Directed by Peter Berg, American Primeval is a new violent western series set in Utah in 1857. Created by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant) and masterfully directed by Peter Berg (Deepwater Horizon, Painkiller), this series features a star-studded cast, led by Taylor Kitsch (Painkiller) and Betty Gilpin (The Hunt).
The latter plays a pioneer woman, Sara, who, along with her young son Devin (Preston Mota), tries to travel to her husband, who is searching for gold. Along the way she receives help from pioneer Isaac, played by the former, who was raised by the Shoshone tribe.
Stars: Peter Eggers, Mattias Nordkvist, Jessica Liedberg
Then there is Jacob (Dane DeHaan), who is Mormon and travels with his wife Abish (Sarah Lightfoot-Leon); there is Winter Bird (Irene Bedard), leader of the Shoshone tribe, her son Red Feather (David Hinkley), a warrior, and Two Moons (Shawnee Pourier), who connects with Sara, Devin and Isaac. Together they form the emotional core of the story.
There are plenty of other plot lines, though, and they all have something to do with these four factions: the US military, the Church of Latter-day Saints/Mormons, indigenous peoples, and pioneers. An explosive mix, to say the least.
The series skillfully mixes real-life people (like Mormon leader Brigham Young) and events – like the infamous Mountains Meadow Massacre in which 150 pioneers were killed – with fictional characters and stories.
Life wasn't worth much in those ancient times, which means that over the course of six episodes no one is really safe.
American Primeval feels authentic, which also means that it sometimes looks really dirty, but at least the money is on the screen.
And I think Berg and Smith feel they have something important to say: that the United States of America is and always has been, at its core, a very violent country.
And while America has been held up as a beacon for democracy and freedom (a great publicity stunt, it must be said), it was born in darkness, so it should come as no surprise that in the current moment it has returned to that same darkness.
Maybe I'm reading too much into the lines, maybe American Primeval just wants to tell a good story. If you're sad that The Revenant never got a sequel or that Kevin Costner's Horizon Pt. 2 isn't in theaters yet, this series is for you.
If American Primeval becomes a huge hit, there will definitely be room for a follow-up series, but with a mostly new cast, I suppose.
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