American Primeval

American Primeval is a six-part Netflix mini-series that debuted on January 9, 2025. Set in 1850s Utah, it explores the lives of settlers, Native Americans, and Latter-day Saints in the rugged frontier. The tone of the series is dark and violent.

No. It's historical fiction, which means that many of the people and places in the show are historical, but nearly everything about them is made up.

American Primeval offers a more nuanced portrayal of Native Americans than traditional Westerns. It attempts to move beyond stereotypes, but may still face criticism for oversights or simplifications.

Sometimes. In some cases, settlers who were captured during conflicts were later adopted into Native American tribes. One well documented case was Olivia Ann Oatman , a young Latter-day Saint girl that was captured and lived with Native Americans.

The show gives an exaggerated and distorted portrayal of 19th-century Latter-day Saints. It generally depicts them as manipulative and violent religious zealots. It amplifies the militarization and viciousness of some Mormon characters, which is at odds with what the historical record shows of typical Mormons of the time.

No. The Nauvoo Legion was disbanded in 1845 in Illinois and never wore hoods, tortured, or murdered people. The Utah Territorial Militia, formed in 1852, was sometimes referred to as the Nauvoo Legion because many of the leaders from Illinois became leaders in the Utah militia. They never wore hoods or tortured or murdered anyone. You can read more about them on Wikipedia.

Its depiction in the series employs brutality and villainy for narrative effect, disregarding the historical purpose of the Utah Territorial Militia and the context of frontier conflicts.

There were some minor skirmishes, but there were never major battles or loss of life on the battlefield between the Militia and the U.S. Army.

Brigham Young is depicted as more of a caricature of a calculating and politically manipulative leader that uses religion to control his people and condone violence. In reality, Brigham Young was a well loved, but outspoken and sometimes controversial leader to his people. You can read more about him here.

No. Brigham Young was a dynamic and complex person, but he generally took a paternal approach in his strategy for working with Native Americans. He was pragmatic and said it was cheaper to feed and clothe them rather than fight them. He said "there is no necessity" for "warring with the Indians and killing them" and became close allies with some Native American tribes, however he did occasionally resort to military action against attacks from hostile tribes.

They met once, when Brigham Young was trying to gather information about the Salt Lake Valley. Bridger reportedly advised against settling there on account of it being unclear whether it was possible to grow grain or not in the valley.

Lindsay Hansen Park, who is a former Latter-day Saint, a feminist blogger, podcaster and the Executive Director of the Sunstone Education Foundation. She also consulted on the Hulu series Under the Banner of Heaven.

Pete Berg. He is an American director, producer, writer, and actor who is known for “Friday Night Lights,” “Lone Survivor,” “Battleship,” and “Painkiller.”

That will depend on your taste in and what you look for in entertainment. If you are a fan of visceral and gritty story telling with lots of violence, you might like it. If, however, you are concerned about historical accuracy, you may like it less. Early reviews suggest that the series is well-crafted and well acted, but opinions vary about the tone and historical accuracy.