Author May Cobb on Netflix’s ‘Hunting Wives’: ‘It Felt Like a Gift From the Universe’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Plus, details on the ‘demented soap opera’ that is her next book!
When May Cobb started writing The Hunting Wives, she wasn’t sure what to expect—but she never imagined it would become the breakout hit Netflix series it is today. With more than 2 billion minutes viewed in its first few weeks, it landed on the streamer’s ‘most watched’ list in no time. The series, based on Cobb’s suspense-packed novel of the same name, centers on publicist-turned-housewife Sophie O’Neil (Brittany Snow). Sophie and her family move from Boston to Texas—where she gets caught up in an elite circle of Southern women known as The Hunting Wives. Queen bee Margo Banks (Malin Akerman) is at the center of all the sultry drama and Sophie is quickly drawn to the enigmatic ringleader.
But right now, questions are swirling among Hunting Wives fans who read the book and binged season one: Will there be a second season? Cobb’s book was a standalone—so will the story continue? Well, we have good news! Woman’s World sat down with Cobb to discuss what inspired her bestselling novel, her exciting experience on set, her thoughts on a second season and so much more. Keep reading for the answers!
Cobb’s writing journey: from music to domestic suspense
Cobb caught up with Woman’s World over Zoom from her home in East Texas—which just so happens to be the setting for The Hunting Wives. When asked if she always wanted to be a writer, she admits her journey as a fiction author was surprising. In fact, it wasn’t fiction that sparked her storytelling urge at all—it was a real person. “My pull to storytelling started in college,” Cobb says. “I heard music by this jazz musician, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and it moved me so deeply. He was blind from the age of 2 but taught himself to play three saxophones at once—just a phenomenal person. I became obsessed with telling his story. I still plan to finish that project, which I started over 25 years ago.”
In the meantime, Cobb was also inspired by the global success of thrillers like Gone Girl and Girl on The Train. “I found those dark but fun books so compelling. That’s what first drew me into the domestic suspense space—it sidetracked me from my passion project. Then in 2018, my debut Big Woods came out.”
Cobb reveals the inspiration behind ‘The Hunting Wives’
Between the scandals, the betrayals and the jaw-dropping drama in The Hunting Wives, we had to ask Cobb: What inspired you to write this wild story? “It was my mom actually,” Cobb reveals. “We were driving through the back roads of East Texas, where we’re from, and she told me that in high school, the rich boys would invite girls like her—who were more middle class—out to ‘hunting parties.’ They’d drive into the woods, sit on the hoods of their cars and shoot small game. I said, ‘Mom, that could’ve gone so wrong!’ It sparked a story idea, but I didn’t want to set it in the ’60s, so I made it contemporary and flipped the concept—what if the women were the ones behaving badly?”
Poetically, Cobb learned the book was sold at auction on her mother’s birthday in 2019. “After the book’s release, it became a Book of The Month pick and we saw steady buzz.” She admits it was still a tough time in her life though. “It came out during the pandemic, which was a challenging time to launch a book. But slowly, people started to take notice.”
The moment when it all changed
Between the pandemic and the Hollywood writers’ strike, Cobb described this period of time as difficult—creatively, financially and mentally. “The book was optioned right when it sold, but that initial deal fell through. Then just a week or two later, my film agent sold it to producer Erwin Stoff. That was December 2020, deep in the pandemic. The book published in 2021. Then in 2023, after the writers’ strike ended, he called to say the show had—finally—officially been greenlit. We were really struggling financially at the time, and that call felt like a gift from the universe.”
Cobb was thrilled by the news and even more elated when she was invited to be an executive producer on the series. “I was very fortunate to be included. I’m an executive producer and the showrunner, Rebecca Cutter, and producer Erwin Stoff were incredibly generous,” Cobb says.
“Rebecca even let me Zoom into the writers’ room occasionally, knowing I’m trying to become a screenwriter myself. I got to read all the scripts, and I was on set for pilot week and a few other times. Rebecca deserves all the credit—it’s truly her vision—but they made me feel so welcome.”
On set with the ‘Wives’
Cobb also got to visit the set in North Carolina and see the cast in action. “They were going out to honky tonks between shoots—it really felt like home!” she recalls.
Another highlight of the show’s success is the brilliant casting. “I didn’t have a role in casting, but I could not be more grateful or dazzled by the whole cast,” Cobb says. “Malin and Brittany as Sophie and Margot—their chemistry is just magic. They played the parts in such an iconic way. I can’t imagine anyone else playing them now.”
Will there be a ‘The Hunting Wives’ Season 2?
Without giving any spoilers, it’s safe to say season 1 of The Hunting Wives left viewers on the edge of their seats. But a second season isn’t official—at least not yet. “I really, really hope they get a season 2. I am just waiting with bated breath to get that phone call,” Cobb admits. “I know Rebecca already has some ideas cooking, and I’d love to see where she takes it. Since Netflix acquired the show from Starz, the process is a bit more complicated, but I’m cautiously optimistic—it’s been so wildly well received.”
Cobb also weighed in on the show’s viral success and why she thinks people are so drawn to this show right now. “Sometimes the world is so harsh and dark and depressing, so I think it’s fun to have these wish-fulfillment escapist worlds to peer into,” she says. “It’s a train wreck you can’t look away from, but I do think there’s an undercurrent of female empowerment. I don’t want to sound like I wrote some great feminist piece, but that empowerment is there. Especially with Sophie’s awakening and character arc. And I think the show’s writers did an amazing job of hitting cultural flashpoints without taking sides. Everyone’s fair game and it’s smart and funny that way.”
Cobb’s next novel is ‘Hunting Wives-esque’
The Hunting Wives is a standalone novel, but that doesn’t mean Cobb is abandoning her themes of small-town gossip, class divides and shocking scandals. Her upcoming novel, All the Little Houses, out January 20, 2026, checks all these boxes. “This story is my most Hunting Wives-esque book,” she says. “It’s also my twisted wink and nod to Little House on the Prairie.” The novel, which is also set in East Texas, follows two families: one rich and well-established, the other poor but enchanting.
“It’s really about the collision course of two families. It centers on the ‘rich bitch’ family of Nellie Anderson and her mom and the newcomers, The Swift Family. They are like the Laura Ingalls Wilder family. They don’t have any money, yet the entire town is drawn to them and wants to know everything about them—this sets up an explosive dynamic. It’s a demented soap opera—like Dallas meets Desperate Housewives.”
From story ideas to TV hits: ‘Believe in yourself’
Though Cobb is now a bestselling author and executive producer, she says she’ll never take any of it for granted. “There were times I felt like my faith in myself was so out of line with reality—like I couldn’t pay rent or afford groceries at one point,” she says. “But I held on. That stubborn part of myself persisted. I still believed in myself, even when it felt totally unreasonable to do so.”
She also credits her husband and mom as her biggest cheerleaders—and encourages other women to stay hopeful, too. “It’s like one of those movies where the whole town comes together to save the local theater—you think, maybe it could happen. And sometimes? It does.”
The Hunting Wives is streaming now on Netflix. And presave All the Little Houses here.
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