What is Netflix’s Untamed all about? Everything you need to know before you tune in

Netflix's Untamed is the new thriller addition to the streamer's roster, starring Eric Bana in what is his first major role on TV in seven years. Billed as a limited series, all six episodes of the series premiered exclusively on Netflix on Thursday, July 17, 2025, and the show is off to a good start.

Bana is a Yosemite National Park Service agent in the mini-series who partners up with a newcomer park ranger after a dead body is discovered. But the dead body is only the beginning of the secrets that have been plaguing the park for many years.

Besides Bana, who is known for Troy and The Time Traveler's Wife, the Untamed cast also includes veteran actors. The list includes Prime Emmy winner and Jurassic Park star Sam Neill and Poltergeist actress Rosemarie DeWitt. Whether it's the story of mystery and crime or the performance of the actors, Netflix's Untamed is rated 77% by critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 84% by audiences.

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Netflix's Untamed plot explored

Eric Bana as Kyle Turner is a federal agent who becomes engrossed in investigating a grisly murder in the Yosemite National Park. A young woman is found dead after going over the edge of the park's El Capitan, a vertical elevation rising over 3,000 feet above the Yosemite Valley and one of Yosemite's most notable landmarks.

Turner, who is now working in the Investigative Services Branch of the National Park, is determined to get to the bottom of what really happened to the woman. He thinks that there's more to the woman's death than what is obvious. However, as he digs deep into the mysterious death, he starts to uncover secrets lurking behind the grandeur of the Yosemite.

Besides the central murder mystery, the six-episode series features various twists and turns, including the drama in Turner's personal life. It turns out that he and his wife have been dealing with their son's passing from years ago, as well as the mystery and secrets linked to his death.

During an interview with ComingSoon.net, published on July 16, 2025, actor Eric Bana described the story as:

"When I read it, I just felt like this was such a unique mix of murder mystery with incredible characters, but set in the most epic location."

Read more: Where was Untamed filmed?

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Is Untamed based on a true story?

Netflix's Untamed is not based on a true story. However, the tragedy depicted in the series is rooted in real life. Deaths in Yosemite are true, especially on El Capitan. According to reports from the National Park Service, there have been at least 16 climbing fatalities on El Capitan from 1989 to the present day.

Moreover, injury law firm Roberts & Spiegel recorded over 30 climbing deaths on El Capitan from 1905 to 2023. The firm also mentioned that the increase in the death of climbers on the rock face in the last decade is largely related to the increase in popularity of timed climbing, and because climbers want to gain sponsorship deals.

As for the violent crime depicted in the series, it's rare in Yosemite's history, but it's not unheard of. There have been murders in the park, and one of the more famous cases is what happened in 1999. Per a March 2025 article by My Yosemite Park, three visitors of the park were killed in February 1999, and months later, another woman was murdered.

All four murders were reportedly committed by Cary Stayner, the so-called Yosemite Park Killer, who later confessed to the crime.

Read more: Untamed ending explained

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Catch all six episodes of Untamed, now streaming on Netflix.

Edited by Kinette Sumadia