Epic New Series That's Now On Netflix Gives The Streamer A Huge Western Rival For Taylor Sheridan's Shows

Netflix’s epic new period Western show American Primeval is the platform’s first genuine effort to compete with Taylor Sheridan’s multiple Western series. Since the groundbreaking success of Yellowstone, which finally concluded in December 2024, Sheridan has expanded his Western television franchise into multiple spin-offs and prequel series. Additionally, Sheridan also has several other original series with Western influences, such as the recent Landman starring Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Hamm.

While Yellowstone is a contemporary Western, Sheridan’s various series cover several different time periods going as far back as post-Civil War America. Lawmen: Bass Reeves, which Sheridan did not write or direct was an executive producer, takes place in the 1860s, while his Yellowstone prequels, 1883 and 1923, take place in their titular years. This goes to show just how firm of a stronghold Sheridan has had over the Western television genre in recent years, which Netflix finally seems to be responding to.

American Primeval Gives Netflix A Major Streaming Western

The Netflix Western is grim, violent, chaotic, and unforgiving

American Primeval is a new major Western streaming series on Netflix that is very different from Yellowstone. The series takes place on the frontier of the American West in 1857, particularly in the somewhat lawless terrain of Utah. Unlike Yellowstone, American Primeval shows early American settlers, cultists, and indigenous tribes as murderers and survivors in a series of gruesome fights for control of the newly found territory. The show is grim, violent, chaotic, and unforgiving, making it tonally much bleaker than Yellowstone.

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Taylor Sheridan is not a part of American Primeval in any way. The series was written by Mark L. Smith, who co-wrote the screenplay for The Revenant with Alejandro G. Iñárritu. In fact, there are many stylistic similarities between The Revenant and American Primeval in both narrative and visual techniques. Director Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, Lone Survivor) directs all six episodes of American Primeval. Taylor Kitsch leads an ensemble cast, which features Betty Gilpin, Dane DeHaan, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Shea Whigham, Lucas Neff, and Kim Coates.

Netflix Still Has Some Way To Go To Beat Taylor Sheridan

American Primeval marks a promising start of high-quality Netflix Westerns

Taylor Kitsch's Isaac looking up at someone on a horse in American Primeval

American Primeval marks the start of what could be more high-quality original Western efforts from Netflix. The cast is outstanding, the action is visceral and shocking, the world is equally magnificent and terrifying, and the story of survival is universally appealing. That being said, this is only one good Western show, which is technically just a miniseries. By comparison, Sheridan has a roster of shows, several of which are Westerns and neo-Westerns that are built for multiple seasons. While American Primeval is a great entry for Netflix, it’s just one step on the long road forged by Sheridan’s trailblazing series.