American Primevalcreator Mark L. Smith has another grizzly Western series in store on Netflix that could make for a great replacement series now thatYellowstoneis over. Smith, best known for writing the screenplays for films such asThe Revenant,The Boys in the Boat, andTwisters, teamed up with directorPeter Berg to bringAmerican Primevalto life earlier this year, a gritty and gruesome portrayal of survival in the birth of the American West. While there’s been no official confirmation ofAmerican Primevalseason 2, the streaming success of the series has left viewers wanting more similar content.
Compared toYellowstone, Taylor Sheridan’s groundbreaking family drama seriesthat reinvigorated the Western genre on television,American Primevalis far more violent and unforgiving. Due to the time difference betweenAmerican PrimevalandYellowstone, characters are governed by different laws –inAmerican Primeval, natural law is all that matters is a nearly lawless land, while inYellowstone, characters like John Dutton take concepts of the law into their own hands. Although Smith is not collaborating with either Berg or Sheridan in his new Netflix series, it appears to be heavily inspired by both of their Western shows.
The Creator Of American Primeval Also Wrote Netflix’s Upcoming Crime Thriller Untamed
Untamed Takes Place In The Vast Wilderness Of Yosemite National Park
Mark L. Smith and co-writer Elle Smith (The Marsh King’s Daughter) have written a new six-part crime drama mystery series titledUntamedset in Yosemite National Park in California. The show followsKyle Turner, played by Eric Bana, a special agent for the National Park Servicewho leads an investigation into a brutal death at Yosemite.Untamedalso stars Sam Neill and Paul Souter, the chief park ranger at Yosemite, Rosemarie DeWitt as Jill Bodwin, Turner’s ex-wife, and Lily Santiago as Naya Vasquez, a young cop from Los Angeles, and Wilson Bethel as Shane Maguire, an ex-military wildlife management officer at Yosemite.
Smith spoke withNetflix’s Tudumabout how Yosemite is an ideal setting for the crime thriller story ofUntamed. “Everyone thinks of Yosemite as this beautiful place with all the vistas and all the scenery, but we were trying to touch on the dangers that are just beyond that. I love stripping all the cheats away, stripping all the more modern tools that people can use. It really gets down to the character and what they can find within themselves.”Smith’s comments suggest that he’ll be taking a barebones approach toUntamedthat was seen throughoutAmerican Primeval, giving his characters little to protect themselves from the dangerous forces of nature.
Why Untamed Will Be The Perfect Yellowstone Replacement
Both Are Linked To The Significance Of Their Natural Settings
While there may never be a true replacement forYellowstone,Untamedseems like it has a lot of potential to be a similarly riveting series set in a beautiful, natural, and preserved landscape. Yellowstone National Park and Yosemite National Park are arguably the two most historically significant and visually mesmerizing national parks in the United States, with both playing crucial roles in their respective TV shows. John Dutton himself,Kevin Costner, starred in the 2025 docuseriesYellowstone to Yosemite with Kevin Costnerearlier this year, highlighting the natural wonders and rich history of both parks.
Untamedis reminiscent of the classic 1974 NBC drama seriesSierra, which was also filmed in Yosemite National Park and centered on a group of National Park Service rangers who enforce the law and rescue people from the wilderness.
Even thoughYellowstoneis more of a traditional drama series andUntamedis set to be a true crime thriller, the link between the two shows should be felt in their design and tone, backed by the impressive locations.Untamedis also reminiscent of the classic 1974 NBC drama seriesSierra, which was also filmed in Yosemite National Park and centered on a group of National Park Service rangers who enforce the law and rescue people from the wilderness.Untamedwill be released with all six episodes on Jun 04, 2025, exclusively on Netflix.
