There's nothing quite like a good gritty Western – it's a genre that has given us some of the very best movies and series of the last few decades, but it also isn't necessarily the most plentiful. Every so often a really exciting new entry comes along, though, like this one on Netflix.
American Primeval will arrive on 9 January 2025, according to its first full trailer, and looks like it'll tell some intertwining stories of life on the frontier. It seems pretty certain that it'll contain some really quite harrowing stuff, even if there are more hopeful elements, too.
Betty Gilpin, who was so consistently phenomenal in Better Caul Saul, stars as the mother of a young son who faces the difficult reality of life without her husband. She has to get her son to safety, whatever that means, and it would seem that she'll be recruiting a rugged and hard-edged frontiersman to help her, in the form of Taylor Kitsch.
He's someone who doesn't necessarily star in dozens of shows and movies each year, but I'm always impressed by his work when he does show up – like in the underrated second season of True Detective. Also in the mix is Dane DeHaan as a young man dragging his wife on a journey to a supposedly better life.
All of them with find that the frontier is a harsh place, not least because of power struggles between different factions, and the ongoing suppression of local First Nation tribes. You can expect frantic battles and escapes, doubtless including some really hairy moments.
All of it looks incredibly gritty, and definitely reminiscent of the endurance event that was The Revenant a few years ago. That makes sense, since one of that movie's co-writers has been behind the typewriter this time around, too. While there might not be a star on the level of Leo DiCaprio to anchor American Primeval, that's still a really good bit of prestige to be able to point towards.
With a good few weeks to go before it arrives on Netflix, though, you have plenty of time to circle it in your calendar and get it added to your watchlist. After all, the best streaming service is the one with a reliable list of upcoming shows and movies at any one time.
