Untamed TV Series Review

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

A Landscape That Breathes

You know you’re in good hands when a show lets the landscape breathe. Untamed does just that, allowing the grandeur of Yosemite National Park to seep into your bones before any character even speaks. What starts as a slow-burn mystery about a man found dead on a remote trail quickly evolves into something tenser, moodier, and more layered than expected.

Eric Bana’s Compelling Lead

Eric Bana stars as Kyle Turner, a weathered National Park Service agent sent to investigate a suspected suicide in the backcountry. From the moment he steps onto the scene, it’s clear things don’t add up. The body is too clean; the site is too deliberate. Turner, haunted and emotionally restrained, knows there’s more to the story. Watching him piece it together, one moss-covered clue at a time, is where the series finds its rhythm. Bana has been carving out a compelling post-Hollywood blockbuster career, especially in Australian neo-noir like The Dry and Force of Nature. Untamed feels like an evolution of that—his performance here is still, simmering, and quietly magnetic. He isn’t trying to chew the scenery because the scenery is already doing plenty on its own.

The Show’s Defining Tone

The biggest strength of Untamed is its tone. The show doesn’t rush. It lets the mystery unfold with intention, balancing stretches of silence and wilderness with bursts of violence or revelation. There are no flashy twists, no “gotcha” moments. Just solid storytelling, strong acting, and a deep respect for the setting.

Yosemite: Character and Backdrop

And the setting is jaw-dropping. The way the show captures Yosemite—its cliffs, rivers, and endless forests—feels both reverent and eerie. You get a real sense of how isolating and dangerous this kind of work can be, especially for someone like Turner, who has clearly seen better days.

Supporting Cast and Character Depth

Sam Neill adds weight in a recurring role as an old colleague with ties to the case, and their scenes together crackle with history. But this is Bana’s show through and through. Turner is a classic loner, not in the clichéd sense, but in a way that makes you believe he might actually be better off in the wild than back home with other people.

Structure and Future Potential

When it was first marketed, Untamed was labeled a “limited series.” That label quietly disappeared from the Netflix interface just days after release, replaced with promises of a second season. Truth be told? It works perfectly fine as a standalone. But there’s plenty of room left to follow Turner into another case, especially with the emotional groundwork already laid.

A Confident Recommendation

If you like brooding mysteries with beautiful backdrops and characters who carry their baggage like an extra limb, Untamed is an easy recommendation. It’s confident, atmospheric, and just dangerous enough to keep you guessing.

Untamed is streaming on Netflix

Details

• Rating Certificate: TV-MA
• Studios & Distributors: Bee Holder Productions | Creative BC | Escape Artists | John Wells Productions | Netflix Studios | Syndicate Entertainment | Warner Bros. Television | Warner Bros.
• Show Creators: Elle Smith | Mark L. Smith
• Streaming Service: Netflix
• Episode Run Time: 50 Mins. (Approx.)
• Num. Episodes: 6
• Original Release Date: 17 July 2025