Taylor Kitsch's brutal new western series is dominating Netflix's most popular charts

The television drama Friday Night Lights, which followed the ups and downs of the Dillon High School Panthers football team, is rightly considered by critics and viewers to be one of the best shows of the 21st century. Although the series never had a Nielsen rating over the course of five seasons (Curious, given that it's a highly engaging and accessible saga centered around the most popular sport in the United States), those who enjoyed it rode a weekly emotional roller coaster of victories, defeats, romances, divorces, and one murder (an ill-advised storyline, which is the series' only egregious flaw). The script, led by showrunner Jason Katims, aside from the aforementioned detour, was always sharp and surprising, while the cast, led by Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, struck a chord with their portrayal of decent but flawed people trying to do the right thing. their teammates, family and friends outside the locker room.

The show not only boosted the careers of Chandler and Britton; it also introduced the world to an exciting array of new talent, including Jesse Plemons, Michael B. Jordan, Adrian Palicki, Mick Kelly and Zach Gilford. However, one of the series' early standout actors who seemed especially destined for movie stardom was Taylor Kitsch. As the hard-charging, troublesome full-back Tim Riggins, Kitsch exuded an irresistible charm and a devilish penchant for danger. Sure, the studios could turn this guy into an action hero, if not an award-winning psycho.

After a brief appearance as the mutant Gambit in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” Kitch gained prominence in 2012 with the films “John Carter,” “Battleship” and “Savages.” The first two are currently in the top 10 studio flops of all time, which overshadowed the fact that he was pretty good in the third film (a solid Oliver Stone thriller that got lost in the summer shuffle).

But while Kitsch never became the lucrative A-list movie star that I think he could have been (and still could be at 43), he took those setbacks in stride and continued to plug into both movies and television. And now, 13 years after that rotten 2012, he's the star of Netflix's most watched series!

According to FlixPatrolthe new Western miniseries “American Primeval” is the highest-rated show on Netflix. Yes, it is currently more popular than Squid Game.

“American Primeval” is a graphically violent story of conquest and survival in the midst of the Utah War of the mid-1800s between Mormon settlers and the US Army. Betty Gilpin plays a determined woman trying to move herself and her son from Fort Bridger to California to meet her husband. When they can't provide an escort to their destination, she turns to a mysterious hermit, played by Kitsch, to guide her through this evil hell.

Kitsch is getting rave reviews for his performance in the miniseries, directed by his former Friday Night Lights (and, yes, Battleship ) collaborator Peter Berg, to generally mixed reviews. Considering that the show was made Mark L. Smith, screenwriter of The Revenant it should come as no surprise that this Western saga is rough sledding. If you can handle some particularly graphic violence, American Primeval might just be the yarn for you. It has a fascinating theme (touched on it somewhat Scott Frank's excellent Netflix miniseries Godless). Try it while you're tired this winter!