American Primeval puts a bleak spin on the western genre. It’s downright mean, ugly, and filled with despair—and that’s not a knock on the series. In fact, I’m a huge fan of both the western genre and this series. The show doesn’t sugarcoat anything; it paints a picture of a frontier that’s anything but romantic or full of optimism. The frontier was untamed, brutal, and unforgiving, and American Primeval doesn’t hesitate to remind anyone who gets nostalgic about the “good ol’ days” that it wasn’t all about pretty ponies, tending to livestock, and the wild blue yonder.
Set in the 1800s, American Primeval captures that harsh reality in vivid detail. The story unfolds slowly, giving you time to breathe in the tense atmosphere and get to know the morally complex characters. No one’s a clear-cut hero or villain, and that’s one of the things that makes it so compelling. This series doesn’t pull punches. It shows you the desperation, the violence, and the gut-wrenching choices people make when survival is on the line.
Mark L. Smith, the creator and writer of The Revenant, creates a gritty, unflinching world here, alongside director Peter Berg. They craft a tale of the great frontier that takes no prisoners and leaves few unscathed. The pacing is slow at times, but it’s deliberate, allowing you to really get lost in the world they’ve built. There’s no rushing through it—this show wants you to feel every harsh moment.
The landscapes in American Primeval are stunning in their own way, showing the vast emptiness of the land, where even the scenery feels like a force of nature. The visuals really add to that sense of isolation and danger, making every encounter feel that much more intense.
As for the cast, Taylor Kitsch plays Isaac, a character shaped by his rough circumstances, and he brings a depth to the role that makes you feel every bit of his desperation. Betty Gilpin plays Sarah Rowell, a woman navigating her own survival in this brutal world, and she delivers a gripping performance that shows her resilience. Their chemistry is key to the series, and they both anchor this dark and unforgiving story with raw, emotional performances.
It’s not a show that rewards you with easy answers or fast action. Instead, it’s about the long, grueling struggle for survival. Some of the characters are hard to root for, but that’s the point. The show is about survival, the choices people make when faced with nothing but their raw instincts, and the price of living in such a harsh world.
If you’re looking for a show that romanticizes the past or offers easy, feel-good moments, this isn’t it. But if you’re down for something more real, where life is brutal and people are shaped by the harshness of the world they live in, American Primeval delivers. It’s an intense, no-holds-barred look at a time and place that doesn’t care about your nostalgia.
American Primeval is a six-episode limited series and is now playing on Netflix. Highly recommended!
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A woman and her son in the Wild West of Utah territory in the 1800s re caught up in the battle between Mormons and the U.S. militaryAmerican Primeval: A Gritty Take on the Western Genre (Review)
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