Real life version of Netflix's Untamed is ‘must see TV for true crime fans'

Daily Mirror

17-07-2025

Fans of the genre will be instantly hooked
The real life version of Netflix's new crime drama is said to be 'must see TV for true crime fans'.
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Untamed has only just been released on the major streaming platform and is already gaining positive reception from fans and critics alike. It has been dubbed as the best show of 2025 so far by some reviewers, while others have said it is perfect for fans of Yellowstone and American Primeval.
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A six-part limited series, the show stars Eric Bana as Kyle Turner, a special agent for the National Parks Service who works to enforce human law in nature's vast wilderness. He launches an investigation into the mysterious death of a young woman which sends him on a collision course with the dark secrets within the park, and in his own past.
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What might surprise viewers is that Bana's character's job is a real occupation in the United States. There really are dedicated officers, who investigate serious crimes that occur in one of the country's National Parks. They are also referred to as the ISB.
According to the National Parks Service website: "The special agents of the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch (ISB) are a specialised and highly trained team of criminal investigators. Together with program and victim support specialists as well as an intelligence analyst, the team works year-round and around the clock to investigate complex, sensitive, and long-term cases for crimes throughout the national park system. ISB personnel are stationed among America's more than 420 national parks and report directly to NPS headquarters in Washington, D.C."
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Untamed isn't the first series that have focused on these investigations. Wild Crime, is a docuseries currently available to stream on Disney+ that "chronicles this uniquely qualified team that leads the investigations as they seek to bring law and order to some of America's most rugged and remote landscapes."
All four seasons are currently streaming and each tackles a different case. Season one opens with Harold Henthor's 911 call to report that his wife Toni has been gravely injured after falling off of a cliff on a remote trail. However, the investigation unearths that there may be to this accident and soon examines Henthor's first wife and more.
In its second season, a hand is found in Yosemite. A serial killer confesses but he's lied about committing hundreds of murders--is this one real, or a false confession?
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In the third instalment, the series retells the case of Meredith Emerson, who went for a hike on a trail in Pisgah National Park and never returned. Was she injured, abducted, or the victim of a serial killer who stalked National Parks? Then a woman goes missing from a National Forest in Florida, a couple vanish in a National Forest in North Carolina, and a young woman disappears from a National Forest in Georgia. Are the cases connected?
Wild Crime's fourth season picks up after an Alaska barista goes missing along with some cash. Surveillance video shows her walking away with a man. A text sent from her phone says she needs time to think but her dad is suspicious. Was she abducted? Police aren't sure, until a note arrives.
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While not earning enough reviews for a score on Rotten Tomatoes, the series has overall received positive feedback from viewers. One posted online: "Fresh, seamless show about how these khaki and chukka boot wearing superheroes gather evidence, reconstruct crime scenes, and seek justice for the victims, against the majestic backdrop of our nation's most impressive natural landscapes and skylines. THIS is must-see tv for true crime fans."
One review sums up the unique appeal to Wild Crime, and its one that it seems to share with Netflix's Untamed. That it focuses on a little known investigative team.
They said: "If you're looking for a true crime doc that'll keep you engaged with plenty of new twists, Wild Crime will do the trick. You're getting every aspect of this case, with an added look into life as a Rocky Mountains ranger."
While continuing: "That's the bonus appeal of Wild Crime. Even though the true crime story is pretty tame and a little stale, watching the park experts delve into the accident makes it worthwhile. There are 84 million acres of national parks that need to be patrolled, and how many members of the ISB are there in total? A meek 34. It's incredible to imagine these folks tackling that much land mass, and on top of that, their job isn't exactly easy. They've got to climb uphill, take perilous journeys into the wilderness, and risk their lives to protect us from harm's way."