The Bondsman: Hub Halloran, Demon Hunter

Hub Halloran (Kevin Bacon), a very hick backwoods bondsman bounty hunter is set up and falls victim to a trap quickly being dispatched from this earthly coil, only to come back to life with an all new purpose. At first, he isn’t aware of his renewal, and just believes that he lived through his ordeal, but he soon realizes that something supernatural has happened.  He is finally informed of the details of his resurrection by Midge (Jolene Purdy), his probation officer, literally from hell.  Hub learns that he was killed and has been sent back to the realm of the living to act as a bondsman for demons who have escaped hell. His mother Kitty (Beth Grant) is there when he learns the truth and helps him kill his first demon.  His ex-wife Maryanne (Jennifer Nettles) and her new boyfriend, Lucky (Damon Herriman) soon learn the truth as well. The must work together to stop the onslaught of hell’s escapees. If Hub fails in any of his assignments, he immediately forfeits the new life he has been given and will be sent straight back to hell.

The Bondsman is a 2025 American action horror limited series on Amazon Prime Video.  It premiered on April 3, 2025, with all eight episodes being released simultaneously.  The series is getting mostly positive reviews with Rotten Tomatoes having it at 6.6/10 based on 18 critics’ reviews and Metacritic’s weighted average score has it at 54 out of 100 based on 9 reviews.  Filming took place in Grantville, Georgia in April of 2024.

This type of story has been done multiple times before, most notably 1998’s Brimstone.  Of course, Kevin Bacon brings his own style and nuance to the part depicting a darker, older and more grizzled character originally bent on revenge against those who tried and succeeded in killing him.  Having been a fan of Kevin Bacon since the very early 80s, really since the first thing I saw him in, which was the original Friday the 13^th movie back in 1980, it is kind of difficult for me to see him in the older and rougher roles with the actor now being 66, but he does a good job and there is a certain amount of depth and wry humor that he brings to the role.  Country music plays a part in the series, and I did not realize that country star Jennifer Nettles was an actress as well.  She is well cast as a small-town singer with bigger aspirations.  Beth Grant is a kick as the loving and surprisingly funny mother to Hub.  Finding out her son went to hell makes her feel like she failed on raising him and there is a humorous but touching side to the character.  The storyline, as mentioned, has been done before, but overall is fun and interesting.  The writing has a dark humor that feels genuine and based in reality, even when talking about the supernatural.  Overall, this new limited series is quirky and full of life, especially since its leading character is technically dead.