American Primeval

To be honest, I don't expect much from original Netflix shows anymore. Netflix was never of HBO or Hulu level for that matter and even Prime is slowly gaining ground on the quality of its' shows. American Primeval comes at a time when Netflix really needs a proper show.

15 years ago, 22-episode seasons were the norm, when we had to wait for a whole calendar year or more to see what happens next. Then, Netflix dropped all episodes at once, which is fine for binge watching but you end quite quickly with nothing to watch, plus it's tiring to watch many many episodes in a few sittings.

And then the limited series trend is back, where we practically talk about an extend film. And this is what American Primeval is. An extended film, which has the perfect pace to develop the characters enough for the spectator to care while not dragging the plot.

With me not being a US citizen, it was a great opportunity to read into this part of American History, about the Mountain Meadows Massacre, a story which I handnt come across in other featured films or TV shows. It also gave me the incentive to look into the Mormon religion as I was only aware of its existence. While this series is not entirely historical accurate concerning the flow of events, it seems that it does depict the general frame of the events that unfolded and the basic parties involved.

It is as violent as it should be to bring the audience the actual conditions and battles people of these times had to face.

Acting by most if not all actors is top notch but I have to say I found Betty Gilpins' character (Sara Rowell) a bit exaggerated. Taylor Kitch delivers but Shea Whigham as Jim Bridger and Kim Coates as Brigham Young are extraordinary.

Principal photography is beautiful, all scenes and direction by Peter Berg is outstanding.

If you want an interesting Limited Series to binge watch over a weekend (or a... Day!) and don't mind the brutal depiction of the Old American West, this is a perfect choice!

This series was awesome. Raw, violent and good character development. It's how the West was developed and involves many parties; Indians included.

I have a newborn at home and was up 1am till now and watched the entire series. Very well done. I assume it's a limited series and don't have additional seasons which is said.

The ensemble cast is ridiculous and awesome. Some big names only are in one episode but make the series what it is.

Costners American Boring Saga was painfully slow and I still am scratching my head trying to figure a plot if there is one.

This series gets you right into a plot of families expanding west and the trials and tribulations they experienced getting West.

Very appropriate name for series - epsisoeds 47 mins long and move fast. I am a huge fan.

Captivating show although the story line is not too deep, but yet riveting and explanatory enough as clues are revealed throughout the mini-series. Bloody, action packed, beautiful terrain, and reminiscent of "the revenant" and "hostiles".

Great cast overall with Taylor Kistch who is perfect for his character, not too much time is spent diving into his backstory, but he is made for the mysterious and dangerous vibe.

The gloomy environment is in line with the times, 1800s wasn't exactly the "happiest" of times in America. It is interesting how it paints a different perspective of some of the sacrifices folks from different cultures and views had to make in order to coexist.

Similar vibe to The English (2022). Very well made. Great to have a quality production that's a Netflix original series amongst the mass of mediocre content they pour out so generously. It's violent but that period would have been I imagine, therefore, there's rape, hangings, children killed etc so if that bothers you, then I'd avoid. The tone is immediately bleak as is the prospect of any character being killed at any second. Judging by the lengths people go to with such effort just to stay alive another day, it's a wonder whether they'll have enough cast to fill the six episodes. Needless to say, I like it. 4.5 stars.

I loved American Primeval even more than I thought I would. It's a brutal and gritty take on how the American West was started. First of all I love this genre, second I love Peter Berg (Lone Survivor, Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, Patriots Day, Hancock, etc) and lastly it has an amazing cast starring Taylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, Jai Courtney, Dane DeHaan, Shea Whigham, etc. On top of all that it was also beautifully shot, the cinematography was amazing. This is a hard watch but a great one. My brother and I binged all 6 episodes in one day, that's how good this show was. If you're a fan of Westerns (and even if you're not) the give this series a chance...you won't be disappointed.