Where was American Primeval filmed? All filming locations explored

Modified Jan 11, 2025 06:23 GMT

An image from the Netflix series American Primeval (Image via Tudum by Netflix)

American Primeval is a Western limited series created and written by Mark L. Smith. The six-part series is directed by Peter Berg and produced by Tim King and Robin Le Chanu. Peter Berg, Alexander H. Gayner, Eric Newman, and Mark L. Smith serve as the show's executive producers. It was released on Netflix on January 9, 2025.

American Primeval centers around Sara Rowell and her son Devin trying to cross the treacherous frontier to reunite with her husband in Crooks Springs with the help of Isaac Reed. The series is set in the 1857 Utah territory and was filmed entirely in New Mexico.

The show's official logline, as per Netflix, reads:

"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."

The filming locations of American Primeval explored in detail

An image from the 2025 Netflix series American Primeval (Image via Instagram/@pberg44)

American Primeval is set in 1857 in the Utah Territory, which is now the state of Utah. The show's Old West setting was captured in New Mexico, with filming taking place over 130 days between February 2023 and May 2023. Moreover, the production design team built Fort Bridger from scratch with construction tools that were in use in the mid-19th century.

New Mexico

The Western series was filmed at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in northern New Mexico. It has been a popular shooting destination for Western movies and television shows since the mid-20th century. The ranch spans thousands of acres and has been featured in 150 movies, including Django Unchained, A Million Ways to Die in the West, and Silverado, to name a few.

Some scenes were also filmed at the privately owned Charles R Ranch near Santa Fe. The ranch was seen in the 2000 Western film, All the Pretty Horses, starring Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz.

Other filming locations in New Mexico included the Pueblo de Cochiti, Santa Clara Pueblo, Parajito Mountain Ski Area, and Los Alamos.

Furthermore, Film New Mexico reported that American Primeval enlisted 4000 New Mexican residents, with 3420 as extras, 750 as crew members, and 20 as actors, while filming the miniseries.

Netflix Studios, Albuquerque, New Mexico

A few indoor scenes were filmed over two days on the soundstages of the Netflix Studio in the city of Albuquerque. Netflix acquired the studio in 2018, and it includes 12 sound stages, several offices, a backlot, and more.

Plot summary

In American Primeval, Sara embarks on a dangerous journey to Crooks Springs with her young son, Devin, to reunite with the father of her child. She also has a bounty on her head for killing and looting Luther Hitchens of Philadelphia. Isaac Reed decides to help Sara reach her destination while protecting her from the bounty hunters and the Mormon militia group, the Nauvoo Legion.

As they make their way through the treacherous terrain, the group gets caught in the crosshairs of a bloody battle between the US Army, the Mormons, and the Native American tribes.

During the Mountain Meadows massacre, Abish Pratt, the young wife of the Mormon Jacob Pratt, is captured and handed over to the wolf clan, led by Red Feather. She eventually ends up with the peace-seeking Shoshone tribe. Determined to find his wife, Jacob joins the Mormon militia group and kills Abish unwittingly (without recognizing her) during a fight between his group and the Native Americans.

In the final episode of American Primeval, Sara, Devin, Isaac, and Two Moons (a Shoshone tribe member) reach within half a mile of Crooks Springs. When they are attacked by Lucas, one of the bounty hunters, Isaac sacrifices himself to protect Sara and the others.

As he dies holding Sara's hand, she finally realizes the true meaning of love and sacrifice. She decides to head back to California, convinced that she does not need a man to protect herself and her son.