In the vein of the girls who kicked the hornet’s nest, played with fire and used a bow and arrow to battle post-apocalyptic forces, here comes another female protagonist in a terror/crime/espionage drama, unafraid of violence and poised for sequels.

“Hunted” is equal parts “Bourne Identity” and those tough-girl thrillers, in a premium cable original.

The contemporary thriller “Hunter” will be unspooled in eight parts, beginning Friday on Cinemax.

Aussie actor Melissa George (“In Treatment”) portrays Sam Hunter, a fearless and highly valued agent in a top-secret private security firm called Byzantium. They do secret deeds for secret clients in secret, often outside of the law. Sam’s immediate mission is to figure out who tried to kill her on her last mission, and why. (She suspects it may have been a member of her own team.)

Sam is British, unlike the protagonist in Stieg Larsson’s Swedish thrillers, and she’s in the here and now, unlike Katniss in the futuristic “Hunger Games.” Like them, though, she’s a tough cookie, trained to rely on nobody but herself.

As for Byzantium’s allegiance, who’s to say and who’s to judge? The moral complexities of international for-profit spy companies are examined along the way, between action sequences.

At a time when faceless multinational corporations are suspected of wielding unchecked and stealthy power — and corporations are considered people, too — “Hunted” plays on real social anxieties.

It’s easy to get hooked on the drama’s fast-paced, international intrigue and tony visuals (shot in London, Scotland and Morocco). It’s almost enough to keep you from contemplating some of the more outrageous turns. At times, it strains credulity that a highly trained spy like Sam would put herself in jeopardy as she does repeatedly and sometimes needlessly. Apparently, she’ll do anything but let her emotions get tangled up in a case.

This series from Frank Spotnitz (a producer of “The X-Files”) is just the second original series to bow on Cinemax in some 15 years, after last year’s “Strike Back.” Turns out, “Hunted” is a good argument for continued original production. Spotnitz is already working on a season 2, assuming it’s renewed. In a way, he’s still mining an “X-Files” theme: Trust no one.

The supporting cast is strong, including distinguished small-screen performers Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Mr. Eko on “Lost”), Stephen Dillane (“Game of Thrones”), Indira Varma (“Luther”) and Patrick Malahide (“Game of Thrones”).

Cinemax is launching the series with a big push via social media, the better to reach the youthful demographic who may enjoy the series but who may not have pricey cable subscriptions. (Check out byzantiumsecurity.com for a look at the campaign, aiming for the “elite” audience.)

Is Sam Hunter the hunter or the hunted? The situation is variable, but George is always watchable as she portrays the agent as a complicated mix of sweetly maternal and fierce.

Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830, jostrow@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ostrowdp