Regardless of how massive and popular they are, all of the best streaming services know that they have to stay nimble on their feet if they want to maintain their position near the top of the pile. That most certainly applies to Netflix, which is surely always watching what its rivals do, and what shows hit with audiences.
So, while the timeline of production schedules means it can't have been a direct response to the fourth season of True Detective, it still seems to me like Netflix's new show Untamed is aiming for the same slice of viewers as HBO's longer-running one. It looks like a mystery that could tumble out into a bigger conspiracy, set around the wild edges of Yosemite National Park in California.
Untamed has Eric Bana in the leading role, playing an agent trying to get a handle on a suspicious missing person case, one that leads him to Yosemite and sees him uncover crime scenes that raise his hackles even more. It's also got Sam Neill, who's always terrific, playing what looks like a local police boss, alongside a range of supporting names.
The real star, though, is likely to be the landscape – there seems to be a lot of on-location material in the trailer. I'm lucky enough to have been to Yosemite twice, and it stands out as one of the most geologically grand places you could possibly hope to see, even knowing that, as Bana's character says in the voice-over, I only saw a few percent of the park as a whole.
The thing that marks out True Detective, along with its anthology structure, which lets each season tell its own distinct story, is its very sparing but memorable use of the metaphysical or paranormal in its narratives. This has sent fans spiralling into research projects and theories over the years, and if Untamed can tap into that, it'll be on to something.
This full trailer has mention of evil spirits, wards and superstitions, all of which tick that box, at least in appearance. I'm hoping it's not too heavy-handed with that stuff, though, and that it doesn't over-explain itself by the end. Many of the best mysteries, after all, leave at least a few things up to the imagination by the time they conclude.
Untamed hits Netflix on 17 July, either way, so we don't have to wait too long to find out how it ties everything together.
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