Netflix’s Untamed sparks a Reddit frenzy—here’s what fans are saying

Netflix's latest crime thriller miniseries, Untamed, seems like the talk of the town, which debuted on the platform on July 17, 2025.

Starring Black Hawk Down's Eric Bana in the titular role of Kyle Turner, a special agent with the Investigative Services Branch, the show follows him on a Jane Doe murder investigation after a dead body is found in the Yosemite National Park.

Among a plethora of Westerners surfacing the small screen nowadays, thanks to Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone, Untamed feels like an amalgamation of True Detective and American Primeval, all rolled into one, and Reddit fans certainly have mixed reviews about Netflix's latest.

More on this in our story.

Untamed: Reddit fans have mixed reactions to Netflix's latest crime miniseries

With a plethora of crime thriller miniseries coming out on Netflix, it often becomes hard to distinguish between them, and the lines between often seem to blur.

American Primeval creator Mark L. Smith's latest miniseries, Untamed, seems to be packed with exceptional performances by Eric Bana, Lily Santiago, Sam Neill, and Wilson Bethel, but many Reddit fans thought that the show was built on crime genre cliches and played it too safe with the story.

''The hallucination trope has to be the most hackneyed writing choice at play in modern storytelling. One thing I’ve learned about hallucinated ghosts/memories- they’re boring as sh*t.'' u/History-of-Tomorrow commented

''Totally agree — Untamed feels like every murder mystery cliché rolled into one. It’s so predictable it does seem like AI wrote it. Definitely missing originality.'' u/Extreme-Anywhere-802 agreed

While Kyle Turner is assigned to a Jane Doe murder investigation in the Yosemite National Park, he is also haunted by the memories of his son's murder, who went missing in the same park.

In addition, Kyle is also haunted by hallucinations of his dead son. A haunted detective having hallucinations about his past, some fans think that Untamed went too deep with overdone crime cliches.

While many fans complained about the repetitive storyline, many Reddit users, like u/modfoddr think that the show was saved with the cast ensemble, who were believable as their respective characters:

''...Really enjoyed it. For me the cast saved it. Usually shows this cliche have second or third tier leads. Shows like this are perfect for multi-tasking. Easy enough to follow along, but don't get turned off by awful line reads.''

In addition, they also liked that even while Untamed is a crime thriller miniseries, the plot was easy enough to follow along and perfect for weekend/light binging.

''Great actors, great characters. Enjoyable to watch.'' u/theflamingheads agreed

While Reddit fans debated about the miniseries using many overdone cliches and borrowing heavily from the crime genre formulas, they agreed that Untamed made up for it with its breathtaking scenery, as the show is set against the hauntingly beautiful backdrop of the Yosemite National Park.

''The scenery and cinematography are breathtaking and worth watching for them alone. The storyline is a bunch of wilderness-murder-mystery cliche’s all rolled into one, but I still found it entertaining...I actually thought the acting was pretty decent from all the cast members, in particular Eric and Sam.'' u/TAEJP commented

''Just finished it. Pretty cliche plot but I stick around for the scenery, nice work on that. Eric basically carries the whole show, great hair tho.'' u/kanoonn agreed

While Untamed seems to have many critics about the plot clichés, the casting, and the breathtaking setting saved it for the Reddit fans, and it can be enjoyed as a decent watch.

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