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- 2023
- Prime Video
- 2023
- Prime Video
Summary After Liv (Jenna Coleman) discovers her husband (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) had an affair, she plots revenge as they travel through National Parks of the West in this thriller based on B.E. Jones' novel of the same name.
Created By: Marnie Dickens
- 2023
- Prime Video
- 2023
- Prime Video
Wilderness
Season 1 Premiere: Nov 30, 2022
56
5.9
Where to Watch
Summary After Liv (Jenna Coleman) discovers her husband (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) had an affair, she plots revenge as they travel through National Parks of the West in this thriller based on B.E. Jones' novel of the same name.
Created By: Marnie Dickens
Where to Watch
All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
56
27% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
73% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
56
27% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
73% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Wilderness isn't one of those shows that's going to challenge you with a plot full of moral dilemmas and high drama. It's a show that’s more than a bit mordant and campy, but that and the performances of Coleman and Jackson-Cohen add to its appeal.
Despite its wasted potential, Wilderness, as an overall package, at least manages to fulfill the craving for a buzzy thriller.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 16 User Ratings
5.9
38% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
56% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
6% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 16 User Ratings
5.9
38% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
56% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
6% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
A woman finds out her husband is cheating, so she decides to go on a vacation and kill him (they're played by Jenna Coleman & Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Almost immediately, things get complicated and the ensuring intrigue creates twists. Films like this are common these days, so what sets this apart is the duo's performances. While they create compelling characters, her endless suffering in pensive close-ups and his non-stop pleading for forgiveness both get tedious. While this series launches with potential, the slow unfolding inhibits any real tension. I found the final outcome controversial, but can't delve into details without spoiling it. Even though there's nothing new, this film is a step above the typical revenge drama, thanks to the actors and the surprises.
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I'm just gonna kick off with Jenna Coleman deserves all the credit here. Wilderness (based on a book I didn't know about because I try not to unduly influence my opinion through prior research and am now giving up on the whole read-the-book-first mantra) is a haphazard collection of tropes that would've sunk the series if not for Coleman's exemplary performance as Liv Taylor.
So, what are these tropes? Well, there are a few, but primarily it's the source of the show that provides the most glaring: a hysterical woman makes hysterical choices after her one-dimensional husband cheats. The ensuing chaos is...underwhelming, with tension only really coming into play in the show's last two episodes. The road there likes to repeat itself and the consequence is a story that only sizzles and never pops.
However, Coleman inextricably pulls all the dangerously frail threads into a believable and riveting character arc. The cast does fine, but there's no real development set aside for them, so it's up to our main actress to do the heavy lifting and do the lifting she most definitely does. Able to sell any emotion, Coleman showcases the gentle's descent into madness, turning what could've been an overlong trudge into a trial of fire that births a psychologically complex character.
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It is all solid, satisfying and glossily good-looking stuff. It knows what it’s doing and the script is well above simply serviceable level.
It’s one of those easy-to-digest thrillers perfect for a Friday night – look, we’ve all had a hard week and just want to watch some mindless nonsense while having a big drink.
Coleman and Jackson-Cohen give compelling performances, but they can’t overcome the listless plotting of “Wilderness,” which curiously steamrolls right through its final pivotal 10 minutes.
What Wilderness unintentionally leaves us with is a soulless miniseries whose characters are so dull you can neither root for them nor hate them.
Wilderness goes from light on its feet to quite leaden, from a good Lifetime movie to a bad Lifetime movie that thinks it’s commenting on the tropes of Lifetime movies but doesn’t recognize that the good Lifetime movies are already doing that.
A perfectly average, high-budget, unsurprising crime drama, to watch when you have little to no energy to process serious, complex, non-too-pretty-and-perfect-real-life drama, like some great dramas like Olive Kitteridge, Succession, or Blue Lights.
I watched it whilst needing a distraction from chronic pain, spent the day bingeing it and it worked wonders. Lovely story, not too much thinking involved but fun. Better than reality tv (worst-kind of tv for me), way more average than most drama I watch.
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Production Company:
- Amazon Prime Video
- Firebird Pictures
- Nomadic Pictures
Initial Release Date: Nov 30, 2022
Number of seasons: 1 Season
Awards
BAFTA Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination