Warning: Contains SPOILERS for American Primeval!
The cast ofAmerican Primevalis absolutely massive, and here are the 10 main characters from the Netflix miniseries ranked from worst to best. The epic Western saga ofAmerican Primevalmostly focuses on Sara Rowell and her party as they attempt to cross the frontier. However, Sara is far from the onlymain character inAmerican Primeval, with the series following all kinds of intersecting storylines, each with their own main characters. However, some ofAmerican Primeval’s main characters are better than the others, and here are all of them ranked from worst to best.
TheNetflix miniseriesAmerican Primevalcomes from director Peter Berg andThe Revenantwriter Mark L. Smith, with the show following Sara Rowell as her son Devin as they attempt to find a guide who will take them across the frontier to find Devin’s father. Along the way, Sara runs into all kinds of dangers, such as killer bands of Mormons, dangerous outposts, the U.S. military, warring Indigenous tribes, and more. Throughout the six episodes ofAmerican Primeval, all kinds of main cast members are met, although not all of theAmerican Primevalcast is made equal.
Played By Joe Tippett
Image via Netflix
Of all of the main cast members inAmerican Primeval, James Wosley is unfortunately the least interesting. In the miniseries, James Wosley is the head of the Mormon militia, with him spending most of the series attempting to cover up theMormons' actions during the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Wosley spends a lot of time with Jacob Pratt, and while their dynamic is interesting, Jacob steals the spotlight in nearly every scene.
This American Primeval Storyline Offers The Darkest Possible Remake Of A John Wayne Classic
One key storyline from American Primeval takes the premise of a classic John Wayne Western and makes the bleakest version of it imaginable.
James Wosley is played byMare of Easttown’s Joe Tippett, and the actor does a good job portraying the villainous character. However,the main issue is that Wosley is underwritten. He is a pretty standard villain character and feels far less interesting than the other Mormon characters, such as Brigham Young, with Wosley being the most forgettable ofAmerican Primeval’s main characters.
9Virgil Cutter
Played By Jai Courtney
Virgil Cutter is another one of the antagonists inAmerican Primeval, with him being a fur trapper and bounty hunter who hopes to find Sara and her party in order to turn the fugitive in for money. Virgil Cutter is played by Jai Courtney, a popular actor who has appeared in projects likeSuicide Squad. Despite his notoriety, the character that Jai Courtney is playing isn’t all that interesting to the overall story ofAmerican Primeval.
Virgil Cutter is just one of many villains who wants to find Sara in the show, meaning that he tends to blend in with the others. Jai Courtney isn’t given the time to shine that he needs, making his role inAmerican Primevalfeel like a major letdown. Although Cutter is ruthless, he isn’t as fun to watch as characters like Brigham Young, with him being sidelined for much of the miniseries.
8Red Feather
Played By Derek Hinkey
InAmerican Primeval,Red Feather is a member of the Shoshone tribeand the leader of the Wolf Clan, a pack of warriors who fight against white settlers. Red Feather is played byHorizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1’s Derek Hinkey, and the actor does a lot with a little throughout the show. The main problem with Red Feather is that he is pretty boring, with him filling the stereotypical Western villain archetype for the first few episodes of the show.
Admittedly, Red Feather becomes more interesting as the series continues.Red Feather’s developing relationship with Abish Prattand his bond with his children does do a lot to flesh his character out. However, Red Feather is still an antagonist for much ofAmerican Primeval, which is starting to become a running theme when describing the show’s worst characters.
7Two Moons
Played By Shawnee Pourier
Two Moons is one of the main characters who is part of Sara Rowell’s party inAmerican Primeval, and while she starts out incredibly interesting, this doesn’t last. Two Moons is played by Shawnee Pourier, with her being an Indigenous girl who flees her village and stows away on Sara and Devin’s journey. At the start of the series, Two Moons is pretty interesting, with the show raising questions about why she ran away and why she isn’t able to speak.
Is American Primeval Going to Be the Next Yellowstone?
American Primeval strikes some viewers as something of an anti-Yellowstone. So, could this approach lead to a hit series for Netflix?
However, asAmerican Primevalgoes on,the show finds less and less for her to do. Two Moons does have an interesting relationship with Devin and Isaac, but by the end ofAmerican Primeval, Two Moons is just sitting around with Devin waiting for him to heal. Two Moons could have worked better if she felt more like an active part of the story, with her instead feelings sidelined in several episodes.
6Abish Pratt
Played By Saura Lightfoot-Leon
Abish Pratt is one of the more interestingcharacters inAmerican Primevalwho isn’t part of Sara’s party, with her instead spending most of the series with Red Feather and his tribe. Abish is played byHoard’s Saura Lightfoot-Leon, and at the beginning of the series, she is one of the many victims of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. She is taken by Red Feather’s tribe after the attack, and while the rest of the imprisoned women are killed, Red Feather lets her live thanks to Abish’s fearlessness.
Abish’s time with Red Feather’s tribe is unique, as she is key to many of the themes of the series. On top of that,her death at the hands of her husband inAmerican Primeval’s finale is a great twist. However, Abish’s disconnection fromAmerican Primeval’s main story and her relegation to a plot device in the finale does leave her feeling a bit lacking by the end of the series.
5Devin Rowell
Played By Preston Mota
InAmerican Primeval, Devin Rowell is the son of Sara Rowell, with him and his mother spending the entire show attempting to locate Devin’s father. Devin is played byAsteroid City’s Preston Mota, and the child actor gives a fantastic performance. On top of that, his leg injury makes him an interesting member of Sara’s party, with him frequently getting the gang into trouble. His relationship with Isaac is also interesting, with him seeing Isaac as a father figure.
However,having Devin start out with a leg injury and then get another leg injury later inAmerican Primevalfeels a bit redundant. This second leg injury leads to him being holed up in a cabin with Two Moons for much ofAmerican Primeval’s ending, with this sidelining of his character hurting him right as the series crossed the finish line.
4Isaac Reed
Played By Taylor Kitsch
Taylor Kitsch’s Isaac Reed is the male lead inAmerican Primeval, and while he is all over the show,he isn’t the most interesting character. There is a lot to like about Isaac, with his backstory and connection to Two Moons and Devin giving him some intrigue. On top of that, Isaac is at the center of most of the show’s action scenes, making him a rather fun character.
Unfortunately, Isaac Reed is the stereotypical stoic mountain man that is seen in so many Westerns, and the show doesn’t add much more to him than that. Isaac needed to be a little more developed in order forAmerican Primevalto fully work, although he is good for what he is.
3Sara Rowell
Played By Betty Gilpin
Sara Rowell is the protagonist ofAmerican Primeval, and while she is a good one, she isn’t the most interesting character in the series.Betty Gilpin’s Sara Rowell is motivated to find her son’s father, with her tough exterior and no-nonsense attitude making her a strong protagonist, and her consistent motivation makes her an interesting character to follow.
American Primeval’s Horrifying French Family Explained & How It Connects To 48-Year-Old Horror Movie
The eerie French family in Netflix’s epic period Western series American Primeval draws comparisons to the cannibals in a classic 1977 horror film.
However, the big problem with Sara is that she doesn’t change a lot. Sara’s arc is made interesting when her criminal backstory is unveiled, with this making her a bit more dynamic. However, her motivation rarely changesuntilAmerican Primeval’s final scene, with this making her a bit less interesting than two of the show’s other characters.
2Jacob Pratt
Played By Dane DeHaan
Dane DeHaan’s Jacob Pratt is one of the most complex characters inAmerican Primeval, with this making him one of the show’s best characters. Although he is an everyday Mormon settler in episode 1, he seemingly dies at the end of the episode, with him being a victim of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. However, it is eventually revealed that he is alive, with him going on a quest to rescue his wife Abish from their assailants.
Jacob Pratt is incredibly motivated, which is the key to making any good character. On top of that,the way that his Mormon faith intersects with the behavior of his Mormon party makes for an interesting character arc. The resolution to Jacob Pratt’s character arc is probably the best one inAmerican Primeval, with his storyline being even more interesting than Sara Rowell’s.
1Jim Bridger
Played By Shea Whigham
Shea Whigham’s Jim Bridger is an odd character inAmerican Primeval. While he is mostly disconnected from the main story,he is constantly featured throughout the series, with him being the show’s best character by far. Jim Bridger’s sarcasm and opposition to the Mormon rule over the Utah Territory make him incredibly funny, with his dry wit bringing all kinds of levity to the otherwise grim Western series.
Jim Bridger’s fight against Brigham Young is an even more interesting story thanAmerican Primeval’s main plot, and Fort Bridger is one of the show’s most interesting locations. On top of that, Jim Bridger has an incredibly interesting backstory, with theAmerican Primevalcharacter also being connected toThe Revenant.
American Primeval
Cast
American Primeval is a Netflix limited series that follows the lives of several men and women in the middle of the expansion of the American West. Social dynamics clash as men and women battle for a piece of the new world against rivals and each other.
