If renewed, a second season could catch up with Sara (Betty Gilpin), Two Moons (Shawnee Pourier), and Devin (Preston Mota) along with real-life figures Brigham Young (Kim Coates) and Jim Bridger (Shea Whigham).

Netflix’s new historical drama “American Primeval” is currently the No. 1 series on the site. But how much of the show and its characters are based on the 1857 Utah War?

Jim Bridger, played by Shea Whigham, was a real life pioneer who built the town of Fort Bridger, which features in the series and was a real town. Brigham Young, played by Kim Coates, was also a real life figure. He was the head of the Mormon church at the time and had his own army known as the Nauvoo Legion.

American Primeval, a new Netflix limited series about the Utah War in the 1850s, isn’t afraid to dramatize the horrors of the Old West. Directed by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) and written by Mark L.

Credit: Matt Kennedy / Netflix Western shows have been around pretty much since TV was invented, and although the genre has fallen out of vogue on the big screen, they’re currently enjoying something of a golden age on television.