Season 1
6 episodes Nov 6, 2016 6.5
Overview
In 18th-century North America, ruthless trappers and entrepreneurs fight to wrest control of the fur trade from the mighty Hudson's Bay Company.
Seasons
3 listed- Status
- Ended
- Seasons
- 3 seasons
- Episodes
- 18 episodes
- First aired
- Nov 6, 2016
- Last aired
- Dec 21, 2018
- Network
- Discovery
Latest episode: S3 E6 The Sins of the Father (Dec 21, 2018)
Season 2
6 episodes Oct 18, 2017 6.6
Season 3
6 episodes Dec 7, 2018 6.5
Cast
12 people
Reviews
5 min readGrease, Blood, and the Business of Survival
I kept thinking, while watching Frontier, that this is what happens when the frontier myth loses its polish and starts to smell like wet fur, gun oil, and old debts. The series doesn’t admire the 18th century so much as it feels around inside it, finding the bruises. latestnetflix.com's view is that in a streaming landscape crowded with prestige men-in-coats dramas, that’s not nothing.
It’s a show about trade, yes, but also about hunger — for power, for land, for leverage, for the right to say that the rules now belong to you.
What’s interesting about Frontier — and what makes it more than just another mud-caked historical action series — is that it arrives at a moment when TV had become unusually interested in the mechanics of empire. The Hudson’s Bay Company here isn’t just a logo or a backdrop. It’s a machine for turning geography into profit, and people into obstacles.
That’s the real conversation the series is having: not “Who were the good guys?” but “What does conquest look like when it’s organized as commerce?” That’s a nastier, more modern question. Much closer to our own world, frankly, than most costume dramas care to admit.
Jason Momoa is the show’s gravitational force, and he brings something almost perverse to the role: not just charisma, but fatigue. He’s spent so much of his career being cast as a force of nature — a body moving through space with the confidence of a man who expects the room to yield — that it’s striking to see how often Frontier lets him look cornered. His Declan Harp isn’t elegant.
He’s a blunt instrument with a memory. Momoa leans into that by making every entrance feel slightly dangerous, as if he’s always arriving one second before a fight or one second after it. You can see why the role fit him; it draws on the same physical authority he’s used elsewhere, but strips away the easy humor and supernatural polish.
The series’ visual grammar is built around this friction between body and system. The camera loves weather. It hangs on breath in the cold, on hands that can barely stay steady, on the little pauses before a blade comes out.
The production design is all dark wood, fur, smoke, canvas, and candlelight — the kind of palette that makes every interior feel temporary, as if it could be burned down or abandoned before morning. I don’t mean “beautiful” in any easy sense. More that the show understands texture.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsJason Momoa’s Frontier Fought the Fur Trade—and Netflix’s Cancel Button
Jason Momoa’s Frontier (2016) carved out a bloody, stylish niche in Netflix’s early originals lineup, blending historical drama with the kind of violent swagger that made Momoa a household name. Set in late 18th-century Canada, the series followed Declan Harp—a half-Irish, half-Cree outlaw—on a mission to dismantle the Hudson’s Bay Company’s iron-fisted monopoly over the fur trade. With a stacked cast and a premise ripe for conflict, Frontier promised a gritty, revisionist take on colonial history. But after three seasons, Netflix pulled the plug, latestnetflix.com contends, leaving fans with a cult favorite that never got its due.
A Star Vehicle with a Sharp Edge
Momoa’s role as Harp wasn’t just another action-hero gig. The character’s mixed heritage and anti-colonial rage gave the series a political bite, even if the show leaned heavily into brutal fight scenes and period intrigue. Co-created by Rob Blackie and Peter Blackie, Frontier was Discovery Canada’s first original scripted series, later picked up by Netflix for global distribution 
. The ensemble cast—including Landon Liboiron, Alun Armstrong, and Jessica Matten—brought depth to a world where power struggles played out in muddy forts and frozen forests.
Critics and fans alike praised the show’s unflinching violence and Momoa’s physicality, which turned Harp into a folk-antihero in the vein of Vikings’ Ragnar Lothbrok . The series’ aesthetic—gritty, visceral, and unapologetically bloody—set it apart from more polished period dramas. Yet despite its strengths, Frontier never quite broke out of the "underrated" category, overshadowed by Netflix’s bigger swings like The Witcher or Stranger Things.
The Netflix Cancellation: A Familiar Story
By 2018, Frontier was reportedly axed after three seasons. Outlets like PopCulture and Best in AU cited sources at What’s on Netflix, noting that the streamer declined to order a fourth season . The cancellation wasn’t a shock—Netflix’s early originals era was notorious for greenlighting ambitious projects only to kill them before they could find an audience. Frontier’s niche appeal (historical drama with a Western twist) and its Canadian production roots may have worked against it in a platform increasingly chasing global blockbusters.
Momoa’s star power wasn’t enough to save it. By the time Frontier wrapped, he was already eyeing bigger franchises (Aquaman, Dune), leaving the show’s legacy in limbo. Rumors of a revival or spin-off never materialized, though the series’ cult following keeps it alive in streaming back catalogs.
What Went Wrong?
The evidence doesn’t spell out a clear reason for Frontier’s cancellation, but a few factors likely played a role:
- Niche appeal: Historical dramas set in colonial Canada weren’t exactly mainstream, even with Momoa’s name attached.
- Streaming roulette: Netflix’s early strategy involved flooding the market with content, then culling shows that didn’t hit arbitrary engagement metrics.
- Lack of awards buzz: Unlike The Crown or Bridgerton, Frontier flew under the radar during awards season, limiting its cultural footprint.
A Forgotten Gem?
Years after its cancellation, Frontier still has defenders. Critics like MovieWeb argue it’s a "forgotten violent Netflix Western" worth revisiting, thanks to its stylish action and strong performances . The show’s blend of historical grit and Momoa’s charisma gives it a second life among fans of period dramas with teeth.
But with no revival in sight, Frontier remains a what-if: a series that could’ve been a breakout hit if Netflix had given it more time—or if audiences had been ready for its brutal, revisionist take on history.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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