Elkhorn

A riveting storyline with a charismatic villain. I love the Western genre and lore, as well. Not sure how historically accurate it all is, but that's mostly on me and the American public school system for getting a D in American history. Despite any artistic liberties, I'm at least being made aware of numerous historical figures, places and events that I otherwise might have never been made aware of. And on a pure entertainment level, there's plenty of conflict and great acting to keep me coming back for more. I hope this gets renewed for another season so I'm not left hanging. More like this, please!

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.

I am a huge fan of westerns and for me the jury is still out on this one. Mr. Roosevelt rides off to a destination with the only directions being, "ride 40 miles due north" and miraculously rides right to it. All the provisions for this 3 day trip are in one small bag hanging from his saddle. The firewood he uses is perfectly cut with a saw. After riding for some time, he dismounts from his horse and walks away, (not tying the horse up) apparently trusting the horse not to run off and leave him stranded in middle of nowhere.

Three other riders make the same trip, and they too carry nothing with them. When the cattle arrive, the actors close to the camera are dressed to look the part, but the riders in the distance, working the cattle clearly are wearing modern clothing and hats. At the beginning of the show, guns are fired, and no one even flinches at the sound. In one episode, a single cowboy has a red-hot branding iron and is interrupted as he's about to brand a cow, who is standing up! That wouldn't end well! Roosevelt enters two fist fights without even taking off his glasses. Really?

It's the director's job to pay attention to details like these that can make a show believable. (or unbelievable.) I would think there must be someone on the set who would point these things out and try and make it a little more authentic.

Hard to understand how some reviewers rate is show a 10 !

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.

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.