Abhiroop Das
Developed for television by Rebecca Cutter, Netflix’s ‘The Hunting Wives’ is an adaptation of May Cobb’s bestselling novel of the same name. It follows Sophie O’Neil, who leaves the stressful hustle and bustle of the city to settle in an idyllic East Texas community. However, life soon catches up and leaves her no better off. Things take a turn when the protagonist meets Margo Banks, who pulls her into a tight-knit social circle bound by secrets, deception, and privilege. Soon, Sophie’s curiosity blooms into obsession, her dance of temptation peels back the veneer of respectability. The show’s premise is deeply tied to its setting, as it is the protagonist’s acclimatization to a new town and all its intricacies that moves the story forward. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Hunting Wives Filming Locations
While the narrative of ‘The Hunting Wives’ is set in Texas, in reality, the series was taped entirely in North Carolina, with Charlotte and Mooresville doubling for a fictive East Texas town. Production ran from March 18, 2024, to June 24 of the same year. Within Charlotte, crews worked in South End and Dilworth, adapting urban spaces to reflect suburban Texas interiors and streetscapes. The creative team maintained close rapport with local authorities, citing community cooperation. All of this made it possible to capture both the intimate drama and the broader atmosphere of the fictional setting.
Charlotte, North Carolina
The Charlotte metro area comprised the bulk of the show’s filming footprint. In South End and Dilworth, locations such as Dilworth Tasting Room were used for interior sequences depicting upscale gatherings. In February 2024, producers put out casting notices for local extras, with a focus on finding people from Charlotte and nearby towns to appear in community scenes. One sequence was filmed inside a parish in North Charlotte, where congregants were shown during a Sunday gathering. The neighborhood was reportedly selected for its resemblance to a traditional East Texas town, with minimal need for modification. Actor Malin Åkerman talked about the fun experience she had in an interview with TV Insider, stating: “You have to go to Charlotte and go to Coyote Joe’s because it is such a blast. We would go on the weekends and go dancing because we just loved it so much.”
Mooresville’s Main Street, roughly twenty-five miles north of Charlotte, was rebranded as Maple Brook for the narrative. In early April 2024, the crew set camp in downtown Mooresville and began modifying storefronts along Main Street to portray the charm of a fictional town set in Deep Texas. Shops such as D. E. Turner & Co. Hardware, Dulcet & Delish, as well as Mack on Main, and Hampton’s of Mooresville had their exteriors dressed and stylized to ground the setting in realism. Filming continued into June, with several scenes lensed during different times of day to make the most of the shifting natural light, giving the visuals a warm, sunlit texture reminiscent of the American South. A nearby park and residential street doubled for a community picnic, and extras were seen filming neighborhood gossip scenes outside the Sherrills Ford community center.
A series of cabin and lakeside scenes were filmed at Lake Norman’s eastern shore near Mooresville. Known locally as Azalea Retreat at Sherrills Ford, this location features a small dock and wooded shorelines that are visually consistent with the novel’s lakeside retreat. Production used a private cabin and marina area for evening sequences that suggest retreat-like isolation. Crew members built temporary decks and relocated lighting rigs alongside the lake’s edge in early May. The setting lent contrast to the urban feel of Charlotte and the commercial feel of Mooresville. Several shots required fog machines at dawn to mimic humid East Texas air. The area was also used in other productions, such as ‘Banshee,’ ‘Love Is Blind,’ and ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye,’ reinforcing the region’s established reputation as a stand-in for diverse American locales.
Richfield, North Carolina
Many of the exterior shots were taped at the Falcon Trail Trailhead, situated at Richfield Park. As a constituent of the larger Carolina Thread Trail network, it connects Richfield to the Misenheimer community. While the location is a popular picnic spot, it also doubles as a biking trail surrounded by lush greens and large agricultural tracts. It became a perfect location to shoot exterior scenes for ‘The Hunting Wives.’ Its natural environment provided the narrative a grounded background, which served to amplify many of its set pieces.
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