Presumed Innocent: The Legal Thriller Taking Over Apple TV+

Written by: Mariyam

Published: January 12, 2026, 7:25 am

The Hunting Party Season 2: If you were on Reddit last year, you probably caught the headlines: NBC had a new thriller, and it was at a rare 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. For the majority of programmes, a score that is “perfectly bad” will mean the end. But The Hunting Party didn’t just survive—it thrived, amassing a devoted following that bolstered its ratings to the mid-4-million range and secured it a second season. 

Now that the series is coming back to NBC (January 8, 2026), leading lady Melissa Roxburgh is at last addressing that bumpy beginning, and her perspective is refreshingly blunt. 

Melissa Roxburgh on Critics: “It’s Not High Art”

In a recent sit-down with ScreenRant, Roxburgh (who plays FBI profiler Rebecca “Bex” Henderson) was unflinching about the critical planning. In fact, she laughed it off.

“Everything will get criticized, people are owners of opinions, But it’s “not like it’s high art.”

—-Roxburgh said. 

Her philosophy shows that series stays “entertained” by serial killers and true crime genres. It’s a “spook before bed,” with killers who are, in her words, “weird as heck.”

In giving itself over to the campy, dark and often batshit crazy antics of its “super-predator” baddies, the show carved out a niche that professional reviewers initially overlooked. 

Reddit’s Split Verdict — From Hate-Watching to Loyalty

The schism between the two camps could not be more clearly illustrated than here on r/television. Some users branded the first season “embarrassing” or a “bootleg version of Criminal Minds,” but as the season went on a small group of defenders began to coalesce. 

Many fans said the series hits its stride around the fourth episode. On Reddit, popular threads on the show include:

• The “So Bad It’s Good” Factor: Someone called it “Warehouse 13 but with serial killers,” pinning it as “dumb, but I like it.”
• Stick with it for the first three episodes — that’s when the show finally finds its feet, and starts coming together.
• The “Manifest” Vibes: Fans of Roxburgh’s previous hit, Manifest, have flocked to the series, defending her performance to detractors that labeled it “wooden.” 

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Season 2 Raises the Stakes With Stranger Killers and Bigger Mysteries

Season 1 concluded with the large question of what would happen to Oliver Odell (Nick Wechsler) and what exactly the Lazarus’ intentions were.

NBC has greenlit the second season of this drama with a larger episode order and production moving from Los Angeles to New York City. We can expect: 

More ‘Odd’ Cases: Roxburgh teased that the killers are even more bizarre this season, noting 

One case involves victims being “trapped in resin.”

Star Power: Travelers and Will & Grace star Eric McCormack joins the cast as a serial killer who targets women seeking love.

The Mystery of “The Pit”: The would-be all out vigilante team is going more and more rogue to expose the secret prison that is at the heart of the government conspiracy.

Whether The Hunting Party will ever win over the critics remains to be seen, but for the fans who love a good, creepy procedural, the hunt is just getting started. 

Conclusion

The Hunting Party Season 2 would never be a darling among critics, but its survival and revival demonstrates audience connection means more than initial reviews. It found its audience by embracing its pulpy, true-crime-meets-camp identity and viewers were going to have to accept the show’s flaws and oddness. With an extended second season, weirder cases, and a further exploration of its central conspiracy, Season 2 can really cut what already works. For those who enjoy their dark procedurals with a bit of chaos on the side, the chase isn’t over — it’s just getting a little crazier. 

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Written by: Alpana

Published: December 30, 2025, 6:40 am

Folklore is seldom static. It lives, molds, and transforms to reflect the worries of the time that is telling it. Although the middle of the 20th century produced a Robin Hood Season 1 that was more pastoral idealist, green tights and all, the 2006 BBC version – and its 2025 MGM+ follow-up – broke the mold. These versions are not simply stories; they are “revisionist mythmaking,” in which stabilizing plot twists deconstruct the hero’s journey through the lens of contemporary socio-political realities. 

The Genesis of Disillusionment: Robin’s Return

The fundamental transformation of the 2006 series is based in the mind of its lead character. When Robin of Locksley comes home to England in 1192, he is no hero. Played by Jonas Armstrong, he and his manservant Much are traumatised veterans of the Third Crusade.

This incarnation of Robin is characterized by a renunciation of his aristocratic roots after learning that the “Holy War” he fought was less about divine justice and more about mindless killing. Adult disillusionment is set up straight away in the pilot, “Will You Tolerate This?” when Robin finds his home ruled by the “iron-fisted” Sheriff Vaisey. His decision to hit the road was an instinctive repudiation of the very systems he once worked within. 

The 12th-century struggle is clearly enmeshed with 21st-century concerns in the script. Robin’s debate about whether the war is “ours” or “the Pope’s” reflected contemporary discussions about the invasion of Iraq, casting the outlaw as the tired warrior come home to a land he doesn’t know. 

The Night Watchman Subversion: Reimagining Marian

Maybe the biggest deviation from tradition is the character of Lady Marian. Not the “Maid” of folklore, but now a “Lady” playing a dangerous game of vigilante. The revelation in episode three that Marian moonlights as the “Night Watchman” makes her pretty much the all of the very first worldwide and medieval Batman, guarding the impoverished much prior to Robin ever rejoined with Sherwood.

In this twist, Marian has an autonomy and martial capacity to match that of Robin’s. It also leads to an interesting interpersonal conflict: she resents Robin at first because his “loud” heroics risk blowing her cover. 

Implications of the Night Watchman Identity

Socio-Political Intrigue: Marian employs her position to spy, serving as the outlaws’ chief informant.

Physical Defiance: The fact that she has a ”knuckle-buster” ring and a dagger hidden in a hair-clip denotes a move to the “Action Girl” stereotype.

The Humbling of Nobility: When the Sheriff shaves Marian’s head on the gallows, it functions as a major turning point.It was an infringement on noble privilege, meant to demonstrate that no one was beyond Vaisey’s reach. 

The Shadow of the Holy Land: Global Conspiracies

A continuing Spy arc of season 1 is that the corruption in Nottingham is not just local — it’s a conspiracy against King Richard himself. This climax of the arc culminates with a flashback that Robin once saved the King from a Saracen assassin with a wolf’s head tattoo in “Tattoo? What Tattoo?”. The twist? Guy of Gisborne has the same tattoo.

This revelation elevates the enmity between Robin and Gisborne from a petty disagreement over territory and a woman, to one of national ideology. The “Pact of Nottingham” — signed by the “Black Knights” — winds up functioning as the series’ recurring McGuffin, which symbolizes a concerted move to place Prince John on the throne. 

The Judas of the Forest: Allan A Dale’s Moral Drift

One of the more subtle twists is the slow-burn betrayal of Allan A Dale. As their “average joe,” Allan has his loyalty chipped away by the Sheriff’s mind games. This “Judas” arc begins when the Sheriff ruthless jumps the execution date, ensuring Robin shows up too late to save Allan’s brother.

For the audience, Allan’s eventual “Face Heel Turn” in the season finale is a heartbreak. It breaks the illusion of the “Merry Men” as a perfect brotherhood, and underscores the human toll of Robin’s unbending ideological line. 

2006 vs. 2025: A Comparison of Revisionist Cycles

Whereas the 2006 series was concerned with the ”Crusader Sickness,” the 2025 MGM+ reimagining brings even grimmer twists, with familial betrayal taking center stage. In this odd-version the character of Huntingdon is not a mentor, but rather the main antagonist—Robin’s own father. 

Theme	2006 BBC Twist	2025 MGM+ Twist
Paternal Role	Robin’s father is a legacy/hermit.	Huntingdon is the “Big Bad.”
Marian’s Agency	The Night Watchman (Vigilante).	Ally/Blackmailed by Queen Eleanor.
The Sheriff	Mercurial monster (Vaisey).	Played by Sean Bean; a survivor.

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Conclusion

The inaugural seasons of these contemporary versions show that the “Major Twist” is the large mooring modern folklore spins upon. In taking the emphasis away from archery tournaments and introducing systemic corruption rather than damsels in distress versus vigilantes, these shows make Sherwood Forest a continuing site for power and reform.

By the end of Season 1, the status quo is shattered. The outlaws have become a political party, and the forest is not a refuge but a revolution headquarters. These twists remind us that the legend is made out of blood and grit — that is the real cost of defiance. 

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