Hunted Series 6 Episode 1

[Latarsha Lant]

Huntedis a 2012 British television drama series created and written by Frank Spotnitz and produced by Kudos and Big Light Productions for British broadcaster BBC, for its main channel BBC One and American premium cable broadcaster Cinemax. The series premiered on Thursday 4 October 2012 on BBC One[1] and on Friday 19 October 2012[2] on Cinemax.

Samantha (Melissa George) is an espionage operative for "Byzantium",[3][4] a private intelligence agency. She survives an attempt on her life, which she strongly suspects was orchestrated by members of the company she works for. After recovering and returning to active duty, she goes back to work undercover as a nanny, not knowing who tried to kill her or whom to trust.[5][6] It becomes evident that the attempt on her life is tied into a horrific event from her childhood.[7]

After Spotnitz had wrapped up The X-Files he met Stephen Garrett and Jane Featherstone of Kudos Film and Television. They asked him to come to the UK and work with British television. Spotnitz had lived in Europe before and was interested in returning. He claims the idea was appealing but it simply never happened. The years passed and Spotnitz was talking to The X-Files star Gillian Anderson, who was visiting Los Angeles from London where she lives, and she asked, "Would you ever consider doing a show (in Britain)?". Spotnitz started talking to her about doing a spy series and then the first call he made was to Stephen Garrett since the two lost touch. "You know the idea of doing a show in England? I think I may finally have it".[5]

Spotnitz relocated to London with his family.[5] While trying to get Hunted off the ground, he served as co-producer and head writer for Strike Back: Project Dawn (or just Strike Back in the United States), which was also produced by HBO for Cinemax, but co-produced with another British broadcaster, BSkyB (for Sky1), not the BBC.

On 22 September 2011, reports confirmed that HBO/Cinemax would come on board as co-producers and that the name Morton had been scrapped and the new name was Nemesis.[9] On 6 March 2012, Spotnitz announced on his homepage that the show's title had been changed again to Hunted.[10]

Spotnitz spent a lot of time researching private spy agencies. He told Screen International: "It's not an area I was very aware of until I went looking for it. Most private contractors don't want to be noticed. Their websites are dry and boring and they don't want the wrong kind of attention. I talked to people who run these companies in the US, United Kingdom and Switzerland and then I researched the type of personality working at them".[11]

During the series, Sam has childhood memories of an oast house and in episode 5 she finds the Oast House. This is the oast house at Little Scotney Farm, Lamberhurst, Kent.[14] It is still a working oast house owned by the National Trust, producing hops to make "Scotney Ale".[15]

The first series takes place mainly in London. Had the show been commissioned for a second series, each series would have taken place in a different European city.[7] George, who is based in New York, would have lived in London for six months to film each series.[16]

Melissa George has reported that the second series of Hunted would be set in Berlin. The Australian star previously said that her Hunted role "could potentially be long-term", adding that she may be playing Sam "for the next five years".[18]

However, on 14 November 2012, The Guardian reported that BBC One had decided not to commission a second series of Hunted, citing ratings declines as the primary reason.[20] It was reported the following day that Cinemax was looking into making a second series without the partnership with the BBC.[21] Cinemax has since announced that it is working with Frank Spotnitz to reboot the show, describing the current incarnation as "too expensive" to continue without BBC support.[22]

On 30 July 2013 HBO Home Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 via the Warner Archive Collection.[36] This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available via WBShop.com and Amazon.com. The series is also available on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK.

Hunted was accompanied by an Internet campaign carrying content developed during the filming of the series. Known for a psychologically stimulating internet campaign where one would guess what dongle went to various computers. It all turned out to be a honeypot.[37]

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes Hunted holds an approval rating of 76% based on 17 reviews. The critics' consensus reads, "A brisk, exciting spy thriller, Hunted sometimes feels familiar, but it's redeemed by smart, twisty plotting and an assured lead performance from Melissa George."[38] On Metacritic the series has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[39]

On a more positive note, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly, said the U.S. premire had "lots of slick suspense, well-turned violence, and a delightful air of menace hanging over everything Sam does".[43] Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post also had a favorable review of the U.S. premiere saying "To its credit, 'Hunted' doesn't take its profoundly disconnected characters and slap them into a slick, glitzy story about heroism in the face of greed. It marries the doubt, regret and longing they feel into a chugging, twisty spy story about the cost of selling your soul one piece at a time".[44]

ABC News Studios' investigative No. 1-rated documentary series "Truth and Lies" returns with three captivating new episodes that reveal hidden truths and untold accounts from an infamous crime, a catastrophic event that dominated headlines, and an elusive cult. Each two-hour episode is an in-depth look behind the scenes of these chilling events. The first episode chronicles the twists and turns in the decade-long investigation to find the Long Island serial killer; the second episode unfolds the tragic story of entrepreneur Stockton Rush, his vision for an innovative submersible that would take adventurous tourists down to the Titanic wreckage, and his ill-fated voyage; and the final episode delves into the polygamist Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) community and the controversial life of their leader, Warren Jeffs, who still proves dangerous even behind bars. The third episode "The Doomsday Prophet: Truth & Lies" airs Thursday, Feb. 15, at 8:00 p.m. EST on ABC, next day on Hulu. Be sure to watch on the ABC app from your smartphone and tablet (iOS and Android), computer on ABC.com and connected devices (Roku, AppleTV and Amazon Fire TV).

"Fatal Dive to the Titanic: Truth & Lies" (Feb. 8): Entrepreneur Stockton Rush dreamed of a revolutionary submersible that could take adventurous tourists into the deep sea to view the fabled Titanic wreckage. "Truth and Lies: Fatal Dive to the Titanic" reports on how Rush's Titan submersible became a cautionary tale about the risks of innovation. Through interviews with Rush's friends, former Titan "mission specialists" and adventure pioneers, the episode explores the groundbreaking technology behind the Titan, painting a picture of both the excitement and devastation surrounding the deadly venture. The program also takes viewers through the pivotal moments that ultimately led to the demise of the Titan and all on board its final tragic journey into the deep sea.

"Truth and Lies: The Doomsday Prophet" (Feb. 15): "Truth and Lies: The Doomsday Prophet" examines the secretive Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) community and the unconventional and controversial life of its founder, Warren Jeffs, exploring the rise of the sect and its practice of polygamy. The episode features harrowing, exclusive interviews with courageous ex-FLDS members, including one of Jeffs' former wives and his daughter. Never-before-seen footage takes viewers inside this closed community that encourages women to "keep sweet" by suppressing emotions and obeying their husbands and the all-knowing prophet. By unraveling the complexities of power, faith and control, the documentary paints a vivid portrait of the impact the FLDS had on its followers and the broader implications of Jeffs' leadership, which still influences the society he constructed.

The original series "Truth and Lies" premiered on Jan. 5, 2017, with "Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers." Past episodes are available to stream on Hulu and include "Truth and Lies: Jeffrey Epstein," "Truth and Lies: Monica and Bill" and more.

"Truth and Lies" is produced by ABC News Studios. Muriel Pearson serves as executive producer, and David Sloan serves as senior executive producer for ABC News Studios. ABC News Studios is led by Mike Kelley. Reena Mehta is the SVP of Streaming and Digital Content.

About ABC News Studios: ABC News Studios, inspired by ABC News' trusted reporting, is an award-winning, premium news and documentary original production house and commissioning partner of series and specials. ABC News Studios champions untold and authentic stories driving the cultural zeitgeist spanning true-crime, investigations, pop culture and news-adjacent stories. ABC News Studios' original titles include critically acclaimed documentaries "Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields," "Sound of the Police," "The Lady Bird Diaries" and "Aftershock," and popular docu-series and documentaries, including "Killing County," "Wild Crime," "Mormon No More," "The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump" and "Jelly Roll: Save Me."

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