Hunted season 2 casting: Is this good sign for renewal?

Hunted -

Come Wednesday night, is going to air the season 1 finale of Hunted. It’s a chance to see if any of the three teams remaining end up evading the Hunters long enough to win the grand prize, and it’s hopefully a chance for some more surprisingly-compelling drama.

We will be honest that Hunted is probably a show we ruled out a tad early, given that the first episode was extremely heavy on exposition. It showed glimmers of hope with the end of the premiere a.k.a. the Matt & Christina debacle, and it’s become more and more entertaining ever since. While there are flaws in between the confusing rules and jaunty edits, the moments of the Hunters actually tracking down the teams have proven to be amazing and compelling. Also, it’s wonderful seeing some groups completely ruin their own chances of winning because of dumb decisions.

Instead of waxing poetic and/or eating crow for another 200 words or so, the main focus of this article is geared towards the future of the series. Will there be a Hunted season 2? As of right now, there are some reasons for optimism starting with the recent ratings. If you take the premiere episode out of the equation (wise, since it was heavily inflated by the NFL), the show’s averaged consistently a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic and over 5 million viewers in live+same day numbers. While these are not gigantic ratings, it’s only fared slightly worse than Criminal Minds on the nights that the two have shared a night. Meanwhile, it’s performed better than Code Black or the recently-canceled Doubt. It’s no Survivor, but it’s a fun reality TV alternative that the network can run during the offseason. We do think The Amazing Race would be faring just as well in this timeslot if it was given this timeslot, but that is neither here nor there.

One other sign of optimism is that the show is already starting the casting process, and there are plans to film a Hunted season 2 alter this year. There’s no guarantee it will happen, but all signs are pointing in that direction. This would give the show a chance to clear up some issues with the rules, and create an incredibly fascinating scenario where there are players who are actually familiar with the game taking part in the experience.

While CBS technically has until May to determine their renewals, we’d be shocked if they made Hunted wait this long. Our feeling is that you’ll know for sure the show’s future come March, that way it gives producers further time to prepare. This show is filming a little earlier than the standard 2017-18 show will

The biggest piece of advice we can now offer is that if you love the show, WATCH IT LIVE. Give it a 1.3 or higher for the finale, and those renewal odds will likely shoot through the roof.

Oh, and for the record, Aarif & Immad are our winner picks. Lee & Hilmar have probably taunted the Hunters a little too much, and we don’t know how English & Stephen made it this far.

Do you want to see a Hunted season 2? Be sure to let us know in the comments! (Photo: CBS.)

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