Netflix has to have a hit legal drama at all times at this point. It’s almost as if the streamer offers the same audience a fresh adjacent fix: something paced for bingeing, built on case-of-the-week momentum, and easy to drop into without homework. That’s what’s happening right now with a newly surging 10-episode crime thriller starring Melissa Roxburgh, Nick Wechsler, Patrick Sabongui, Josh McKenzie, and Sara Garcia, and it’s sliding into the exact viewing lane that The Lincoln Lawyer has owned for a while.

The show’s hook is engineered for quick addiction. It’s a manhunt procedural with an escalation engine baked in: a small, specialized team is assembled after the country’s most dangerous killers escape from a prison that isn’t supposed to exist, turning each episode into a capture mission that feeds a larger conspiracy. That structure matters on Netflix because it creates “one more episode” gravity the same way courtroom dramas do — problem introduced, pressure applied, resolution delivered, and a breadcrumb dropped for the bigger season arc.

The show in question, titled The Hunting Party, has climbed to #2 on Netflix’s U.S. Top 10 TV list as of February 18, 2026, while The Lincoln Lawyer sits at #6 on the same daily chart — a clean picture of how the audience is being redistributed in real time. That rise tracks with what you’d expect from a newly activated catalog add: the title hits the list, gets surfaced harder, and then gains momentum as more viewers sample it. And it’s not just a Netflix-only story either: the series is also charting on Prime Video at the #4 spot in Turkey this week.

There’s a Practical Reason Why ‘The Hunting Party’ Is Trending

The Hunting Party, originally aired in January 2025, is now spiking because Netflix has made it newly accessible to viewers who didn’t watch it on NBC during its original run, which changes the viewing context. The other reason is that the show’s second installment recently started airing, so it’s currently being discussed more, too. Therefore, while a weekly network procedural can feel routine, a fully available Netflix season plays like a new binge drop, especially with a recognizable lead like Melissa Roxburgh anchoring the hook.

The new season, however, isn’t yet available to stream on Netflix and will only be available once the complete season has premiered. This is exactly how Netflix treated the lead of legal drama Suits, and it worked out well.

The Hunting Party Season 2 airs new episodes weekly. The first season is available to watch on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

January 19, 2025

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Directors

Thor Freudenthal, Glen Winter, James Bamford, Nicole Rubio, Rod Hardy, Shana Stein, Blackhorse Lowe, Marcus Stokes, Kristin Windell

Writers

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David Loong, JJ Bailey, Jake Coburn, Keto Shimizu, Michael Jones-Morales, Paula Sabbaga, Rebecca Bellotto, Vinny Ferris

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  Melissa Roxburgh

  Rebecca ‘Bex’ Henderson

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Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Love Story Episodes 1-3.

Ryan Murphy is a producer linked to never-ending controversies courtesy of his ongoing Monster anthology series, but Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette represents a far more thoughtful approach to a ripped-from-the-headlines celebrity story. There have been many films and shows centered around the Kennedy family, but Love Story explores the passionate, tempestuous marriage between John F. Kennedy Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) and Carolyn Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon) before their tragic deaths in a 1999 plane crash. The Kennedys were involved with many powerful figures in both Washington, D.C. and Hollywood, and Love Story depicts the brief romance between JFK Jr. and the actress Daryl Hannah, portrayed in the show by Dree Hemingway.

Due to his family’s influence and political legacy, Kennedy was encouraged to pursue a career in service of his country and completed the bar exam in New York after two unsuccessful attempts. At the same time, Kennedy was also involved in lifestyle and popular culture institutions, and began dating Hannah in the late 1980s before they split up in 1994. Hemingway admitted that the actors were encouraged not to contact the subjects they portrayed, which has remained consistent on all the anthology shows that Murphy has produced except American Crime Story: Impeachment, in which Monica Lewinsky was involved. This may have been a noble attempt to ensure that the depiction of these figures was unbiased, but it’s more problematic when the series also invents plot elements that skew the way that events are perceived.

‘Love Story’ Doesn’t Accurately Depict JFK Jr.’s Relationship With Daryl Hannah

Love Story is only focused on a condensed period of time within Kennedy’s life, meaning that it only shows the end portion of his relationship with Hannah. Despite reports that they had been happily dating within the first few years of meeting, Love Story doesn’t explore any of the affection that Kennedy and Hannah had for each other, since the series begins when their relationship is already in a downward spiral. Even when ignoring the fact that Love Story only depicts Hannah in a negative light, implying she was completely oblivious to the media attention that Kennedy had inflicted upon him, the series doesn’t grant her the depth provided to other supporting characters like Calvin Klein (Alessandro Nivola).

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Love Story‘s most glaring invention so far is the implied tension between Hannah and Kennedy’s mother, Jackie Onassis (Naomi Watts). There are conflicting reports about whether there was any friction between the two women, but Love Story assumes the worst by suggesting that Jackie’s objections prevented Kennedy from marrying Hannah. It’s also not a particularly even-sided conflict, as the series is far more sympathetic to Jackie, who is portrayed as a helpful and supportive maternal figure before her death in the third episode, “America’s Widow.”

‘Love Story’ Contributes to a Skewed Version of American History

Interpreting historical ambiguities may have been inevitable for Love Story, but the show’s characterization of Hannah is especially unfortunate given how over-the-top and obnoxious her portrayal is. In addition to implying that Hannah’s involvement with drug users caused stress within Kennedy’s life, the series also includes a strange moment in which she equates the death of her dog to the loss of Jackie. Beyond a larger unwillingness to contact Hannah, Love Story’s producers didn’t follow any accounts that were slightly sympathetic to her position; the show was inspired by the non-fiction novel Once Upon a Time by Elizabeth Beller and also draws from The Other Man, a memoir by Bessette’s former lover, Michael Berman (Michael Nathanson). Considering that Love Story is otherwise a very well-crafted drama show that is thoughtful in its approach to an unfortunate situation, Hannah’s highly negative portrayal feels more glaring in contrast.

Although Hannah has yet to make any public statements about the series, the real actress might not be able to change the narrative, given that Murphy has largely ignored criticisms from the subjects of his other shows. There’s no case for libel when the series states outright that some events are fictionalized, but given the frequent allusions to very specific events and dates, Love Story may give many viewers the impression that its version is mostly accurate. It’s worth noting that in the aftermath of the crash, Hannah did not show any ill will towards Kennedy or Bessette and has been praised in recent years for her advocacy on behalf of environmentalist groups. It’s a shame that her essence was reduced to a stereotype of an out-of-touch actress.

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Police in Alabama have identified human remains discovered in a coal bin as a man who vanished 38 years ago and was the subject of a long-lingering cold case.

DNA testing on the remains — which were first found in late 2004 — finally returned a hit for 21-year-old Bryant Keith Bates.

Us Weekly confirmed Bates was last seen alive on November 15, 1988, after he had left his family’s home in North East Lake for a funeral.

When he failed to return from his friend’s funeral, Bates’ relatives grew suspicious and reported him missing to the Birmingham Police Department.

Early on in the missing persons probe, his family expressed grave concerns the young man was killed intentionally.

Back on November 22, 2004, police were contacted by an exterminator, who told them he had discovered human skeletal remains buried inside a coal bin while working in the crawl space of a South East Lake rental property.

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A 4-year-old boy was found dead about two miles away from his Alabama home following his disappearance on New Year’s Eve, according to authorities. His father, Jameson Kyle Boley, was arrested on an explosives charge before the discovery of his body, NBC News reported. Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith told reporters that the charge was […]

The skeletal remains were brought to the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office for examination, and it was determined the victim was male and likely of African descent. They estimated his age to be between 17- and 30-years-old and said that he stood 5-foot-10.

Officials say that Bates was last seen wearing a pair of plaid pants with a white shirt that had blue trim — the same clothing that was found along with the skeletal remains.

A Coca-Cola brand watch and a chain necklace were also recovered, and both belonged to Bates.

An autopsy determined that Bates was shot in the head. His manner of death was deemed a homicide, and now, investigators are trying to bring his killer to justice.

Police do not have an idea at the moment how long ago Bates was killed. They also have failed to discuss any possible suspects they may have in mind.

Information about the unidentified remains was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System in 2015, but no match was found.

Three years later, a bone sample was submitted to the University of Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI) for analysis, and the results confirmed the remains were those of a man. A profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, however, there still was no match.

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Then, in March 2025, officials took a bone sample and submitted it to Othram, Inc., for further analysis. The DNA profile developed from that specific analysis confirmed that the remains were of African descent and aided genealogists in developing new leads about who the man might be.

Officials claim those fresh leads were sent to the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office and allowed them to locate immediate family members of the deceased.

In Feb. 2026, officials say UNTCHI performed DNA testing of Bates and confirmed that the missing remains that were found were those of Bates.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office says the identification was made possible by utilizing forensic genetic genealogy analysis (FGG) and is the second positive ID using the process. Officials say they currently have 26 cases being analyzed by the FGG process.

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Guy Ritchie has had quite the comeback in the 2020s, and has become more productive than at any other point in his career. While the late 2010s featured him as the director behind poorly received blockbusters like King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and Aladdin, Ritchie kicked off the new decade with six new mid-budget genre films, and he has three more on the way. It feels as if Ritchie is returning to his roots by making smart, snarky gangster stories with his trademark non-linear sensibilities, and he’s even managed to extend that style into television. The Gentlemen isn’t just one of the most entertaining projects that Ritchie has ever been involved with, but it’s a distillation of what makes him such a unique storyteller.

The first film in this third wave of Ritchie’s career was The Gentlemen, a fun heist thriller with a collection of handsome dudes, blackly funny ultra-violence, and an overcomplicated plot involving illegal drug smuggling. While it was great to see Ritchie make something that felt like a deliberate throwback to his work on Snatch, The Gentlemen series is more than just a retelling of the film, as it is set in the same universe and goes far more in-depth with its analysis of family dysfunction. Given that Ritchie likes to sneak in bite-sized escapades and jokes into his stories, The Gentlemen has proven that he just might be better fit to make prestige television than to continue doing feature films.

Netflix’s ‘The Gentlemen’ Isn’t a Remake, but an Expansion of Guy Ritchie’s Movie

While the film featured Matthew McConaughey as an Oklahoma drug kingpin, The Gentlemen introduces a new family empire with the Horniman, a British dynasty that controls a powerful cannabis farm. After the death of the family’s patriarch, Archibald (Edward Fox), the fortune is passed down to his youngest son, Eddie (Theo James), bypassing his older heir, Freddie (Daniel Ings), altogether. Eddie is a former veteran of the British Army who knows a thing or two about maintaining relationships with dangerous organizations, but he’s shocked to find that his father owes a massive debt to the Scouse drug dealer Tommy Dixon (Peter Serafinowicz).

As he enters the illicit world of underground drug smuggling, Eddie finds both allies and adversaries; while the rival drug kingpin Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone) wants to take back the land that Eddie has now used to curate his farms, the incarcerated gangster’s daughter Susan (Kaya Scodelario) might be able to provide the Hornimans with a truce. However, both families are threatened by the encroaching danger of Stanley Johnson (Giancarlo Esposito), an American billionaire who is desperate to buy them out by any means necessary.

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The Gentlemen succeeds because the series paints a colorful portrayal of the different parties involved in the illegal trade, which is treated as a prestige family business. While Eddie has worked for the good of his country through both the Army and the United Nations’ peacekeeping force, he surprisingly finds that handling his father’s business requires the same set of skills. He is trying to protect the family fortune, and is also attempting to soothe tensions and avoid any violent conflict.

This aspect of the story allowed Ritchie to expand the material beyond the action that would need to be included within a single film, and allowed for a greater exploration of the interconnected world. Some of the most compelling parts of The Gentlemen are simply observations about the various gamekeepers, distributors, security forces, and corrupt law enforcement officials involved in any of Eddie’s business moves. The series moves like a chess game, which makes it all the more exciting when Ritchie breaks out into his trademark slapstick humor.

Netflix’s ‘The Gentlemen’ Is Guy Ritchie at His Best

Even in his worst films, Ritchie has always had an eye for casting, and The Gentlemen benefits from a cast who elevates their characters beyond stereotypes. James has always been a more dynamic actor than the generic heartthrob that he was pigeonholed as early on in his career, and he turns Eddie into a fascinating character filled with contradictions. Eddie is ruthless in cutting out those who are disloyal to him, but he also considers that he has the potential to change his family legacy and redefine what a “gentleman” can be. Scodelario’s performance is perfectly matched to his because Susie is also trying to break out from under the shadow of a highly powerful father, and was ironically able to emulate his qualities after he was trapped in prison. The return of Bobby into Susie’s life doesn’t just make her loyalties ambiguous, but drives a wedge against the more positive influence that Eddie had on her.

The Gentlemen has just as many twists and turns as any of Ritchie’s films, and the series is straight up hilarious, willing to go far for the sake of an absurdist joke. He may be currently stealing scenes on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, but Ings is just as great on The Gentlemen because Freddie seems to always find a way to undercut his brother’s strategies — even if his intentions are pure. While the first season of The Gentlemen proved that Ritchie has the capability of building an entire universe, the impending second season might ensure that the series goes down in history as his greatest achievement.