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As a giant fan of Sam Neill since Dead Calm, which I just rewatched on Tubi in honor of the great Australian actor's passing at age 78, I've always appreciated his ability to portray heroes and villains with equal candor and credibility. I remember going to the theater and being floored by his wickedly unhinged performance as Dr. Weir in Event Horizon, which came four years after he imbued Dr. Alan Grant with such dignified integrity in Jurassic Park.
Speaking of sprawling outdoor adventures set in a national park, the last great performance I saw Neill give was in the six-part Netflix crime thriller Untamed. Co-starring Eric Bana, the perfect summer weekend binge tracks a deeply involving murder mystery in Yosemite National Park, where the punishing laws of nature know no mercy. The gripping outdoors crime thriller proved such a success that, despite being conceived as a miniseries, it has been renewed for Season 2.
'Untamed' Is a Highly Bingeable Whodunnit Set in the Great Outdoors
Created by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant, Twisters), Untamed is an irresistibly compelling six-part murder mystery set in the gorgeous expanse of Yosemite National Park in California. The plot centers on Kyle Turner (Bana), a National Park Service investigator reeling over the death of his young son, who gets swept up in a deadly conspiracy when a female hiker's body presumably falls from El Capitan mountain.
In addition to the whodunnit plot that will undoubtedly keep you guessing until the end with its unpredictable twists and turns, the stunning scenery alone is worth taking a vicarious vacation to Yosemite during the summer. Between the sunny backdrops, raging rapids, crystalline lakes, massive Sequoia trees, mountainous vistas, meteor showers, deer herds, horseback riding, and a key narrative involving a deadly bear, the breathtakingly lush environment in the great outdoors makes Untamed unmissable, especially this time of year.
Untamed is also worth indulging in to see Sam Neill's superb final TV performance. The legendary Aussie actor plays Paul Souter, Kyle's boss and the chief park ranger whose own fascinating back-story might have more to do with the central murder case than his initial apathy may suggest. Under the guise of an easy and effortless performance, Neill brilliantly shrouds a moral complexity with an outwardly supportive mentorship role for Turner, with a layered performance and character arc that deserves to be recognized. Given where Paul starts in the story, I had no clue that he'd end up where he did in the finale, which is a testament to the strong writing and Neill's acting aplomb.
What to Expect From 'Untamed' Season 2
Although it was designed as a standalone miniseries, Untamed was critically successful and popular enough for Netflix to renew it for Season 2 anyway. The quick binge-watch holds an 83% Rotten Tomatoes score, with most critics singling out the performances, hard-to-solve mystery, and the natural resplendence of Yosemite as chief plaudits. Yet, like any miniseries that gets extended for an unexpected follow-up season (a la Beef and Big Little Lies), careful planning must be considered.
Expected to arrive on Netflix in early-to-mid 2027, Untamed Season 2 will drastically change scenery when Turner is dispatched to investigate another mysterious fatality, this time in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Not only will Kyle have to navigate pushback from the locals, but the merciless laws of nature and the active, lava-spitting volcanoes will undoubtedly present similar challenges for Turner as Yosemite did. Although the mysterious death hooks our attention to begin, it's the yin-yang of nature's awe-inspiring beauty and unforgiving cruelty that retains our interest for the long haul.
With Season 2 of Untamed slated for another six episodes, new cast members include the always terrific Shea Whigham, as well as Luciane Buchanan, Kelly Hu, Joe Tippett, Myra Molloy, Branscombe Richmond, Matthew Sato, Nyah Juliano, Robbie Magasiva, Nicole G. Leier, Moronai Kanekoa, and more. Of course, we'd be shocked if Season 2 wasn't dedicated in the late, great Sam Neill's honor.
