Apple TV’s new thriller series The Hunt is finally available for streaming on the service, with the first two episodes premiering on Wednesday. The series was originally pulled from the schedule due to claims of plagiarism.
Apple TV announced the series in September 2025, for a December 3 premiere. However, Apple TV in November pulled the thriller from its schedule, only a week or so before it was due to premiere, with no explanation offered from Apple or the production team.
“The Hunt” apparently copies a Douglas Fairbairn novel from the ’70s, as well as a film based on the book.
According to French media expert Clement Garin, director, creator, and screenwriter Cédric Anger failed to mention that the series was actually an adaptation of a novel “Shoot” by Douglas Fairbairn, which was first published in 1973 and appears to be out of print. Shoot was translated in 1974 as “The Hunt.”
The series, which was filmed in France in 2024, reportedly closely follows the novel’s structure, as it involves a group of friends going hunting and being attacked by another group of hunters. While one of them is injured, they are able to escape, deciding to say nothing and going on with their lives. However, they continue to feel hunted and watched. The novel was made into a film in 1976, which was written by Richard Berg and directed by Harvey Hart.
While details of what happened behind the scenes are few, it seems the alleged plagiarism was discovered at the last minute, and that as a result of the discovery, Apple and production company Gaumont made moves to limit their exposure in any possible lawsuits.
Apple’s moves included removing all mention of the show’s existence from the Apple TV service and website, as well as deleting all press pages and trailers on several YouTube accounts. The actors and production crew involved in the making of the series were also been told not to discuss the series.
Both The Hunt and Shoot tell the story of a group of friends who go hunting, only to be attacked by another group of hunters. While the group escape with minor injuries, they later find that they are again being stalked after returning home.
Franck (Benoît Magimel) and his longtime friends enjoy spending their weekends hunting together, but one Sunday, they come across another group of hunters who start targeting them without explanation. When one of their party is shot, Franck’s friends strike back, sending an attacker to the ground. Barely managing to escape, the four friends keep the event a secret. Franck tries to go back to his life as usual alongside his wife Krystel (Mélanie Laurent), but in the next few days, he starts to feel like he and his friends are being watched, or worse, tracked by hunters who are now hell-bent on revenge.
While it is normal for television series to be based on novels and films, the issue this time was that Anger failed to inform anyone involved in the series it wasn’t a completely original work, but instead was based on the 1973 novel. The IP theft wasn’t discovered until the series had already been completed and was ready to stream.
Both Apple and Gaumont reportedly met with their legal teams with an eye to possibly suing for Anger’s actions. It was also reported that Apple could reach out to the Fairbairn estate and the original book’s publishers to make a deal that would allow a legitimate release.
The legal issues appear to have been worked out, and while no details of any settlement have as yet been announced, Apple apparently feels comfortable enough with the legality of streaming the series. The Hunt is once again on, and the first two episodes were made available for streaming on Wednesday. A third episode will debut on Wednesday, March 11.