‘American Primeval’ Review: Brutal, Bleak Western Series Is Exhausting to Watch

'American Primeval' review: Can Netflix's grimy Western mini-series best 'Yellowstone'?

American Primeval is decently entertaining as an action-drama, though it's quite fascinating in concept. The Netflix mini-series, created by Mark L. Smith and directed by Peter Berg, features an accomplished ensemble playing mostly familiar archetypes during a pre-Civil War struggle for the American West. However, it saps anything resembling wistfulness from its Hollywood Western roots, complicating its chances of cornering the post-Yellowstone …

‘American Primeval’ Review: Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin Find Blood in a Hopeless Place

Set during the Utah War of 1857, Peter Berg's limited series lays out a world where love conquers little, indifference is the only path to survival, and wanting anything will only bring death that much faster.

The 15 most brutal Westerns ever made

Netflix’s savage drama American Primeval joins a long tradition of scalp-happy, gorily violent depictions of the frontier. Here are the best. The Western...

Netflix’s ‘American Primeval’ Is a Brutally Violent Western Led by a Compelling Taylor Kitsch: TV Review

In Netflix’s new limited series, “American Primeval,” written by “The Revenant” scribe Mark. L. Smith, audiences are thrust into the viciousness of the American West, specifically the Utah Territory in 1857. Told through the perilous journey of a young mother and her son desperate to start anew, the show examines several groups of Americans

‘American Primeval’ Review: Netflix’s Violent Western Plays Like a Masochistic Binge

America’s past is pock-marked with cruelty, blood and deceit, and while more and more films and movies (“1883,” “Killers Of The Flower Moon,” “Power Of The Dog,” et al) have tried to show that reality in recent years, actually sitting down to watch bullets fly, bones break and entire populations get wiped out can still feel like a Hollywood gut-punch. Is it entertaining to plop down on the couch to watch a few hours of death after death, rape an…

Gritty New Western Series Shocks Viewers, Is Incredibly Violent: REVIEW

"American Primeval" is officially out on Netflix, and it's a crazy series.Basic information:I was excited for "American Primeval" the moment I saw the trailer and got a look at the cast list. A Western series starring Taylor Kitsch and Shea Whigham?I couldn't sign up fast enough. It premiered Thursday on the streaming giant, and it's an absolutely insane ride.I cruised through the premiere episode, and was hooked the entire time. The first thing…