Netflix’s insanely violent new No.1 series is being called the “best Western in years”

Yellowstone is over, and Landman’s finale arrives tomorrow, but Netflix has the perfect Western offering available to stream right now, and despite it being so violent, it’s topping the charts.

Squid Game Season 2 has held the top ranking on Netflix’s TV shows since it premiered back in December, but it’s just been dethroned by the platform’s newest offering: American Primeval.

The six-episode miniseries is a bleak, gory Western TV show. Taking place in Utah Territory in 1857, the new show follows multiple characters as they attempt to survive along their respective journeys.

In Episode 1 alone, American Primeval tackles some real-life atrocities, such as the horrific Mountain Meadows Massacre (which could already be one of the most shocking scenes of 2025). The series is now earning plenty of praise for its unflinching nature, despite churning some stomachs along the way.

American Primeval hits number one spot on Netflix charts

At the time of writing, American Primeval is now the number one TV show on the Netflix charts in the US. All six episodes arrived on Thursday, January 9, meaning it hasn’t taken long for the streaming service‘s tale of bloodshed and territory to topple the others on offer.

The series currently sits at 83% on the Popcornmeter (with 59% on the Tomatometer), with much of the praise aimed towards the historical detail. (For more, check out our 3-star American Primeval review.)

As one Reddit user described, “It might be the best portrayal I have ever seen of the early settlers.”

“I love it,” another agreed. “There are multiple posts here raving about this. It was almost too violent for me to handle but as an academic with a primary focus on western expansion…this was the real deal. F**king agonizing the entire way through.”

“So far it is absolutely gripping and while the trailers prepared me for it to be violent, I don’t think I was fully prepared just for how graphic and brutal it is,” another said. “Like, I have studied history, read books on the frontier, etc. I am not naive about how difficult and dangerous life was for people back then but sheesh.”

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“I don’t think I’ve seen a western this bleak since Bone Tomahawk,” said another, referring to the 2015 Western cannibal movie.

One user also called American Primeval “intense, gory, and unflinchingly honest,” adding, “It’s a lot to take in, and while I wish I hadn’t binged it all at once, I simply couldn’t stop myself. This is a modern western masterpiece a 10/10 that stands far apart from the old-school westerns.”

“It is the BEST western I’ve seen in YEARS,” one added.

American Primeval is available to stream online now. For more, check out our ending explained for the series, and find out which movies are the best Westerns around. For what lays ahead, you can also take a look at our guide to Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2.