Elkhorn

I enjoyed this tv series but there were some things about it that drove me nuts. The cinematography was beautiful Most of the actors did a good job with the script they had. However, a few of the actors really over did their performance to a level that was almost cartoonish. The second thing that drove me nuts was that several things in the tv series were wrong to the period in history that this series was supposed to happen. One actor had on a shirt that was not a color of dye that was available at that point. Another actress had her eyebrows razored or threaded that is so obviously not of that period. Yet, another actress wore heavy makeup up that was simply not done during that period. A letter that an actor was writing in one scene with a pen and ink bottle simply folded the letter immediately upon finishing and put in an envelope. The ink would have smudged if you don't let the ink dry back then at least a minute or two. I could go on with these errors but you get the idea. The pacing on the series was very slow which causes the viewer to lose interest. I would love to see President Roosevelt's life story done in its entirety with a better script as he was one of the most colorful and interesting Presidents.

As a recent visitor to Medora, North Dakota, I couldn't help but feel a special connection to Elkhorn, INSP's frontier drama set in the late 1800s. Walking through the town, I had the chance to see the real Joe Ferris General Store-still standing today-where Joe Ferris, the character portrayed by Travis Lee Eller, once ran a thriving business. The store, now a historic site, offers a tangible glimpse into the past and made me appreciate the character in Elkhorn even more. The show's portrayal of life on the frontier, with its stunning landscapes and intense human drama, feels all the more authentic knowing that Joe Ferris was a real figure whose legacy endures in Medora.

Travis Lee Eller's performance as Joe Ferris is one of the highlights of the show for me, and it's a role that felt ripe for deeper exploration. His portrayal of the town's quiet but vital shopkeeper is understated yet compelling. However, I couldn't help but wish the show had featured him more. Given that the real Joe Ferris General Store is still a key landmark in Medora, it seems like a missed opportunity to delve further into Joe's backstory and his importance to the community. Despite this, the series offers a gripping, well-crafted look at frontier life, and the connection to Medora's real-life history makes it even more special for fans who have walked the same streets as Joe Ferris.

This is got to be the worst acting I have ever seen. I am sorry to say. It reminds me of a 7th grade play.

Yet, I keep watching this series, hoping the dialog/acting will get better.

I was brought up on "westerns" and that is what interested me in this series.

If the series is renewed for a second season, I will hope writing/acting will improve.

First off I love Teddy Roosevelt's story and most people wouldn't believe he did what he actually did. From tracking down outlaws to storming San Juan Hill to exploring the Amazon but this production was just bad. Poor set design poor acting and cheesy dialog. My first peeve is the choice of Mason Beal (who?) for the lead role. In real life Teddy was a sickly child who overcame that through "living the vigorous life." This included vigorous exercise, boxing, rowing and hunting trips to name a few. He was a husky man of 5'10" 190-200 pounds not the 5'7" 145 pip squeak Mason Beal. I feel his acting occasionally hits the mark in speech type and high reedy pitch but he wasn't the weak fragile little man shown here. He radically reformed the New York police department while commissioner during a time of extreme corruption. He was a very capable man who never backed down

The acting here is categorically bad and often painful to listen to. Very stereotypical portrayals of the characters and at times very cheap backlot sets make this feel like an after school special. The antagonist Marquis de Morès is portrayed by an American actor with a horrendous French accent that borders on comical. In reality the 2 did clash occasionally, once over land rights and once over cattle sale, the Marquis did kill a cowboy in a gunfight but not over land purchases.

Elkhorn was made for the INSP cable Network which I've never heard of and it shows in production value. If you like Hallmark Channel quality production you may like this Series because his story truly is incredible. I just hope one day that story can be told by more capable hands.

INSP previously the PTL (Praise The Lord) network admittedly tried to make a family friendly western style drama with source material they should have left alone. I'm sure there was a salary cap on actors. As such, maybe they should have paid for a little better. As for story lines, they should have at least tried to bring up more truthful stories. The dialog is that of a community playhouse. The contrived drama is a bit much. The characters didn't match up with real history. There are too many anachronisms as well. Now, if you are here just to watch a breezy community playhouse production from let's say a bed and breakfast hamlet in an obscure Vermont hamlet set in North Dakota, you've come to the right place. Teddy wasn't a sniffling little self righteous brat when he arrived in North Dakota. He would have been murdered or kidnapped one second outside of NYC for parts unkonwn if he were like this childish character actor. Marques de Morés, while a real barnacle to society and his socialite wife, and also a good duelist, didn't have this many bad encounters with Teddy. His real beef, maybe or maybe not pun intended, was with the stockyard owners in Chicago, which turned him very antisemitic. Real life people, like E. G. Paddock and Arthur Packard have no history of the way they were portrayed here. Just too many false dramatical writing liberties. Other than maybe reading a couple pamplets from the state park and wikipedia articles, maybe INSP should have done a little more research. If INSP wants to make family friendly westerns like the 50s and 60s fodder that was so popular, either stick to make believe cowboys or try to stick closer to the reality of the characters.