Untamed

"Untamed" opens with strong potential: Eric Bana delivers a solid, grounded turn as Kyle Turner, a National Parks Service agent called to investigate a grisly death in Yosemite. Co-starring the likes of Sam Neill and Rosemarie DeWitt, the series promises a dark, atmospheric mystery set against the stunning wilderness .

What works:

The setting is compelling-a rugged backdrop that lends an eerie tension.

The cast, especially Bana, brings credibility and emotional depth.

The premise-cracking a brutal murder within a sprawling national park-sets up a strong narrative.

What slows it down:

Early episodes slog through setup, and the pacing drags noticeably. It often feels like you're "waiting for something to happen," but the payoff isn't immediate.

While the mystery has promise, there are moments where plot threads linger without clear direction, stretching the runtime thin.

In summary: "Untamed" is not bad-solid acting, moody visuals, and an intriguing thriller concept. But it's hampered by a slow burn that sometimes feels overly prolonged. If you enjoy character-driven mysteries with a dash of wilderness ambiance and don't mind a deliberate pace, it's worth a watch. Otherwise, the drag might make you wonder when things will pick up.

A fine series that occasionally feels longer than necessary.

I binge-watched Untamed and recommended it to friends. Yes, it was cheesy and unrealistic at times-but still an engaging watch with lots of moving parts.

I love a good whodunnit and enjoyed trying to piece things together along the way. Some twists genuinely threw me off, which kept it interesting. The acting was good, and I appreciated that the show didn't leave me hanging-unlike other series that end with vague interpretations. This one tied up the loose ends and gave me closure, which I loved.

Overall, it's worth watching!

Rating: (5.5/10)

Summary: Untamed promises a tense, atmospheric crime thriller set against the stunning backdrop of Yosemite National Park - but ultimately stumbles under the weight of weak writing, cartoonish characters, and squandered potential. Despite a few solid performances, especially from Eric Bana and Sam Neill, the series never earns the emotional or narrative stakes it aims for.

Full Review: I came into Untamed expecting something right in my wheelhouse: crime, mystery, drama, all set in the gorgeous expanse of Yosemite National Park. With Eric Bana back in a lead role, alongside Sam Neill and Rosemary DeWitt, I was hoping for something rich and layered. Unfortunately, the series just doesn't deliver. The first episode starts strong - two climbers stumble upon a body, setting off a chain of investigation - but from there, things unravel.

The characters often feel paper-thin or cartoonish. Bana's Carl Turner has almost no inner life, and his dynamic with Lily Santiago's sidekick character, Naya, is reduced to the same joke repeated endlessly. Rosemary DeWitt's ex-wife role feels shoehorned in, adding little beyond forced drama. Characters swing wildly in behavior from one scene to the next, and it's hard to get attached when motivations shift purely to create artificial tension.

As the investigation unfolds, major plot turns rely heavily on coincidence or characters just happening to talk to the right person by chance. A ridiculous example is a scene where someone falls down a mineshaft - instead of climbing back up (which visually, they clearly could), they panic and pretend to be stuck, generating fake suspense. And time after time, someone miraculously shows up to save the day. There's also the strange editing, which constantly bounces between face shots, wide shots, and quick cuts, undercutting emotional moments and making deep conversations feel weightless.

One of the most frustrating parts of Untamed is how the final episode handles the resolution - or rather, fumbles it. By episode five, the main mystery is essentially wrapped up, but instead of ending with a satisfying close, episode six feels like an unnecessary epilogue tacked on to stretch the runtime. Characters behave out of sync with how they've been written all series; there's a final twist that comes out of nowhere, feeling unearned because there were no earlier hints or layered performances to justify it. Even worse, a major character death happens with almost no consequence - no investigation, no fallout, just... silence. For a show supposedly rooted in grief, loss, and healing, this lands awkwardly flat. The final moments, meant to symbolize Carl moving on from his son Caleb's death, feel rushed and emotionally thin, because the series only ever sporadically engaged with that core trauma. Instead of a hard-hitting conclusion, we're left with a deflated, shrugging end to a story that had the potential to deliver much more.

The Yosemite setting, meanwhile, is a total missed opportunity. Instead of making the landscape feel like a character, as True Detective or The Revenant did so well, most of the show feels shot on obvious sets. Scenes meant to feel rugged or wild - like a camp of off-the-grid survivalists - come off staged and fake. Social commentary, like the treatment of Native American characters or addiction themes, is handled with the same clumsiness, bringing nothing fresh or thoughtful to the table.

In the end, Untamed isn't an outright disaster, but it's deeply frustrating. There's a version of this show that could have been thoughtful, moody, and emotionally sharp - but this isn't it. If you're just looking for background noise, it's passable. But if you were hoping for something with the atmosphere of Yellowstone or the layered grit of True Detective, you'll likely come away disappointed.

Overall this is a good short series. This is about grief more than anything, the thing everyone goes through at some point. It also gives a slight nod to what happens to people who fall through the cracks, and how easy it is to fall.

Good parts: The first two episodes are the best - it does go downhill a bit after that, but the other episodes are still pretty good. The landscape is gorgeous. The people look real - they are not fake looking, which is nice. The actors are great, all of them. Writing is good.

Bad parts: The murderer doesn't feel right. I get the point, the cracks have to be shown, and the decisions the murderer made were selfish and led to a crappy life led by the victim, who had no chance. But the whole investigation was a big "so what" at the end. Also, it's tiring, that whole renegade cop trope.

But it's very good. I cried. More than once. I recommend if you like character development and beautiful scenery. If you need some car chases, this isn't for you.

Untamed is a good watch-the stunning backdrop alone, will make it worth your while. Bana delivers an intense performance, embodying both vulnerability and strength, while Santiago adds emotional depth with her portrayal, creating a strong chemistry that will draw you into the story. It was also good to see Raoul Max Trujillo (Apocalypto). The cinematography is great, and captures the majestic landscapes, enhancing its menacing atmosphere. However, the pacing is a little off, it feels somewhat rushed, with key plot developments and character arcs lacking exploration, which will tend to leave you wanting more depth. Despite these issues, it's engaging with a blend of suspense and emotional resonance, making it captivating. Give it a shot.