The Inspiration Behind The Upcoming Reality Series
The upcoming documentary series Real Hunting Wives of the South stems from the summer of 2025 hit television series The Hunting Wives. The drama series premiered July 21, 2025, on Netflix, with all eight episodes of the first season being released simultaneously, as it traditionally is used to on this particular streaming platform.
The story is set in the east of the state of Texas, in a fictional town called Maple Brook. It follows Sophie O'Neil, portrayed by Brittany Snow, who recently moved with her family to the East Texas town from Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she had committed a lethal DUI accident. In Maple Brook, she befriends Margo Banks, played by Malin Akerman, who is the leader of a local elite group of socialite women, the Hunting Wives.
The plot thickens once a working-class family’s teenage daughter, Abby, portrayed by Madison Wolfe, is found murdered in the place where the Hunting Wives usually meet up. It unravels a scandalous web of secrets, including various intimate affairs within the town, and the dramatic chaos of relationships between the characters, resulting in many twists and turns to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats until the finale of Season 1.
The Hunting Wives became an instant hit on the streaming platform, becoming one of the most-streamed shows on Netflix, and the top-streamed in its first week after the release, getting viewed for over 2 billion minutes. The critical response to the drama series was also positive, earning good ratings on the top critic review websites. While originally planned as a limited series, Netflix has yet to officially renew the series for another season, but a few of the cast members have already teased Season 2 of The Hunting Wives.
But that is not all. The plot of the Netflix drama series is based on the novel, The Hunting Wives, by May Cobb. It was published in 2021. The novel’s story is, of course, very similar to the television series, with Sophie O'Neil and Margo Banks being at the very center of all of the dramatic events.
Despite the similar story, in the television series, there are quite a few major plot changes from the novel, including the important inclusion of the lethal driving under the influence accident. This means fans will be in for a surprise if they turn from one medium to another. Even May Cobb herself has stated she is in favor of the inclusion of the new plot twists to her original story. These differences also include the ending of the story, as the novel has a definite conclusion, while the series has a more open ending, allowing for the continuation of the story.
What We Know About The Real Hunting Wives of the South
This leads us to the upcoming reality series, The Real Hunting Wives of the South. The documentary series aims to show the lives of a real-life tight-knit group of female friends living in the South of the United States, similarly to the Margo Banks-led The Hunting Wives of the novel and scripted television series.
The minds behind the currently in-development reality series are production companies Ain't That Something Entertainment and Spoke Studios. The former, Ain't That Something Entertainment, already has been involved in various potentially similar reality series, which include The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Real Housewives of Orange County, so this should give fans a good idea what The Real Hunting Wives of the South could end up being like.
Learn How To Become A Part Of The Real Hunting Wives of the South
The casting call for the upcoming reality series was announced on August 13, 2025. The casting call states that they are searching for “a close-knit circle of southern friends navigating faith, friendship, and life’s untold chapters”. Thankfully, you do not have to have murderous secrets as part of the requirements in the casting call for The Real Hunting Wives of the South, as would the scripted series counterparts.
This casting call is still uniquely specific as a fitting individual can not send their application on their lonesome. Instead, it has to be for a whole group of female friends. In the application, candidates have to detail their friend group's dynamics, interests, and why they believe they are the ones that embody the "real-life Hunting Wives” the best.
As the potential friend group prepares to tell their story to the casting staff through their application, there are more details to fit and be eligible to be chosen for the show. As it is stated even in the name of the reality show, the female friend group has to be from one of the 16 states within the region of the Southern United States. This means all of the candidate friend groups have to be based in one of the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, or West Virginia. It is highly unlikely exceptions are possible since that would drastically change the basis for themes of the upcoming documentary series.
Southern ladies with “big personalities” and “bold stories” have the opportunity of a lifetime to take their friendship to the screens.
