About 
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Composers Zach Robinson and Leo Birenberg spoke with Bleeding Cool about what was involved in helping bring the hit Marvel Animation series to life.
Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: Jake Coburn, the hunting party
The Hunting Party EP Jake Coburn on Serial Killer "Third Rails" & More
NBC's The Hunting Party EP Jake Coburn (Barbarians) spoke with us about the serial killer "third rails" the show won't touch and more.
Article Summary
- The Hunting Party EP Jake Coburn shares insights on not crossing certain serial killer "third rails."
- The show's killers are unique composites pulling from various real-life influences.
- Boundaries include avoiding topics like child endangerment and terrorism.
- Coburn highlights memorable scenes, including a scene from Ep. 104 featuring Dr. Malak.
In the age of podcasting, there hasn't been a shortage of interest in true crime and procedurals. It's that interest that The Hunting Party creator JJ Bailey and co-executive producer Jake Coburn hope to tap into. While actors would naturally be salivating at the opportunity to play the serial killer of the week on the NBC action crime thriller, Coburn would like to remind fans as much as they dive into the serial killers and the chase, there are things even they won't go. The series surrounds a group of specialists led by Rebecca "Bex" Henderson (Melissa Roxburgh), who track down dangerous serial killers who escape an off-the-books supermax prison. Coburn spoke to Bleeding Cool about how they developed the killers, boundaries, and what the most memorable sequence is as we reach the home stretch of season one.
The Hunting Party EP Jake Coburn on Boundaries and Favorite Moments from Season One
Bleeding Cool: As far as when conceiving 'The Hunting Party's' serial killers, were there ones that were inspired by real-life figures, or did you borrow elements and cobble them together?
They were composites. There were so many different qualities and traits we borrow from. Episode 104 ('Doctor Ezekiel Malak'), the doctor who was killing patients. We've seen, unfortunately, a variety of different versions of doctors, nurses, and people in hospitals doing terrible things. Obviously, we're aware that influences us. For the most part, we try and find our unique versions because it's more original, but also it's more fun when it's fictional, and people don't feel like, "Oh, they're doing the Son of Sam. That's the Son of Sam case," because then you know where it's going ahead of the story. It turns into true crime, which doesn't feel quite like what we do.
Was there a boundary that you guys couldn't cross?
There are a couple kinds of third rails: One is kids, like we don't endanger kids. It's not fun. I'm a parent. JJ is a parent. We're not looking to do that. We have no interest in terrorism. We're not looking at politically motivated killers. It turns into a different thing that we're not looking for that hang. We want our audience to have their heart pounding, feeling the adrenaline and exhilaration of a fun manhunt, and we want to avoid any topics we feel would be too heavy or not fun.
What's been your favorite sequence or scene, or have we not seen it yet?
Certainly, Episode 104, when Bex is facing off with Dr. Malak. There's a very memorable one on 106 with David Ramsey's character Arlo Brandt when he's like a conductor with all the people in the cages. They're the moments when things come together.
Do you have an episode that is your favorite for you?
When I spoke with others on the show, the 'Doctor Malak' one seemed to resonate the most. And I think that's kind of my personal favorite, too. It's quite intricate and cerebral, and the one I enjoyed the most.
NBC's The Hunting Party, which also stars Nick Wechsler, Patrick Sabongui, Josh McKenzie, and Sara Garcia, airs on Mondays and is available to stream on Peacock.
Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!
