Apple TV+ Cancels “The Last Frontier” After One Season
Apple TV+ has canceled its Alaska-set neo-Western drama, The Lastโค Frontier, after โฃa โsingle season.โ The series, which โฃpremieredโ in โคOctober 2023, faced criticism โคfor a convoluted plotโฃ and underutilized cast, despite โan initially promising premise.
The Last Frontier followed Frank pearce (Jason โคClarke), โa U.S. Marshal seekingโฃ redemption while navigating the harsh Alaskan wilderness. โคHe โขpartnered with a Native American Marshal, Billy Ann (Dallas Goldtooth), โขand faced a series ofโ challenges โincluding escaped convicts and a โcomplex, overarchingโฃ conspiracy involving covert government programs.
Theโ show’s serialized mythology, encompassing elements like Archive Six, the โคAtwater Protocol, and XenoGate, โคproved a significant point of โcontention. Critics notedโ the plot’s lack of โclarity โand the confusing motivations of the character โHavlock (played by an unnamed โขactor,deliberately withheld in initial reviews too avoid spoilingโ a twist).The โprocedural elements, involving escapedโข convicts, โwere initially โขengaging but became repetitive and โ”blandly” resolvedโค byโ the season’s midpoint.
Performances were also โa source of critique, with โClarkeโ describedโ as “mumbly and glum,” Bennett (presumably referring to Bernard Bennett) as โ”generally glum,” and โKnoxville (Bamโ Yauch) as “wasted.” Alfreโฃ Woodard, often praised for her authoritative โคroles, was given what was โdescribed as her “most underwritten role to date.”โค
A particular disappointment was โฃthe limited role given to Dallasโข Goldtooth, known for hisโค work on Reservation Dogs. His character primarily served as a soundingโข board for Frank, asking “What’s wrong, boss?” โand โฃoffering “snippets of wisdom” without significant development within the context of Alaskan communities.
Despiteโ these issues, the pilot and finale โคwere โฃsingled โฃout โas the strongest episodes, demonstratingโ the creative potential of โฃthe โคseries’ concept.โข The finale concludedโค with a setupโค for a second season, which will now โnot โmaterialize.
The show โฃalso drew attention for its occasionally unconvincing visual effects, exemplified by a scene involving a character falling into a โฃchasm and โฃreappearing unharmed without explanation.