’m more devastated that we won’t see more team adventures and the family bond grow than the romance between Shane and Bex.

They were sweet, but I always appreciated their devotion and loyalty to each other more than anything else.

But the shippers deserved more since the writers teased that Shane and Bex were a slow-burning romance, and the two were only heading towards romance.

Thankfully, The Hunting Party Season 2 Finale Tied Up Most Loose Ends

I suspect the writers knew the series might be canceled, as The Hunting Party Season 2 finale felt like a possible series finale.

It felt like they tied up most things with a bow, like killing off Attorney General Mallory and then having Colonel Lazarus test Shane.

Shane has been terrified to kill like those serial killers, so he’d never shoot his birth mother, but Bex has seemed more determined to take them down since Jenna Wells killed Oliver.

It seemed like The Hunting Party came full circle with another one of those monsters coming after someone Bex loved.

It made Bex snap, and she shot Lazarus.

While I would have loved to see the next chapter of the trio and Morales hunting serial killers on their terms, I’m glad most threads were tied up.

I’m most disappointed we won’t ever learn how Hassani’s wife was connected to the Pit, since I think he was underutilized this year.

That saddens me deeply, as the trio was the heart and soul of The Hunting Party.

Over to you, TV Fanatics.

How are you hoping with the cancellation of The Hunting Party? What will you miss the most?

Let us know in the comments.

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