Sons of Anarchy Star’s New Western Series Lands on Netflix, Rotten Tomatoes Score Revealed

Netflix has just debuted the new miniseries American Primevaland the show’s Rotten Tomatoes score has been revealed. The response to the series is proving to be divisive so far, drawing reviews from critics that put American Primeval firmly into the middle of the road.

On Rotten Tomatoes, American Primeval has debuted with a score of 56%. This labels the movie as “rotten” by the review aggregator website, which only considers Movies scored with a 60% or above to be “fresh.” The number will likely fluctuate as more critics add their reviews in the coming days, but it remains to be seen if that number will end up getting higher or lower. At this point, it’s hard to say, given how divisive the reviews are with all of the reviews which have been added.

“This doesn’t shy away from the ugliness, allowing the uncompromising savage bloodthirst of the people in their quest for land domination,” Chris Joyce of Movies and Munchies said of the series. “If you enjoy Westerns and also love some gnarly action and violence, you are going to want to put this on your list.”

Appreciating the focus on female characters, Maggie Lovitt of Collider said of the series, “Netflix’s American Primeval is a Western epic made better by centering the women at the heart of the story.”

“American Primeval is a bit of a mixed bag but one I recommend nevertheless, though the nature of the show will make it unpalatable for many,” reads another review by Erik Kain of Forbes. “As a work of cinematic art, however, it’s exactly what I’d hoped it would be: Ambitious, unusual and distinct.”

CBR’s own Martin Carr also scored the series as 8 out of 10, noting in his review, “There will be audiences who go into American Primeval expecting the scenic beauty and gut-wrenching realism of The Revenantbut Mark L. Smith has created something more complex and captivating that simply needs more room to breathe. “

Some Critics Have Lambased the Series

As for those who were less impressed, Rendy Jones of RogerEbert.com said that the show is “as tasteless as it is hollow.” Elijah Gonzalez of Paste Magazine added that the series has “thin characters, predictable plotlines, and an inability to thoughtfully engage with its abundant violence.” Meanwhile, The Daily Beast critic Nick Schager called the show unoriginal, stating, “You’ve seen this tale many times before.”

American Primeval was created by Mark L. Smith and directed by Peter Berg. Sons of Anarchy actor Kim Coates is among the stars of the series, joining Taylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, Jai Courtney, Shea Whigham, Saura Lightfood-Leon, and Dane DeHaan. In the series, per Netflix, “A mother and son fleeing from their past form a found family while confronting a harsh landscape of freedom and cruelty in the American West.”

Stream American Primeval on Netflix.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes