An Interview with Jake Coburn, Co-Showrunner & Executive Producer of ‘The Hunting Party’

THE HUNTING PARTY -- "Mark Marsden" Episode 107 -- Pictured: (l-r) Josh McKenzie as Shane Florence, Patrick Sabongui as Jacob Hassani, Sara Garcia as Jennifer Morales, Melissa Roxburgh as Rebecca 'Bex' Henderson, Nick Wechsler as Oliver Odell -- (Photo by: James Dittiger/NBC)

Jake Coburn is an accomplished executive producer, that has helped to shepherd some epic shows such as Arrow. Currently he serves as Co-Showrunner and Executive Producer of The Hunting Party on NBC, we had the honor of sitting down with Jake to discuss his work on this amazing new show.
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John Betancourt: What was about this show that called to you as a creative?
 
Jake Coburn: It really started with my desire to kind of work with JJ (Bailey). We kind of found the things that excited us, and things we're interested in sort of exploring, you know, sometimes it's an idea that brings two people together, but sometimes you kind of just sort of have to get together, and then, you know, start just playing around, and then you find something and, you know, I think we found an idea together that really spoke to what we wanted to do in creating a procedural that feels, hopefully familiar enough that people can enjoy it and, you know, know what they're going to get, but different enough that it stands out from the crowd.
 
John Betancourt: It definitely does. That's what I've been impressed with, is that every week has something new and special to offer. And speaking of that, like, I think for every writer, there comes a moment when you kind of realize that the story that you're working with, is something special. When did you realize that you guys had something really special on your hands here?
 
Jake Coburn: When you develop a lot of different TV shows over the years, like most TV shows, you go into development, and they have these moments where they, you know, they end up -- most don't make it, you know what I mean, like, so, you have lots of moments where you're kind of, like, really excited and pleased that things came together. I would say for me, one of the biggest moments that I had, that I would think about is Bex, in the pilot, when she's in the in the office, being interrogated by Mallory and Hassani. And she arrives at the military base, and she talks about Richard Harris, and she does sort of this rundown. And we were there on set. It was like the first or second day of filming, and Thor Freudenthal was directing. And we're, you know, close on, on Melissa (Roxburgh), and we're sort of like, you know, moving in slowly but surely.
 
And I was looking at the monitors and looking at JJ and being like, “I think this is going to work,” you know? Like, it was one of those moments where I was like, “Okay, this works.” Like, I you don't, how do you articulate why somebody is super watchable, like, it's hard to explain, like, she, she's one of those people that like just kind of draws you in and, and you like her kind of automatically and, and she's very relatable, and her intelligence is kind of like inviting, not off putting. And they're all these qualities were just sort of coming together. And I was like, “I like this. I think this is going to work.” So that was sort of one, one moment like that.
 
John Betancourt: Now there’s a question I asked. JJ, but since you guys are kind of two halves of a brain, I'm curious to ask you this as well. What's been the most challenging aspect of putting together this show?
 
Jake Coburn: Well, I mean, everybody that we work with, the actors, the crew, have just been like so nice and thoughtful. Like, such high character people. It's one of the nicest environments that I have ever been a part of as a TV writer/producer, so I'm very grateful for that. And, you know, obviously that starts with Melissa on the acting side, but then also our, you know, our line producer, Jeff Rafner and all the department heads and so, like the people are great. I think that where the limitations for me, at least, kind of come in, is that we have a limited number of days to shoot every episode, and the show itself is designed to move like a bullet train. And so, you almost need more scenes than you would normally need because you're moving so quickly through all of them. And like, when we're in post, we're taking the first -- lopping off, the first three seconds and the last three seconds of a lot of scenes, because we're trying to just go, you know, like, keep it going.
 
When we do that, it just means you need more. And, like, there are not a lot of, I've worked on a lot of shows where it's like a couple people in a room talking for like, three pages. And like, you can, you can shoot a lot of television that way. But this. Doesn't work that way. It's like scenes are normally like a page, like, the longest scenes we have might be two or three pages in the command center at the start, but other than that, it's like, it's just run and gun the whole way through. And so, like, it's hard to get it done in our eight plus one schedule, and we're constantly trying to figure out ways to, like, sneak more in. So, you know, but that's also TV. Like TV is not -- it's about learning to find creative ways to succeed within the limitations of time and budget.
 
John Betancourt: I wouldn't have never known there was a challenge, because they, they all cut together so seamlessly. They always work so well. So, you guys do an amazing job of that.
 
Jake Coburn: Out of curiosity, do you have a favorite episode?
 
John Betancourt: So far, I'm loving them all. I really am. I mean, it grabbed me from the get-go, and I've enjoyed every single second of it. But like, 104 keeps coming back to haunt me, because I've never seen a serial killer story before, and I’ve watched probably more than I should, but I've never seen one where they challenge death in any capacity, it's always just their lust for it and to have him think about what comes after… I've never seen that before, and that keeps coming back to me on a regular basis.
 
Jake Coburn: That’s great.
 
John Betancourt: Now, there’s still more wild serial killer stories to go, and I’m curious, without offering up any spoilers. What are you most excited for audiences to experience in the next few weeks?
 
Jake Coburn: I'm super excited for people to learn more about Shane's story. There was a big twist that just dropped, and I think that the eveals of what he's doing, why he's doing it, are going to be really surprising. Um, and then on the serialized mystery of what happened at the Pit, you know, I think that's a place where we're gonna get to see a lot of stuff and get some really good, hopefully, answers that will fill in a lot of questions. And, you know, emotionally, like we're building towards a crescendo on a lot of different storylines, like each character is going to have some big, personal moments. So yeah, I'm just excited for people to go on the ride. And like, seven is super fun. Jesse Bradford is amazing and so creepy. So, you know, I'm excited for it. It's a different like -- this is a first season show. So, like, each episode, to a certain extent, is a little bit of a first pancake, because we're trying out all of these different styles and structures and this one is different, but I love it for its difference.
 
John Betancourt: Not to mention, you also snuck in some lovely genre connective tissue in this episode. I loved The Silence of the Lambs connection. That was amazing and fit so well.
 
Jake Coburn: Oh, of course, Brooke (Smith) wonderful to work with.
 
John Betancourt: I'm also curious, what you're most proud of when it comes to what you've assembled here.
 
Jake Coburn: I would go back, honestly, to the culture of the show. I know that's not something people necessarily see. If that makes sense. But when I think about the things I'm most proud of, I'm most proud of the environment, the culture, the way the actors work together, the way the crew works, the way we all kind of like do it together. In terms of things people see, I would say the things I'm most proud of are the twists and the weirdness. Like you said, in four, like somebody who's trying to, like, give people near death experiences to see what they see is like, it's weird and I you know, like you've seen 107, so, like you've seen the wedding therapy stuff. It's just weird. Like, it's a weird thing to do, and it's kind of creepy and dark, but also kind of, like, hopefully, sort of fascinating. And those types of things, I think, are my favorite thing, because it's what differentiates us from a lot of more traditional kind of crime procedurals is, is we're kind of quirky and different.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today, if you had to describe the last episodes of the season in one word, what would that word be?
 
Jake Coburn: Heart-pounding.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.