Kevin Costner Unveils Bold New Docuseries Exploring the Untamed Wild West
Kevin Costner Brings the Untamed Story of America’s Wild West to Life in New Docuseries
If you’re looking for an unfiltered, gripping look into the history of the American West, Kevin Costner is ready to deliver.
At 70, the Oscar-winning actor and director steps both behind the scenes and in front of the camera as the executive producer and host of Kevin Costner’s The West—an eight-part docuseries premiering on the HISTORY Channel. The series dives deep into the fierce battles over land, power, and identity that defined the American frontier—and reveals how that legacy continues to shape the nation today.
“What do we see when we think of the West?” Costner asks in the trailer’s opening moments, setting the tone for a sweeping exploration of both myth and reality.
Doris Kearns Goodwin, renowned historian and co-executive producer, describes the West as “the essence of the American dream.” Fellow historian Ned Blackhawk echoes that sentiment, adding, “The American West conjures wonder, possibility, opportunity.”
But while the trailer acknowledges the ambition and hope tied to westward expansion, it doesn’t flinch from its darker truths. “Many people had to pay the price of that ambition,” says historian Ed O’Donnell. “Everyone is willing to fight—and die—for it.” Activist and author Yohuru Williams adds, “American forces believed in their superiority. The Native Americans would prove them deadly wrong.”
Set against a haunting, stripped-down rendition of “America the Beautiful,” the trailer flashes stark on-screen contrasts: power and power shift, law and lawlessness, order and disorder, hope and despair, violence and beauty. These themes unfold alongside cinematic reenactments of bloody conflicts, painful displacements, and pivotal historical moments.
The docuseries spans a century of change, from the landmark journey of Lewis and Clark (aided by Sacagawea) to deadly standoffs between lawmen and outlaws. It chronicles the rise of cowboys and cattle ranchers, the resilience of pioneering women, and the push of abolitionists and fortune seekers striving to claim their place in a rapidly shifting land.
“As America moves west, a fracture opens between the free states and the slave states,” says adventurer and historian Peter Stark. “It’s a defining moment in our history.”
“These stories will captivate—and shock—you,” Costner promises at the trailer’s end. “Now it’s time to come face to face with the real story of our wild past.”
