Netflix’s Untamed: Murder, Mystery & Suspense In Yosemite National Park

After exploring the unflinching ruggedness of Americana in American Primeval and The Revenant, Mark L. Smith decided it was “bring your child to work day” and invited his daughter Ella to co-create Untamed, a moody suspense thriller set in the unforgiving majesty of Yosemite National Park. The series stars Eric Bana, Rosemary DeWitt, Lily Santiago, and Sam Neil.

Creating Untamed: One Goal, Two Minds

Mark L. Smith and his daughter Elle Smith were inspired to co-create Untamed after being sent several articles about the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch (ISB). They were intrigued by this lesser-known branch of the National Parks system, which carries out a wide range of investigative and law enforcement activities. The ISB agents’ unique role — described as “part FBI agent and part park ranger” — captured their imagination, leading them to envision a series intersecting wilderness drama with intense criminal investigation.

Mark was chiefly captivated by the idea of isolating a crime story in an tough environment which appears to be more in his writing wheelhouse. He ensured the story had the structural rigor and genre edge of a high-stakes thriller while Elle mainly explored the nuanced character nooks and crevices as they navigate their traumas of loss and emotional upheaval.

Team Mark and Elle previously collaborated on The Marsh King’s Daughter so they already had a working rhythm to write the show.

Gael Vasquez (Omi Fitzpatrick-Gonzales) ill Bodwin (Rosemarie DeWitt) Photo courtesy of Netflix

Their writing process is told organically through actions, reactions and emotional outbursts. Untamed avoids drawn out exposition to depict its backstory. Instead, it focuses on subtle moments, things too painful to be said out loud, as they forge a path to healing.

Elle brings a modern perspective to Untamed, honing the show’s focus on character psychology, emotional depth, and the voices of younger characters — particularly in the enthiastic rookie ranger Naya Vasquez (Santiago) who contrasts sharply against her boss’ jaded and hardened ways. Elle goes for slow burn character growth and champions flawed, scarred characters who find it difficult to change despite knowing they have to. The cast balances strength and fear as they put one foot in front of of the other to move forward in their lives in some semblance of peace.

Character Crucible

At the center of Untamed is Kyle Turner, portrayed by Eric Bana (Black Hawk Down, Hulk, Dirty John). Turner is a National Park Service agent specializing in wilderness crimes—a skilled lawman of the wild who knows the land as intimately as the secrets it hides.  “He’s unconventional, raised on the land, deeply connected to the place—but also battling scars both personal and professional,” Bana shares. His ex-wife Jill Bodwin (Rosemary DeWitt) co-navigates their combined unresolved trauma.

Kyle Turner is portrayed as emotionally shut down following the abduction and murder of his young son, battling grief and mental health issues, including suicidal ideation. He’s more damaged than flawed and he knows it.

Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith draw from these real emotional wounds and human frailty to build character-driven storylines that explore how trauma shapes people’s lives and decisions within a tense crime thriller framework. This grounding in deep pain gives the show its haunting tone where every turn could be an emotional flashpoint.

Eric Bana’s enthusiasm for Untamed was instrumental in shepherding the project through five years of development — from the first script draft in 2019 to its 2025 as he balances texture, nuance and authenticity.

Turner’s investigation is sparked by a woman’s fatal fall from Yosemite’s iconic El Capitan cliff in the first episode—a death he quickly suspects is no accident. What follows is a tense, atmospheric search for answers, winding through painful self-realizations.

Style: Sublime and Sinister

With lush iconography that captures Yosemite’s breathtaking granite cathedrals, ancient forests, and ever-changing weather, the series is as much a “a love letter to the American wilderness as it is a cautionary tale.” It’s raw and cruel.

Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago) Photo courtesy of Netflix

“The wilderness strips away the modern crutches—no endless forensics, no reliable phone signal. Survival and instinct become everything,” Mark L. Smith notes. It’s a place that tests you and puts you through your survivalist paces.

This approach makes the environment the perfect pressure cooker for human evil and for the internal struggles that drive the characters to their breaking points and beyond. They brood as much as they lash out.

Untamed pays homage to several Western law enforcement tropes. Turner investigates the case on horseback as he reads the rough terrain which may turn against him at any moment. The tone is unsettling where serenity segues into violence.

Wilderness is a place of indifference. It has no favorites and you can’t compete with its sheer brutality and callousnee. It’s you against the elements, forcing you to tap into your internal resources.

Untamed Themes

Untamed weaves powerful themes of grief, loss, and redemption into its detective mystery format. The tragic truth is always lurking beneath ground level. But are the characters ready to hear it?

Turner and Jill’s backstory — a fragile marriage shattered by their son’s death—anchors the show. Their unresolved trauma permeates every interaction and affects Turner’s ability to solve the crime which frequently serves as a distraction for his grief.

The show also explores the non-linear aspects of healing. There are good and bad days – as characters zig-zag through the process.

The thematic scaffolding of Untamed centers on secrets. Do they really stay buried long after the events in question? Should they stay hidden, or is it incumbent upon us to excavate them? When they are eventually uncovered, how do we proceed?

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by Staff Writer

From our in-house editorial team.