NBC’s new drama, The Hunting Party, tells an exciting and intense story about Agent Rebecca “Bex” Henderson, played by Melissa Roxburgh. She is part of a special team assigned to capture serial killers who have escaped from a secret underground prison called “The Pit.”
A massive explosion destroyed the facility, allowing dangerous criminals to break free. While tracking down the escapees is terrifying enough, an even bigger mystery surrounds what was happening inside “The Pit” before it was destroyed.
The show has only aired one episode so far, but early clues suggest that the prisoners were being studied and possibly experimented on. This shocking idea raises a big question for viewers: Is “The Pit” based on a real place?
“The Pit” in The Hunting Party Is Not a Real Prison
Even though “The Pit” looks realistic, the creators of The Hunting Party have confirmed that it is completely fictional. Showrunners JJ Bailey and Jake Coburn explained that they wanted to avoid direct comparisons to real-life prisons like Guantánamo Bay.
They did not want the facility to resemble a “human rights violation” situation. Instead, they designed a unique setting where it seems believable that a large number of dangerous criminals could be locked away in one place.
Bailey also mentioned that their main goal for the series is to make it exciting. He described the show as “crazy, weird, and dark,” but also said it should always feel fun.
If “The Pit” had been modeled too closely after a real prison, the story would have felt much more serious and disturbing. By creating a fictional location, the show’s writers could focus on making the action and mystery entertaining.
Real Prisons Helped Shape the Idea of “The Pit”
Even though “The Pit” does not exist, the creators drew inspiration from real locations. In the United States, there are several high-security prisons known as supermax facilities, which house some of the most dangerous criminals.
Two well-known examples are ADX Florence in Colorado and Pelican Bay State Prison in California. These prisons hold inmates who are considered too violent to be kept in regular prison populations.
Supermax prisons use extreme security measures, including solitary confinement, high-tech surveillance, and strict control over prisoners’ movements. The way “The Pit” is portrayed in The Hunting Party shares some similarities with these facilities. Both are designed to keep dangerous individuals away from society and prevent any possibility of escape.
Another real-world element used in the show is the setting of “The Pit” inside an underground missile silo. In the story, the prison is located in an abandoned nuclear missile silo in Cheyenne, Wyoming. This concept is based on actual missile silos across the United States.
During the Cold War, the U.S. government built hundreds of these underground facilities to store and protect nuclear weapons. Many of them still exist today, though they are no longer in use.
Because these silos were built to withstand nuclear attacks, they have thick walls, underground tunnels, and strong security measures. This makes them a perfect setting for a secret prison. In real life, the U.S. has more than 400 missile silos scattered across the country.
Most people don’t know where they are because they are in remote areas and not open to the public. It is possible that one of these silos could be converted into a high-security prison, just like in The Hunting Party.
By basing “The Pit” on these real locations, the show adds a sense of realism. Even though it is fictional, the idea of a hidden underground prison feels believable. The fact that the facility was destroyed in an explosion adds even more mystery to the story.
What Really Happened at “The Pit”?
One of the biggest mysteries in The Hunting Party is what was actually happening inside “The Pit” before it was destroyed. The government may have been running secret experiments on the prisoners. Since these criminals were locked away from the rest of the world, authorities might have used them for testing.
This idea makes the escaped killers even more dangerous. If they were subjected to experiments, they may have changed in ways that no one fully understands. They were already violent criminals, but now they might have unpredictable new abilities or behaviors. This raises the stakes for Agent Bex and her team as they try to track them down.
A 2015 New York Times article described ADX Florence, as one of the most secure prisons in the United States. The prison’s former warden, Robert Hood, said, “This place is not designed for humanity… It’s not designed for rehabilitation. Period. End of story.”
This description suggests that some real-life prisons already treat inmates in extreme ways. If the government were secretly experimenting on criminals, it would make places like “The Pit” even more terrifying.
How Will the Story Unfold?
The first season of The Hunting Party will continue to reveal more about what happened at “The Pit.” As the episodes unfold, viewers will likely learn more about the experiments and the people who were involved. Agent Bex and her team must not only find the escaped killers but also uncover the secrets of the destroyed facility.
This storyline creates many possibilities. The escaped criminals could be more than just serial killers—they might have been changed by the experiments. The government might be hiding the truth about what was really going on inside “The Pit.” There may also be other secret facilities still operating that could pose even bigger threats.
Even though “The Pit” is fictional, the show’s connection to real places makes it feel realistic. The idea of an underground prison hidden from the public is fascinating, and the possibility of experiments on criminals adds an eerie element to the story.
The Hunting Party has already built a strong foundation for suspense and intrigue, and fans can expect more twists and surprises as the season continues.
New episodes of The Hunting Party air on Monday nights on NBC, and viewers in the U.S. can also stream them on Peacock.
