Untamed – Series Review | Netflix

UNTAMED on Netflix is a new limited series with six episodes and a crime mystery that’s solved before it’s over. Starring Eric Bana as a National Park Service Agent in Yosemite. Read our full Untamed series review here!

UNTAMED is a new Netflix miniseries with just six episodes and a strong core plot. It’s a thriller, crime, and mystery hybrid with a solid cast and well-written characters. In other words, yes, I binge-watched this series and am ready to recommend you do the same.

No spoilers will be given in this review, nor does it need an “Untamed series ending explained” feature. All the answers will be given before the end of episode six. Could we get a second season? Well, sure. After all, crime happens all the time.

Continue reading our series review of Untamed below. Find it on Netflix from July 17, 2025.

The powerful opening scene of Untamed

In Untamed, we’re getting a character-driven story of the kind I prefer. By that, I mean the characters are relatable and fleshed out enough that you care about them. Or, at the very least, you understand why they are the way they are.

This becomes particularly relevant when it comes to the main character of Untamed, because Kyle Turner (played by Eric Bana) seems like a jerk most of the time. He’s a special agent for the National Parks Service, and he’s been working in Yosemite for years.

As such, he is dealing with the job of having to “enforce human law in nature’s vast wilderness”. Basically, he needs to stop people from doing things that are against the law or react once someone has already broken the law.

The main mystery of Untamed revolves around the death of a young girl. A Jane Doe for much of the series. It’s a brutal death, which we witness in the opening scene of the Netflix series.

Having just watched a horror movie featuring a lot of rock climbing, where the story didn’t work too well (for me, anyway), the opening scene of Untamed showed in seconds how it’s done.

I was completely hooked by the story, which meant the rock climbing element could shine as well.

Death in Yosemite, but is it murder?

However, the investigation begins with trying to figure out if it was an accidental death, self-inflicted, or murder. Only the latter means Kyle Turner needs to work the case. As he investigates, he is forced to confront dark secrets of the park as well as some deep trauma of his own.

Familiar with this trauma and able to keep Kyle away from drinking way too much (most of the time) are two key people. One is his friend and boss, Paul Souter (Sam Neill), and the other is his ex-wife, Jill (Rosemary DeWitt).

Also helping Kyle, or trying to, is the young Park Ranger Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago). Having just left her job as a police officer in the Los Angeles area, where she grew up, she has a lot to learn. However, she’s smart, a quick learner, and does not give up.

While Kyle isn’t the best mentor in the traditional sense, Naya learns a lot and proves her worth with tenacity, so Kyle warms up to her. A little. Their working relationship and different approaches to solving a crime mystery work surprisingly well.

Also in Untamed, but in a far too small role, is Taylor Hickson (Deadly Class, Incident in a Ghostland).

Watch the 2025 Untamed series on Netflix now!

Showrunners and writers on the new Netflix series are Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith. Mark L. Smith previously wrote Overlord, the US remake of Martyrs, and created the Netflix series American Primeval. Both wrote on The Marsh King’s Daughter (2023).

Each directing two episodes are the directors Thomas Bezucha (Fargo series), Neasa Hardiman (The Power), and Nick Murphy (The Mist series). As executive producers, we also have Mark L. Smith & Elle Smith along with the star of the series, Eric Bana. The rest, I’ll let you look up on IMDb, if you’re curious enough.

With just six episodes, this limited series hits a real sweet spot for me. I watch a lot of genre series, and even if they’re good and entertaining, I don’t always have the time to finish them. However, six episodes are manageable and make for tight storytelling.

Untamed is on Netflix worldwide from July 17, 2025.

Details

Creators: Elle Smith & Mark L. Smith
Cast: Eric Bana, Sam Neill, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lily Santiago, Wilson Bethel, William Smillie