Apple TV Abruptly Shelves New Crime Series Days Before Premiere Amid Plagiarism Claims

Well, that escalated fast. Apple quietly pulled a buzzy French crime series from its December lineup after a plagiarism flare-up tied to a 1970s novel. And yes, the parallels are not subtle.

What got pulled

The show is called The Hunt (original title: Traqués). It was slated to hit Apple TV on Wednesday, December 3, but the release is now on ice with no new date. Apple removed it from the December slate and delayed the series indefinitely.

Why the sudden pause

Creator-director Cédric Anger has been accused of lifting the story from Douglas Fairbairn's 1973 novel Shoot. AppleInsider flagged the similarity, and then the show’s producer, Gaumont, confirmed the delay while they investigate.

"The broadcast of our series The Hunt has been temporarily postponed. We are currently conducting a thorough review to address any questions related to our production. We take intellectual property matters very seriously."

The plot lines that raised eyebrows

Here is where things get crunchy. The Hunt stars Benoît Magimel and Mélanie Laurent and follows Franck and his friends on a hunting trip that goes sideways when another group targets them for no clear reason. One of Franck’s crew is shot. They fire back, hit one of the attackers, escape, and decide to keep quiet. Days later, Franck feels watched and possibly tracked by vengeful hunters.

• The Hunt: Franck and friends go hunting; they are attacked without warning; one of their group is shot; they shoot an attacker; they flee and keep it secret; Franck starts feeling hunted afterward.
• Shoot (1973 novel): Rex and his buddies go hunting; they cross paths with another group; a shot is fired at them; Rex’s friend shoots back and kills one of the other hunters; they bail and agree to keep it quiet; Rex becomes convinced the dead man’s friends are coming for him and returns to the scene.

For context

Shoot already made it to the screen once. It was adapted in 1976 as a film directed by Harvey Hart, starring Cliff Robertson, Ernest Borgnine, and Henry Silva. So this is a known piece of IP, not some forgotten paperback in a bargain bin.

Where this leaves the series

Right now, The Hunt is benched. No premiere date, no timetable. Gaumont says they are reviewing the situation, and Apple has taken it off the calendar. If anything changes, I will update, but for the moment, it is a wait-and-see.