The lineup of new Netflix releases that will hit the streamer over the next week includes a new drama set in the Australian wilderness that reminds me of how influential Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone has been and continues to be. So much so that not only does it feel like the major streamers have all gone in search of their own version of the neo-Western hit — but even the show’s streaming home, Paramount+, has trotted out spinoffs to keep fans satisfied: They include existing series 1883 and 1923, plus upcoming series 1944 and The Madison.
Territory (Oct. 24)
Whether Netflix intended this to be the case or not, its new drama Territory from creators Timothy Lee and Ben Davies will inevitably draw comparisons to the Kevin Costner-led hit. Not that that’s a bad thing. In fact, Territory doesn’t exactly go to any real lengths to avoid comparisons.
Consider: The new six-episode Netflix series is built around a family dynasty, a succession drama, and a scramble for control of a sprawling cattle station. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Lee and Davies are obviously fans of the Dutton family story — and they’ve even included a John Dutton-like character himself, in the form of ranch owner Colin Lawson, played by Robert Taylor (the Wyoming lawman in Longmire).
I previewed Territory in an earlier post (here), and here’s what Netflix says you need to know about the series going in. “When Marianne Station is left without a clear successor,” Netflix explains about the cattle station at the heart of the show, “generational clashes threaten to tear the Lawson family apart.
“Sensing this once-great dynasty is in decline, the outback’s most powerful factions — rival cattle barons, desert gangsters, Indigenous elders, and billionaire miners — move in for the kill. With billions of dollars at stake, everyone wants a piece of the pie.”
Daniel Lawson is the heir to the family’s cattle empire, but after he dies, Colin is forced to look for a new successor. His daughter-in-law is one choice, but Lawson considers her a gold-digger, while her husband — Colin’s last surviving son — is an alcoholic. Meanwhile, vultures, including a dangerous cattle baron and a scheming billionaire, are circling. In other words, this Netflix series will immerse viewers in a part of Australia they’re not used to seeing on TV and in film. Rather than the blue water, babes, and lively promenade of a place like Bondi Beach, everything will unfold on the land’s wild and untamed frontier.
What else to watch
Meanwhile, there’s also plenty more that’s hitting the streamer over the next week — that is, if a family drama that unfolds in the Australian Outback doesn’t necessarily sound like your thing. For a comprehensive look at every title arriving next week, our monthly Netflix guide is the perfect resource to consult.
That list includes a variety of other original releases and third-party titles hitting the service over the next several days, such as new docuseries (The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox, and Simone Biles Rising Part 2), as well as a new season of the highly regarded Korean drama Hellbound. In terms of what will have the widest interest, though, I’m convinced that Netflix’s Yellowstone-like Territory easily fits that bill.
