Joining historical figures and fictional characters alike into a brutal and bloody affair, a Netflix miniseries called American Primeval (2025) was created by Mark L. Smith, a highly acclaimed screenwriter. He penned the scripts for such sports films as The Boys in the Boat (2023), along with a world-famous western in the form of The Revenant (2015).
The latter is known for a particular hyperviolence featured around every corner of its true-to-life plot, and both of those elements are at play within American Primeval. Its characters are mostly fictional, but such historical figures as Jim Bridger make their respective appearances in a plot that shines light on a pair of forgotten events: the Mountain Meadows Massacre and the Utah War.
Telling a tale of this proportion required significant amounts of research for the aforementioned screenwriter, with Mark L. Smith having acquainted himself with these events by randomly perusing an article. He had already been privy to Jim Bridger’s story thanks to his work on The Revenant and was able to further explore the famous frontiersman by dint of American Primeval.
He’s spoken about his studying the Mountain Meadows Massacre on a couple of notable occasions, such as in a Netflix Tudum article that included an exclusive interview, which also included words from director Peter Berg and producer Eric Newman.
Thrilling plot points
Starring famous actors Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin, its plot kicks off when the latter’s character, Sara Rowell, sets out with her son Devin, looking for a guide to lead them further west. It’s then that the mother-son duo get caught up in the aforementioned inciting incident laid out by Eric Newman, and the characters soon encounter Isaac, who’s played by Taylor Kitsch.
It's a compelling plot already, but what makes American Primeval all the more intriguing is that Sara is on the run. She recently murdered her most recent husband and is now traversing the west to reunite her son with his father.
Thrills are on constant display once Isaac makes his decision to guide them through the bloodshed, and while traversing the frontier, these characters in tandem navigate some fascinating dynamics. Their respective performers also develop a wonderful on-screen rapport, with Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin performing to perfection on horseback.
This has been rendered an essential entry of their respective filmographies, but considering the name value featured among the cast, it should come as no surprise that several other names are worthy of being mentioned.
A talented cast
Following his work on Godless (2017), this marked the second Netflix western to feature Kim Coates among its star-studded cast. Here he shows up in American Primeval as historical figure Brigham Young, who’s remembered for his association with the LDS Church. The underrated Kim Coates has discussed his role through several media appearances, such as in an interview that was conducted by Grant Hermanns, a journalist for Screen Rant.
Joining in the discussion was actor Dane DeHaan, who appears in the miniseries as another fictional character by the name of Jacob Pratt. Also interviewed by Grant Hermanns of the Screen Rant outlet, lead actors Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin talked at length about their characters. The latter first garnered acclaim for her part in Little Jackie (2009–2015), along with a separate Netflix original series by the name of GLOW (2017–2019).
She’s a true master of television with several other shows featured under her belt, and she’s spoken about American Primeval on a couple of public occasions. Take for instance an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, in which Betty Gilpin discussed her role as Sara Holloway in tandem with the preparation she put into the portrayal.
Other topics broached by the actress include the show’s historicity, along with various complications that arose throughout filming, like how production was halted for several months due to the SAG-AFTRA strike that started in 2023.
Fascinating insight from an esteemed American actress, who provides one of the greatest performances of her entire career here as Sarah Holloway. She arguably stole the show, but if anyone from the cast proved to be on par with her monumental efforts, it was undoubtedly Taylor Kitsch in his mountain-man portrayal.
That’s a rather popular actor who’s appeared in famous movies such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and underrated films like Lonely Are the Brave (2017). Without a doubt, his most famous role goes to Tim Riggins, the football player in Friday Night Lights (2006–2011), a lauded sports drama that was made by Peter Berg. That’s the same man who directed all six episodes of American Primeval, with Taylor Kitsch and Peter Berg having collaborated on several lauded occasions.
Other works between those two well-known figures include Battleship (2012), Lone Survivor (2013), and the Painkiller (2023) miniseries, and whenever he discusses any of these projects, Taylor waxes lyrical about his greatest collaborator. Also worth noting are the words of his collaborator, Peter Berg, who’s made shocking waves as an actor, writer, director, and showrunner.
Insight from the crew
He spoke about American Primeval to journalist Jim Hemphill of an outlet known as IndieWire, and gave audiences a glimpse into his sources of inspiration. Various topics were covered in the discussion, from nuances of the editing process to the sundry weather conditions that complicated production.
He revealed that his cast and crew spent a whopping 137 days in the actual elements to accurately convey the American frontier’s extremities. Tremendous insight into the harsh weather conditions was given by Peter Berg, who also cited a western called Jeremiah Johnson (1972) as a primary source of influence.
Directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford, that’s another famous example of the "revisionist" western subgenre, and it featured a troubled production much like the series at hand. Ending the discussion with journalist Jim Hemphill, the famous Peter Berg discussed hyperviolence as it’s used in this lauded miniseries.
What’s more for Peter Berg is that he’s another figure who spoke to journalist Grant Hermanns for the Screen Rant preview of American Primeval, the director being joined in the interview by Indigenous cultural consultant Julie O’Keefe.
The lattermost figure also took part in an interview with Netflix that was posted to the Tudum website, and off the bat, she detailed the origins of her involvement with the production. Her work was invaluable in portraying the Shoshone, Paiute, and Ute characters, and the same thing goes for the person who got her the job in the first place.
Other performers in this fan-favorite miniseries include Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Jai Courtney, and Shea Whigham, along with such practiced western actors as Tokala Black Elk and Irene Bedard. The lattermost name appears as Shoshone tribal chief Winter Bird, a fictionalized version of a person who actually lived.
Bounty hunters come into play to reinforce the tension that was established in the show’s opening minutes, this being a consistently brutal and bloody affair that elicits an array of emotion from the audience thanks to some top-shelf screenwriting.
Poignancy and thrills aside, comedic moments materialize on many memorable occasions, while elements of romance could also be mentioned through Sara and Isaac’s relationship. History lessons are often in session with regard to the overall narrative, even if characters like the aforementioned tribal chief, who’s played by Irene Bedard, are more or less fictionalized accounts of people who actually existed.
Her character is the mother of Red Feather, a war chief who’s portrayed by another unsung hero in the form of Derek Hinkey. Though rather unknown, he performs to perfection just like his many native contemporaries in the frames of American Primeval, which garnered love from fans just as it did from critics. It's well worth a watch for any Netflix subscribers who may be on the lookout for a gritty interpretation of the American frontier.
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