Netflix’s American Primeval is one of the biggest streaming shows of 2025 so far, and this Andrew Garfield streaming miniseries from 2022 acts as the perfect prequel to it. Despite its connections to The Revenant, American Primeval is a standalone show, with it telling an original story that intersects with some real-world historical events. These historical events are what give American Primeval some connections to other projects, such as this acclaimed Andrew Garfield TV series.

American Primeval is a Netflix Western miniseries from The Revenant writer Mark L. Smith, with it telling the story of a mother and son who must cross the dangers of the frontier. The duo decides to get a guide to help them, as they are faced with all kinds of dangers throughout their journey, such as other settlers, Indigenous tribes, wild animals, and Mormons. American Primeval is incredibly reliant on its historical 1857 setting, with its connections to the Utah War, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and the founding of the Mormon religion being essential.

How Under The Banner Of Heaven Helps Set Up American Primeval

It Shows What Happened Before Brigham Young’s American Primeval Story

Under the Banner of Heaven is a 2022 miniseries that stars Andrew Garfield, with the show exploring the Lafferty Brothers, two brothers who commit a murder in a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Community. Most of the series takes place in the 1980s, with it focusing on the investigation into the murder. However, Under the Banner of Heaven is also full of flashbacks, with some of these setting up the story of American Primeval.

Many of Under the Banner of Heaven‘s flashback scenes take viewers back to the time of Joseph Smith, showing the founding of the LDS Church. The show’s flashbacks span a lot of history, with it starting with Joseph Smith proposing to Emma Hale and ending with Brigham Young becoming the church’s new leader. While Brigham Young is a major character in American Primeval, the series doesn’t explore his backstory, something that Under the Banner of Heaven successfully does.

American Primeval & Under The Banner Of Heaven Are Controversial For Similar Reasons

They Are Divisve Among Mormons

American Primeval and Under the Banner of Heaven both focus on the Mormon faith, with this being why they are so controversial. According to the LA Times, some Mormon viewers of Under the Banner of Heaven felt as if the show misrepresented key moments in the church’s history. One felt as if the show pushed the message that Mormonism “breeds dangerous men,” something that the Mormons opposed.

Similarly, American Primeval‘s mix of Mormon fact and fiction is controversial. Fictionalized scenes with Brigham Young make him seem more villainous than some Mormons would like. On top of that, the series highlights the execution and cover-up of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, a controversial moment in Mormon history. Like any show that tackles a controversial topic, it is impossible to please everyone. However, viewers who enjoyed American Primeval should probably check out Under the Banner of Heaven.