Untamed, the captivating mystery series set against the breathtaking backdrop of Yosemite National Park and featuring Eric Bana from A Sacrifice, premiered on Netflix last week and quickly claimed the top position on the platform’s Top 10 English TV list, achieving an impressive 24.6 million views. This remarkable debut eclipsed other popular shows like The Sandman season 2 and Amy Bradley Is Missing, demonstrating its strong appeal among viewers seeking thrilling storytelling and stunning visuals.
The six-episode series delivers a compelling character-driven narrative centered around Kyle Turner, portrayed by Bana, who serves as a dedicated special agent for the National Parks Service. His mission is to uphold human law within the vast and often unpredictable wilderness. As he investigates a heinous death, Turner finds himself entangled in the park’s hidden secrets and confronts his own troubled past. The series also features notable performances by Sam Neill (Jurassic World: Dominion), Rosemarie DeWitt (Smile 2), Lily Santiago (La Brea), and Wilson Bethel (Daredevil: Born Again), enhancing the show’s allure.
While the series is set in the iconic Yosemite National Park, it was actually filmed in the picturesque wilderness of British Columbia. Eric Bana expressed his fondness for filming in the province, but he did share a humorous regret about not encountering a bear during production. “We were mostly pretty remote up in the mountains during the day, so I was always trying to spot a bear, and I was bitterly disappointed that I didn’t see one,” he remarked. He also added, “[There was] a bear man on set who would come in and ensure there were no grizzlies or black bears.“
Our own Alex Maidy thoroughly enjoyed the series, although he expressed a desire for a more dramatic conclusion. “Untamed, anchored by Eric Bana’s outstanding performance and the breathtaking scenery of Yosemite National Park, is an engaging mystery that provides a satisfying resolution, even if it doesn’t reach the full intensity of the investigation. I had hoped for a flashier ending to this mystery, but at least the journey was enjoyable,” he noted in his review. “The depth of this story makes it more compelling than Law & Order or other network-caliber cop series. Untamed effectively utilizes its six hours of storytelling, minimizing filler and misdirection. I would love to see Eric Bana reprise this character in future seasons, as long as The Smiths continue to oversee the story in Yosemite. Untamed is definitely worth checking out.” You can read the full review by Maidy right here.
