Netflix's Epic 6-Part Western Series Deserves A Renewal After Its Fate Remains Uncertain

Published Oct 24, 2026, 10:15 AM EDT

Mary Kassel is a Senior Writer & Critic who joined the Screen Rant team in 2023. 

After graduating from Emerson College with a degree in Media Arts Production, Kassel started at Screen Rant with a focus on the critical analysis side of movies and television while continuing to work on set in film production. 

At Screen Rant, Kassel primarily writes for the Classic TV section, mining their encyclopedic knowledge of television history for content. However, they also contribute to the Books team and review both film and television as a critic. 

The race to create the best Western TV shows of the modern era has been tight. While Taylor Sheridan's sprawling extended Western television franchise is widely considered one of the most successful, viewers and critics shouldn't overlook the series that are breaking just as many boundaries.

Between Netflix's upcoming Lonesome Dove remake and its recent update on Little House on the Prairie, the streamer is no stranger to Western TV shows that subvert expectations and draw audiences into the stories. However, it's also well known that Netflix is quick to cancel a TV series after just one season. Netflix has failed to bet on an original show and give it the opportunity to expand, even if it receives critical and audience acclaim.

American Primeval is a brilliantly executed and highly praised addition to the Western canon that Netflix should be taking full advantage of. Notably, the series is striking thanks to the harsh, unforgiving cinematography and intensity of its action sequences that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats. Though American Primeval is a miniseries that completed its six-episode run through tight pacing and a compelling story, its success proves there's room for more seasons on Netflix.

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The creator of American Primeval, Mark L. Smith, might have originally envisioned American Primeval as a miniseries, but he's admitted that there's a path to a potential expansion of the story's universe. American Primeval is an underrated Western that follows the Utah War of the late 1850s. The characters span a wide variety of backgrounds and storylines, with Mormon settlers, members of the Shoshone Nation, bounty hunters, and those fleeing from their violent pasts in the East.

With dedicated performances from the ensemble cast featuring Taylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, and many more, American Primeval needs to return for season 2. The series proved to be a success for Netflix in terms of viewership, and Peter Berg, the director, has touched upon ways the show could work around the dramatic ending of season 1 to mine the story for more episodes.

A prequel series could also be interesting for American Primeval if season 2 doesn't make sense for the streamer and the creative team. There are plenty of events that took place before the 1850s that would benefit from being brought to life in the gripping style of American Primeval. Though it can be risky, it's possible that the series could work as an anthology, loosely connecting its seasons with members of different generations who grapple with similar challenges as the landscape of the West is colonized and changed.

Why American Primeval Deserves A Renewal On Netflix

Gorgeously rendered but emotionally harrowing, American Primeval feels closer to an extended film than a TV series at times. Thanks to the work of the cinematographer, Jacques Jouffret, American Primeval is one of the most visceral representations of the American West during the 1850s. Additionally, American Primeval explores a niche of the Western genre that hasn't been widely explored onscreen,

Though the series draws upon the broad strokes of the history of the LDS Church and the Utah War, its characters and events are largely amalgamations of what Smith and the creative team believe might have happened back then. It's a piece of the United States' past that deserves further examination, and this could be achieved through a renewal of the series.

American Primeval worked as a miniseries because it had a clear container for its story. The show never intended to be fully historically accurate or serve as a documentary-style account of events. If Netflix can take a chance on the series and let it find its footing with season 2, a prequel, or a different kind of spinoff, there's no doubt audiences will line up to watch the next installment of American Primeval.

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  Taylor Kitsch

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  Sara Rowell

American Primeval is a Netflix limited series that follows the lives of several men and women in the middle of the expansion of the American West. Social dynamics clash as men and women battle for a piece of the new world against rivals and each other.