Hunted on Cinemax

One of my UK friends has been watching and enjoying this (probably because Melissa George is in it, but I can't blame him for that) because it's been on for a few weeks there.

If you like Strike Back you'll probably enjoy this. As The Guardian puts it:

"Spooks may have gone for good. But what if there were a new, even more loopy spy thriller to take its place? A big, daft, posturing show which could make someone having their face shoved in a deep fat fryer look like The Good Life?"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2012/oct/04/hunted-series-one-episode-one (contains spoilers)

Cinemax is starting to look like it's worth having for once. I haven't subbed for years but with shows like this it's rekindling my interest.

And here's a interview with Melissa George. I never knew she was up for the role of Sydney Bristow in Alias.

'Hunted's' Melissa George 'really wanted' to star in 'Alias'
By Jay Bobbin August 16, 2012

Melissa George agrees that in a sense, she's revisiting one of her past television projects with her newest one.

Largely known for grueling roles in movies that have become cable staples ("30 Days of Night," "Triangle," "A Lonely Place to Die"), the actress did a stint on ABC's "Alias" as traitorous spy Lauren Reed. She'll be back in the world of espionage as private-security operative Sam Hunter -- on the run across Europe while seeking whoever tried to kill her -- in Cinemax's original series "Hunted," premiering Friday, Oct. 19.

"It was down to Jennifer [Garner] and me for 'Alias' a long time ago, and I really wanted it," George tells Zap2it while resting up from the demanding "Hunted" shoot on vacation in Corsica. "Then I got 'Thieves,' which was on the same network. They put me on that when I didn't get 'Alias' ... and then, of course, 'Thieves' got canceled.

"Then, J.J. Abrams said, 'Perfect. We'll put you on as the evil Lauren Reed.' I knew everyone was going to hate me, but I said, 'OK. I'll do it.' Then when I got this, I thought, 'If I could take the role of Sydney Bristow but put it in a world that's European, making it a little more like 'The Bourne Identity' and 'Taken' but be less polished, I would be thrilled.'"

That's pretty much what "Hunted" is, and George maintains she has no worries about Ashley Judd's somewhat similar ABC series "Missing" having come first -- and having met its fate relatively soon.

"I'm not an expert on network vs. cable," George allows, "and I'll be back on a network show one of these days, but they don't sit on the set tearing out [script] pages when you're working for an HBO or a Cinemax. They hire the right people, then it's a collaboration where there's not a lot of input from second parties.

"They allow you to create, and there's something about being left alone that I think brings a bit of magic."

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/08/hunteds-melissa-george-really-wanted-to-star-in-alias.html

Looks good - I'm in!

+1

I enjoyed it - but I also thoroughly enjoyed Strike Back.

Its funny-I watched the 1st ep. of Strikeback and thought it was a poorer version of MI-5 (Spooks).Now a british guy references the same show in relation to Hunted. Thanks for the info, have to check it out.

I watched it during a Cinemax "free preview" on Cox. It was OK, but I'm not convinced that it is worth $10-$14/month for a Cinemax subscription.

Anything else good on Cinemax?

If you already have HBO and aren't into softcore then no. $10-14/mo is a bit steep. Most multichannel providers throw it in for $5 or so/mo more if you have HBO. Dish even gave it away for $0.01/year with automated/paperless billing for awhile.

I liked it. It was slower than "Strikeback," but it had more of a story.

I have NO premium channels at all. Most movies I've already seen on Blu-ray (shared Netflix subscription with a neighbor.) I guess that is why HBO has more and more original stuff. Too much TV...too little time.

I watched the first two episodes and found them to be moderately entertaining. To put it gently, Melissa George is not the world's best actress but the ensemble cast is pretty good, so I have stuck around until now. As I am a sucker for spy thrillers, I hope that Hunted will continue to be worth the time I spend on it. The ambiguous nature of the events that led to Sam's shooting and the loss of her unborn child, has been intriguing. Anxious to see what tonight's episode reveals.

From the "Hot Off The Press" Thread (top of 'HDTV Programming' page).

TV Notes
'Hunted' Canceled? Not So Fast, Says Cinemax
By Maureen Ryan, HuffingonPost.com

Is the Cinemax spy drama "Hunted" canceled? Well, that depends on what country you live in.

According to UK news reports, the BBC has chosen not to go further with the series, which didn't meet ratings expectations for the network.

But "Hunted" has more than one home, and Cinemax, the drama's US network and co-producer, still has plans for the Melissa George show. "Hunted" is midway through its first season, which was generally well-received on this side of the Atlantic.

"We are making plans with creator and executive producer Frank Spotnitz and star Melissa George to present a new chapter in the Sam Hunter mythology. We are very pleased with what 'Hunted' has done for Cinemax's brand and are very excited about what lies ahead," Kary Antholis, president of HBO miniseries and Cinemax programming, said in a statement released by Cinemax today.

I'm glad there's still life in "Hunted," for a few reasons: As I wrote in my review and in this piece, I think "Hunted" is a well-crafted espionage drama that manages to provide a lot of action and suspense as it also thoughtfully examines the implications of corporate espionage. It has a few flaws, sure, but overall it's a well-acted, atmospheric and worthwhile serialized drama -- and it's also a great showcase for excellent supporting performers such as Stephen Dillane and Patrick Malahide.

As it happens, I just recently finished catching up with the two seasons of "Strike Back" that aired on Cinemax in 2011 and 2012, and while that show is a much more straight-ahead action-adventure drama, it also has some interesting things to say about outsourced conflicts, damaged people and geopolitical dirty tricks. Smart yet escapist adventure that is unafraid of serialization is a very smart niche for Cinemax to fill, and I hope that "Hunted," which wraps up its debut season in a few weeks, remains part of it.

Based on the statement from the network, I'm hopeful that Sam has a future on alongside Section 20.

If you are watching "Hunted," or you're planning to catch up, return to this site after the season finale for an extensive interview with creator Frank Spotnitz that should answer many of the questions you might have. A non-spoilery section of my interview with Spotnitz is here, and a clip of "Game of Thrones" veteran Malahide in "Hunted" is on that post and below as well.

"Hunted" airs at 10 p.m. ET on Fridays on Cinemax.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/hunted-canceled_n_2138562.html

It kind of jumped the shark when they started the whole hourglass conspiracy thing. I've already seen that whole powerful families conspiring to take over the world thing in "Torchwood" and nearly every other show.

I'm going to stick with Hunted until the end of the season but agree that the show has been less than must see TV. Melissa George, to put it gently, is limited and the plots get progressively sillier. I guess my continuing to watch the show is an indication of what a sucker I am for spy thrillers.

I like Melissa George but this series is a bit of a snooze fest for me,

Strike Back, on the other hand, is a terrific guilty pleasure...

First, I agree that Strike Back is, indeed, "a terrific guilty pleasure." Second, after I posted earlier, I saw this week's Hunted episode and thought it was quite good. Although, I have little regard for Melissa George's talent, I thought this week's show was very well written. I particularly enjoyed how the writers made clear what a weakfish doofus is Jack Turner, son of the evil and desperate, Jack Turner. There was a lot else I liked this week, too. Thus, I am looking forward to the season finale and will be around into next season, too, assuming there is a next season.

I enjoyed Hunted, too bad it's been canned by the BBC. Enjoy the 8 episodes they made... Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) Cinemax is looking into renewing it without the BBC partner, but they have already stated that none of the cast except for M.G. would be in the new series and the series would take a different direction focusing on Sam Hunter (Melissa George) as a spy rather than the previous conspiracy against her by her agency.
Edited by replayrob - 12/4/12 at 11:01am

If Cinemax decides to renew Hunted and the supporting cast is canned but Melissa George returns as Sam Hunter, I suspect I will cancel my season pass. As noted in earlier posts, I have thought that Hunted's weakness was the beautiful but only sem-italented George but that its strength was its talented supporting players, especially Stephen Dilane as the enigmatic Rupert Keel.

I agree, it was actually the supporting cast that made the show worth watching. It was highly marginal in quality to me anyway, and with the cast all gone but George it's an easy delete.

By the way, if anyone understood the ending I would love to hear your thoughts.

Has ep# 8 shown here in the states?
There's a long post on the IMDB page for Hunted where one viewer goes in to great detail explaining the ending... once you read it you'll understand things a bit better.

Episode 8 airs this Friday, December 7th.

Thanks.

** The below link contains spoilers.**
There was also a link to a post Frank Spotnitz makes at the BBC site with more explanation.
Edited by keenan - 12/5/12 at 10:56am

For those in the USA who haven't seen episode 8 yet- don't visit the above link.... yet.

Yes it does, sorry about that, I just posted a warning in the original post.