Netflix viewers can now tune into a series that fans have labelled ‘the best Western series ever’.
The six-episode series American Primeval stars Taylor Kitsch as Isaac, a traumatised man ‘struggling to overcome his demons’.
Set in America in 1857, the series ‘examines the fight to gain control of the American West and the sometimes violent clash between religion and culture’.
It’s been teased: ‘Up is down, pain is everywhere, and innocence and tranquillity are losing the battle to hatred and fear. Peace is the shrinking minority, and very few possess grace — even fewer know compassion. There’s no safe haven in these wild lands, and only one goal matters: survival.’
‘The ensemble tells a story of the sacrifice all must pay when they choose to enter the lawless and brutal frontier.’
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It was released on the streaming service this week, with viewers already rushing to share what they think so far.
‘Excellent compelling series which portrays the Wild West as it would have been. Easily one of the best Western series I have seen. The fights scenes are realistic and brutal. See it you wont be disappointed,’ Sam posted on review site Rotten Tomatoes.
‘It’s 2025 and this show I think already become one of my best shows of the year and one of best western shows ever!’ Mohannad shared.
‘It’s certainly violent but I do believe it’s an accurate portrayal of what the time would have been for many. Great characters, beautiful cinema photography, with a complex, yet unconvoluted story,’ Billy added.
Others called it ‘authentic, gritty and raw’.
Earlier this month a trailer for the series was released and teased the bloody and brutal scenes in store.
It began with Isaac declaring ‘there is no such thing as safe in this world’, with settlers then seen in the middle of a battle in the desert, with a woman then shot in the head with an arrow and blood seen seeping out down her face.
As two people try and seek refuge under a wagon, a bull is shown running into them while another scene shows a man screaming while being scalped.
Other brutal scenes depicted a man hanging from a tree, a woman having her throat slit, a man’s bloodied back while he is whipped, and people being attacked with axes.
At the same time a man was heard saying how there ‘is a war brewing in this territory’ before Isaac tells a young girl he ‘doesn’t feel bad for killing bad men’.
A Native American woman was then shown asking: ‘Why do your people have so much hunger to kill?’
Despite the jarring scenes, many people said they couldn’t wait to tune in.
‘American Primeval sounds like it’s going to be intense. That cast is stacked, and with Peter Berg at the helm, you know it’s going to deliver. Definitely marking January 9 on the calendar,’ user CrazeofPen posted on X.
‘This actually looks pretty good, I hope the plot and story will be good too and this could be peak!’ Jessie shared.
‘The intensity in the image has me hooked already!’ Valandre added. Otherssaid it looked ‘brutal’ and ‘phenomenal’.
One of the shocking scenes based on the real-life Mountain Meadows Massacre has also been labelled as ‘horrifying’ when characters are brutally attacked and murdered in a scene that plays out in a single shot.
Meanwhile in its review, the iPaper said the show was ‘not for the faint-hearted’ in its review.
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The show’s director and executive producer Pete Berg said he was ‘looking forward to taking viewers into the most dynamic, intense, and heart-pounding survival tale humanly possible’.
American Primeval also stars Kim Coates as Brigham Young, the leader of the Mormon Church and a man who will do whatever it takes to secure the survival of his persecuted followers, Jai Courtney as bounty hunter Virgil Cutter and Betty Gilpin as Sara Rowell, a mother seeking a guide across the frontier for her and her son.
American Primeval is now streaming on Netflix.
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This article was first published on January 1, 2025.
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