NBC's procedural crime series, The Hunting Party, follows a group of investigators who are set on a mission to hunt down some dangerous criminals who have escaped from a hidden prison.An explosion at the secret prison in Wyoming gives the high-profile criminals a chance to escape. An elite task force of soldiers, spies, and FBI agents is assembled to hunt down the criminals. At the center of it all is FBI profiler Rebecca “Bex” Henderson (Melissa Roxburgh), who must confront her own past while uncovering the truth about what really happened behind bars in the infamous Pit. Gritty, fast-paced, and relentlessly tense, it’s the kind of story that keeps you glued to the screen until the very end.This leaves us with one question: Is The Hunting Party based on a true story? Does The Pit really exist in real life? Show creators told Collider that The Pit is a fictional set-up but they did take some inspiration from maximum security prisons. Here's more about it.Is The Hunting Party based on real events? View this post on Instagram Instagram PostNBC's The Hunting Party is not based on real events. The Pitt, or the prison from where the criminals escape after the unexpected explosion in The Hunting Party, is a fictional space. The plot at times coincides with certain real-life events, but the creators make sure not to entirely align it with them. In a candid chat with Collider, showrunner J.J Bailey revealed:"We try not to be too close to the real world, but we certainly have one episode that we finished filming recently, and it just so happened to coincide with Scott Peterson."Co-showrunner Jake Coburn reveals how, even though some parts might be inspired by true crime events, they aim to twist things up in The Hunting Party. Speaking about the true crime-inspired events on the show, Coburn assures it to be:"More heightened and twister and more fun."In short, even though some episodes might ring a bell or two for true crime enthusiasts, expect some twists that might alter the case entirely. Bailey adds:"I don't know that too many of our killers specifically, but sort of some of the MO's and certain aspects of them, definitely come from [true crime]."Similarly, high security prisons that hold dangerous criminals do exist, like Colorado's ADX Florence, but The Pitt is quite different. They also made sure not potray human rights violations. In an interview with NBC Insider, Bailey said that they made sure not to make The Pit feel/look like the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He said,"We don’t want this to feel like a terrorist, human rights violation-type thing even though it is a human rights violation-type of thing. We always wanted [the series] to feel fun. It’s crazy and it’s weird and it’s dark."Is there a The Hunting Party Season 2?Yes, The Hunting Party Season 2 dropped on January 8, 2026, on NBC and Peacock. Season 1 is now available to stream on Netflix. Season 2 is not yet available on Netflix. If you want to stream the first four episodes of the current season, hop on to Peacock. Season 2 went for a brief hiatus due to the Winter Olympics, but it is set to return on Thursday, February 26, 2026, on NBC.Follow SoapCentral for more such updates.