Streaming Service: Netflix
Release Date: July 17, 2025
Number of Episodes: 6
Untamed is a new miniseries on Netflix that I stumbled upon randomly while watching other things starring Eric Bana and Sam Neill. The story follows Eric Bana’s Kyle Turner investigating the death of a woman who fell off El Capitan, but slowly unravels into a larger murder mystery that brings together pieces of every character’s life.
I like Eric Bana and Sam Neill well enough, I’m a sucker for crime thrillers, and I love big national parks like Yosemite which is where this is set. It was a conjunction of a random number of elements that got me to watch this and it ended up being a great show.
Point 1: Location, Location, Location
Admittedly, there isn’t much this show does that is revolutionary. It’s a prestige crime thriller like many others out there. It’s more the location that sets it apart. The fact that it’s set in the vast Yosemite National Park with its breathtaking cliffs, lush forests and wildlife add something to this that many other similar shows lack. Maybe it’s a me thing, but seeing a bear or a herd of deer or even just the beautifully captured landscape give me endorphins that an alley in a city doesn’t quite match.
And it’s not just set dressing either. The locale plays a huge part in the story itself. Its indigenous history, the very specific people who would live there, and the environment in general are critical to solving the murder. The story feels organic to the location rather than just a way to differentiate the narrative from similar shows. Hunting, tracking, and survival skills come up again and again through the show’s six episodes and it does a great job of immersing you through the eyes of a new arrival from LA so that the other characters can give you just enough exposition so that you’re not lost.
As big a compliment as any, it really made me want to go explore the area. Well, maybe in a few years.
Point 2: Sad Dad Alert!
Feels like these days, we can barely walk a few feet before being pelted with a sad dad. Whether it be movies, video games or TV shows, we are very much in the sad dad era of media. And this is no different. In fact, I’m currently watching the Apple TV+ show Stick, and the sad dad backstory is basically identical in the two shows. That said, I can’t say it’s a trope that is getting old either. It’s just too easy to make you get engaged and emotionally invested in the grief of a parent trying to move on with life, but being unable to leave behind a tragedy. Sometimes, tropes are tropes for a reason and this is a good case for that.
The dynamic between the divorced characters played by Eric Bana and Rosemarie DeWitt really does serve as the emotional core of the film. As much as the general trope may be played out, there are some different decisions made to make that relationship more complex and it brings you in directions that are unexpected the further you delve in.
Eric Bana does a great job of playing the grumpy, snarky middle aged cop that wants to do things his way. At this point, it feels like every actor has to play this once they hit their 50’s. He does a great job, but this role could also be played by whoever you want to pick out of your rolodex of actors who have played this exact same role before.
On the other hand, Rosemarie DeWitt ends up having to play the more complex role. At first, you may think this is going down the same road, but she has to really tow the line between some strong emotions and nuance. Some of the reveals later on about her were pretty poignant and she does a fantastic job of selling those scenes.
Point 3: Murder Mystery Maxxing
This show hits all the points that a great murder mystery like this should.
Is the murder intriguing? Yes. There’s quite a few aspects of the murdered that immediately strike you, but even before that, the scene where she is discovered is gripping as she falls on some climbers on El Capitan. It is beautifully shot too.
Is the murder weird and complicated? Of course. It takes a while to even find out who the Jane Doe is, which then opens up a whole other can of worms. A bunch of other leads start creating a web of different things that could be happening to keep you guessing. Many suspects, but continuously hard to pin down motive.
Are the characters all related somehow? You better believe it. All of these prestige crime dramas can’t help themselves but to entangle everyone in the show into the crime somehow. A case that went unsolved a long time ago, a mistake someone made, a cover up, you name it. Someway, somehow, anyone could find themselves wrapped up as either a potential victim or a suspect.
Is the conclusion satisfying? This might be where opinions might differ. If I’m being honest, I think it’s good, but not great. The final episode has a lot of great things happening as you tie up a lot of loose ends and get closure on certain characters and narratives. But the actual resolution of the mystery felt too much like an add on. I don’t need to be able to solve every mystery myself, but this felt like the writers went out of their way to make sure the actual murderer ended up being someone really not on your radar.
Point 4: There’s No I in Team
Despite a lot of the main character tropes being reruns, oftentimes, the supporting cast is what makes or breaks these shows. And that’s one place the show really shines.
Sam Neill does a great job as always. He plays a grandfather-like figure that is trying to keep Bana’s character in check, but has a hard time doing it. His sincere tenderness is a good foil in a show where everyone else leans into the grittiness.
Lily Santiago plays Naya Vasquez, a rookie ranger in the area who moved there from Los Angeles. Her personal story makes you root for her from the beginning and the dynamic she has with her son is just too cute to not love. Later on in the show, she does a great job selling some really tough scenes. I really liked her whenever she was on screen despite being pitted against more established, better known actors.
Raoul Max Trujillo does feel a bit like the token indigenous character they felt like they had to have in the show set where it’s set. Although that’s hard to ignore, he still does a great job playing a character that both fits some of the stereotypes we’ve come to expect from these roles while also being more than that.
The standout of the show in his somewhat limited role is Wilson Bethel as Shane Maguire. His exact role is a little nebulous, but he is a frequent hunter who camps out in the park. He just oozes that psychopathic energy that gives you chills. Anytime he was on screen, I was waiting for him to do something or someone else to break and do something to him. It’s a really subtle performance where he’s not doing much, but the aura work is just fantastic.
If you’re looking for a new prestige crime thriller to watch where the story is intriguing and the characters feel familiar with a fresh coat of paint in the setting, this is a great show for that. It’s got enough snarky comments and tongue in cheek humour to carry you through the more difficult themes. It doesn’t shake up the genre, but is a great new entry into it regardless.
