EXCLUSIVE: Hunted, the new series from former X-Files producer Frank Spotnitz doesn’t premiere in the UK (on BBC One) until October 4th and in the US (on Cinemax) until October 19th, but sources tell me that both the BBC and Cinemax are already eyeing a possible second season order for the espionage themed series. To that end, I’m told that Kudos Film & TV (who produces Hunted in association with Frank Spotnitz’s Big Light Productions and HBO/Cinemax) have hired British writer Ben Harris to join the writing team for a potential second season. Harris, repped by Curtis Brown, has most recently been working on BBC One’s ten part series The Musketeers.
I hear that while both the BBC and Cinemax gave Kudos the nod to hire new writers for season 2, the series has yet to actually receive a pickup. I’m told that the two broadcasters will wait until Hunted premieres on both sides of the pond before making a formal decision on the future of the series as it is standard practice for the BBC to wait until a series airs before making such decisions. That said, I’m told executives at both BBC One and Cinemax are high on Hunted and that they “wouldnt have given the ok for additional hires unless they considered a second season renewal to be highly likely.”
The only sticking point for a possible second season may be the episode order. “If it [Hunted] comes back, the real question is for how many episodes?”, one insider tells me. Cinemax is intensely proud of Hunted and I hear they may be after a longer run of 10 episodes as opposed to the first season order of 8. I’m also hearing rumblings that while the BBC aren’t altogether opposed to that slightly lengthened run, they may be more comfortable sticking with 8 episodes. One source pegged that as a “difference between US and UK television”, before adding “I don’t see it being a real problem though. The BBC has ordered 10 episode runs before – just look at Doctor Who and Merlin.”
