Territory, Netflix’s best Yellowstone replacement, debuts to a solid score on Rotten Tomatoes. Originally titled Desert King, by creators Ben Davies and Timothy Lee, Territory is a six-episode Western that puts the spotlight on Marianne Station. It’s the world’s largest cattle station, owned for generations by the Lawson family dynasty, and a target for rivals, gangsters, and Indigenous elders, as the Lawsons engage in a battle for succession. The Australian drama recently arrived on Netflix, with reviews starting to come in.
Reviews have started to trickle in for Territory on Rotten Tomatoes, with the drama currently sitting at 80%. It’s worth noting that this is based only on five reviews, with four positive and one negative, so the score will fluctuate as more reviews come in. At the moment, it averages out to 5.30/10.
What Reviews Are Saying About Territory
The Show Has Familiar Comforts
The comparisons to Yellowstone lead off the reviews for Territory, with The Hollywood Reporter’s Daniel Feinberg noting: “The six-part drama is almost explicitly an Aussie version of Yellowstone.” But despite the immediate familiarity, the review cites the strengths that the new show has going for it: “…like the combination of Australian slang and cattle ranching jargon that’s practically a foreign language, the gorgeous photography of the country’s Northern Territory and, yes, the number of recognizable actors.” It seems that the Netflix Original delivers both what’s expected, while at the same time attempting to deliver something distinctive.
With a Territory cast that includes Emmy-nominated Last of Us actor Anna Torv and For All Mankind’s Michael Dorman, along with Robert Taylor and Sam Corlett among a large ensemble, Amanda Yeo’s review for Mashable sees comparisons to Yellowstone and the HBO hit Succession. Still, the review also finds that “Territory puts in the effort to set itself apart by embracing its distinctly Australian characteristics, making it different enough to be intriguing while still familiar enough to be comfortable.”
In a more negative review, Pramit Chatterjee for Digital Mafia Talkies found the series to be a “chore”. The review also wondered how director Greg McLean, behind such genre films as The Belko Experiment and Wolf Creek, helmed a series lacking in style. But the bulk of reviews so far describe Territory as a familiar comfort.
Our Take On Territory
The Western Genre Is Alive & Well
Netflix has another Western coming up, with a touch more romance in Ransom Canyon. That stars Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly. The CW previously tried to put on some Western style with Walker: Independence, while Prime Video gave it a sci-fi spin with the recently cancelled Outer Range. Because of its success, Yellowstone helped to pave the way for others in the genre. They all share commonalities. But, as with Territory and its big ending, there are distinctions as well.