WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for American Primeval.
Netflix’s epic period Western seriesAmerican Primevalmight be making a mistake in potentially releasing a second season.American Primevalwas written by Mark L. Smith, who co-wrote the screenplay forThe Revenantwith Alejandro G. Iñárritu.Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights,Lone Survivor) directs all six episodes ofAmerican Primeval.Taylor Kitsch leads an ensemble castas Isaac Reed, which featuresBetty Gilpin,Dane DeHaan,Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Shea Whigham, Lucas Neff, andKim Coates as Brigham Young. In addition to Young,American Primevalalters several real-life historical detailsand figures.
American Primevaluniquely blends brutal and violent elements of the horror genre with the classic Western. Despite its59% Rotten Tomatoes score, it earned an 86% audience score and has been in Netflix’s Top 10 TV Showsin the United States since it was released on July 19, 2025. Kitsch previously starred in the Peter Berg filmLone Survivoralongside Mark Wahlberg and Berg’s classic television seriesFriday Night Lights.American Primevalwas released as a miniseries but there has been speculation about the potential for a second season.
Is American Primeval Season 2 Happening? What We Know
Berg leaves the door open but Netflix has not confirmed
Director and executive producerPeter Berg recently shared his thoughtsabout the prospect ofAmerican Primevalseason 2. Berg shared, “You know, after we wrapped, and I looked at all the actors — the ones that were still alive — I felt such affection for them. And I do think there are many ways that we could go. I’ve still got to thaw out from my time spent up on those mountains in the winter, but maybe if they got to lower ground, that wasn’t quite as cold, we could. We could go back.“Berg is leaving the door open but Netflix has yet to confirm season 2.
10 Movies & Shows To Watch If You Like American Primeval
Several other movies and shows capture similar Western and violent horror elements of Netflix’s epic period Western series American Primeval.
If there were to be anAmerican Primevalseason 2, it would have to find a new lead actor following the sacrificial death of Kitsch’s Isaac Reed, who saved Sara, Devin, and Two Moons intheAmerican Primevalfinale.Sara could face all sorts of new threats and encounters on her way to California. The main conflict would likely chroniclethe Utah War of 1857and the fall ofBrigham Young as Utah’s governor.American Primevalseason 2 could feature more battles of that conflict but would be missing the leading-man efforts of Kitsch.
Why American Primeval Season 2 Would Be A Mistake
It would be missing several of its most compelling characters
American Primevalseason 2 would have to quickly fill in the gap left by Isaac Reed’s death. Since the series killed off its best main character and the journey of Sara is really at an end in terms of what would be interesting to watch,American Primevalseason 2 faces an upward battle in its plot. While there are more true story elements to explore in a potentialAmerican Primevalseason 2, it will already lack several characters – including thetragic Pratt and Abish– that audiences were most emotionally invested in.
American Primeval
Cast
American Primeval is a Netflix limited series that follows the lives of several men and women in the middle of the expansion of the American West. Social dynamics clash as men and women battle for a piece of the new world against rivals and each other.
