Elkhorn

Elkhorn gets 4 stars for the scenery. As for the actors, none of whom I'll admit I ever heard of, they all seem more suited to community theater than television series or movies. I've watched four episodes and the more I see, the less I like it. The actor playing Paddock, I think his first name is Nate, may be the most annoying of the bunch. I refuse to believe he actually sounds like that! It feels like he made a conscious decision to sound and look like some new version of Sam Elliott! Every time he smirks and starts speaking in that Sam Elliott drawl, I have to laugh. Not sure I can finish watching the entire series. Honestly, I'd rather watch reruns of the old T. V. westerns from the 1960's. If you want to see a new Western series with great acting and writing, you should watch 'Billy the Kid' on MGM+ It's a hundred times better than Elkhorn.

I enjoyed this tv series but there were some things about it that drove me nuts. The cinematography was beautiful Most of the actors did a good job with the script they had. However, a few of the actors really over did their performance to a level that was almost cartoonish. The second thing that drove me nuts was that several things in the tv series were wrong to the period in history that this series was supposed to happen. One actor had on a shirt that was not a color of dye that was available at that point. Another actress had her eyebrows razored or threaded that is so obviously not of that period. Yet, another actress wore heavy makeup up that was simply not done during that period. A letter that an actor was writing in one scene with a pen and ink bottle simply folded the letter immediately upon finishing and put in an envelope. The ink would have smudged if you don't let the ink dry back then at least a minute or two. I could go on with these errors but you get the idea. The pacing on the series was very slow which causes the viewer to lose interest. I would love to see President Roosevelt's life story done in its entirety with a better script as he was one of the most colorful and interesting Presidents.

First off I love Teddy Roosevelt's story and most people wouldn't believe he did what he actually did. From tracking down outlaws to storming San Juan Hill to exploring the Amazon but this production was just bad. Poor set design poor acting and cheesy dialog. My first peeve is the choice of Mason Beal (who?) for the lead role. In real life Teddy was a sickly child who overcame that through "living the vigorous life." This included vigorous exercise, boxing, rowing and hunting trips to name a few. He was a husky man of 5'10" 190-200 pounds not the 5'7" 145 pip squeak Mason Beal. I feel his acting occasionally hits the mark in speech type and high reedy pitch but he wasn't the weak fragile little man shown here. He radically reformed the New York police department while commissioner during a time of extreme corruption. He was a very capable man who never backed down

The acting here is categorically bad and often painful to listen to. Very stereotypical portrayals of the characters and at times very cheap backlot sets make this feel like an after school special. The antagonist Marquis de Morès is portrayed by an American actor with a horrendous French accent that borders on comical. In reality the 2 did clash occasionally, once over land rights and once over cattle sale, the Marquis did kill a cowboy in a gunfight but not over land purchases.

Elkhorn was made for the INSP cable Network which I've never heard of and it shows in production value. If you like Hallmark Channel quality production you may like this Series because his story truly is incredible. I just hope one day that story can be told by more capable hands.

I am a huge fan of westerns and for me the jury is still out on this one. Mr. Roosevelt rides off to a destination with the only directions being, "ride 40 miles due north" and miraculously rides right to it. All the provisions for this 3 day trip are in one small bag hanging from his saddle. The firewood he uses is perfectly cut with a saw. After riding for some time, he dismounts from his horse and walks away, (not tying the horse up) apparently trusting the horse not to run off and leave him stranded in middle of nowhere.

Three other riders make the same trip, and they too carry nothing with them. When the cattle arrive, the actors close to the camera are dressed to look the part, but the riders in the distance, working the cattle clearly are wearing modern clothing and hats. At the beginning of the show, guns are fired, and no one even flinches at the sound. In one episode, a single cowboy has a red-hot branding iron and is interrupted as he's about to brand a cow, who is standing up! That wouldn't end well! Roosevelt enters two fist fights without even taking off his glasses. Really?

It's the director's job to pay attention to details like these that can make a show believable. (or unbelievable.) I would think there must be someone on the set who would point these things out and try and make it a little more authentic.

Hard to understand how some reviewers rate is show a 10 !

As a recent visitor to Medora, North Dakota, I couldn't help but feel a special connection to Elkhorn, INSP's frontier drama set in the late 1800s. Walking through the town, I had the chance to see the real Joe Ferris General Store-still standing today-where Joe Ferris, the character portrayed by Travis Lee Eller, once ran a thriving business. The store, now a historic site, offers a tangible glimpse into the past and made me appreciate the character in Elkhorn even more. The show's portrayal of life on the frontier, with its stunning landscapes and intense human drama, feels all the more authentic knowing that Joe Ferris was a real figure whose legacy endures in Medora.

Travis Lee Eller's performance as Joe Ferris is one of the highlights of the show for me, and it's a role that felt ripe for deeper exploration. His portrayal of the town's quiet but vital shopkeeper is understated yet compelling. However, I couldn't help but wish the show had featured him more. Given that the real Joe Ferris General Store is still a key landmark in Medora, it seems like a missed opportunity to delve further into Joe's backstory and his importance to the community. Despite this, the series offers a gripping, well-crafted look at frontier life, and the connection to Medora's real-life history makes it even more special for fans who have walked the same streets as Joe Ferris.