America’s national parks are some of our greatest treasures — but how do we know what’s really happening out in all that wilderness?
In Untamed, a new Netflix series starring Eric Bana, a special agent for the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch (ISB), tries to answer that question after a body is discovered in Yosemite National Park.
This limited series, which is currently the most popular show on Netflix, combines a stunning setting with character-driven drama and a gripping mystery.
Watch With Us breaks down the reasons you shouldn’t miss Untamed on Netflix.
The Setting Is Breathtaking
Untamed wasn’t actually filmed at Yellowstone — instead, it was mostly shot in Canada. However, the verdant hills of British Columbia do a stunning job of standing in for the national park that Bana’s character, Kyle Turner, mentions is “the size of Rhode Island.”
Between stunning aerial shots of the real Yellowstone and the composite locations used to approximate the park on the ground, Untamed creates an immersive and beautiful world for Turner and park rangers Paul Souter (Sam Neill) and Naya Vazquez (Lily Santiago) to explore.
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The Mystery Pulls You In
The body of a Jane Doe is discovered in the most jarring way possible — two mountain climbers see her fall over the edge of a cliff as they’re scaling the rock face. The body nearly knocks them down themselves.
When Turner enters the case, he’s quickly able to determine that the woman was dead before her fall — meaning there’s a serious mystery to unravel here.
The story integrates all sorts of elements from the park into the mystery itself — Indigenous practices that bear similarities to some Jane Doe’s identifying marks, past Yellowstone cases that bear striking similarities and still haunt Turner and the sheer size of the terrain, which makes it disturbingly easy for people to go missing. The twists and turns of the investigation are genuinely unexpected.
It Features a Partner Dynamic That Really Works
As Ranger Vazquez, Lily Santiago does an admirable job of portraying the newer ranger’s eagerness to learn from Turner despite his rough and brooding demeanor. She becomes a de facto partner to the ISB investigator, and watching their relationship unfold is one of the true pleasures of the show.
Alongside Vazquez, we learn about a tragic incident from Turner’s past that shattered his marriage to Jill (Rosemarie DeWitt), which has a significant impact on their Jane Doe investigation. His nearly obsessive fixation on finding justice feels truly motivated, rather than him just playing into the “brooding cop with a dark past” stereotype.
Though a “grizzled older cop with an idealistic rookie” is also a familiar trope, Vazquez and Turner’s dynamic doesn’t feel rote. Instead, their relationship feels refreshing, especially since Vazquez is also hiding secrets of her own.
It’s a Quick Binge with a Satisfying Ending
This may sound like a backhanded compliment, but it’s true — at only 6 episodes, Untamed is a show you can get through in a weekend. Surprisingly, it moves at a fast clip without leaving too many loose ends.
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Without giving any spoilers, the show pays off the central mystery in a satisfying way. If you’re looking for a mystery thriller that will pull you in and tie everything up by the finale, Untamed is that show — which makes it a great watch.
Stream all of Untamed on Netflix now.
