November 6, 2016 (2016-11-06) – December 21, 2018 (2018-12-21)
Frontier is a Canadian historical drama television series co-created by Rob Blackie and Peter Blackie, chronicling the North American fur trade in colonial Canada/Rupert's Land, sometime in the late 1700s or early 1800s. The series is co-produced by Discovery Canada, as the channel's first original scripted commission, and Netflix. The series premiered on November 6, 2016.
The series was renewed for a second season in October 2016, ahead of its premiere, which premiered on October 18, 2017. Frontier was renewed for a third season on September 20, 2017, also ahead of the previous second season. The entirety of the third season premiered first on Netflix on November 23, 2018, and was broadcast in Canada between December 7 and 21, 2018.
Synopsis
The series chronicles the North American fur trade in late 1700s Canada, and follows Declan Harp (Jason Momoa), a half-Irish, half-Cree outlaw who is campaigning to breach the Hudson's Bay Company's monopoly on the fur trade in his native land, which has become corrupt and engages in illegal activities to enrich itself.[1]
Cast
Main
Jason Momoa as Declan Harp, a ruthless trapper, infamous for his brutality, wanted by the Hudson's Bay Company
Alun Armstrong as Lord Benton, member of the Hudson's Bay Company also known for his iron-fisted tactics.
Landon Liboiron as Michael Smyth, a tumultuous thief who, after sneaking aboard a Hudson's Bay Company ship, is recruited by the company to spy on Declan Harp.
Zoe Boyle as Grace Emberly, an ambitious bartender in Fort James who collects and peddles information.
A Hudson's Bay Company ship arrives from London with a surprise passenger and troubling news for Lord Benton, who lays a snare for Michael and Harp.
5
5
"The Disciple"
Ken Girotti
Greg Nelson
December 4, 2016 (2016-12-04)
A shrewd new entrepreneur contrives to topple Grant and the Brown brothers alike, and Lord Benton's obsession with Harp disintegrates into savagery.
6
6
"The Gallows"
Ken Girotti
Greg Spottiswood
December 11, 2016 (2016-12-11)
Declan is badly hurt. He returns to the Alehouse seeking Grace Emberly's help. Declan wants revenge on Benton. Emberly's tell Chesterfield now is the time to arrest Benton and become Governor. Everton asks Benton for more food for his imprisoned soldiers but Benton refuses. Everton receives 50 lashes in the yard. Samuel Grant visits Fort James and meets with Emberly. He also visits Benton. Michael, Clenna and Sokanon try to make it back to Fort James to stop Declan but Clenna breaks her leg. Malcolm Brown waits for Chesterfield in the Alehouse. Emberly de-escalates a confrontation between them. Chesterfield proposes to Emberly and she refuses. Michael, Clenna and Sokanon make to the Alehouse and the girls set Clenna's leg. Declan meets with Samuel Grant. Declan agrees for Samuel Grant to do business with the Black Wolf Company, on the condition that Grace Emberly has safe passage to Montreal and that Samuel takes Benton for a walk tomorrow. Emberly betrays Chesterfield to Malcolm Brown. Chesterfield and Malcolm fight and Malcolm is badly beaten. Michael goes after Declan. Samuel Grant meets with Benton as promised but informs him that Declan is waiting to attack him. Declan injures Benton but is captured. Clenna and Michael end their relationship. Michael, Sokanon, Emberly and the girls from the Alehouse blow up the magazine while Declan stands on the gallows. Benton aims for Declan but shoots Father Coffin. Michael shoots Benton and Declan escapes.
With a bounty on Harp's head, Fort James fills up with bounty hunters; Emberly and Chesterfield conspire against Benton; Michael and Sokanon struggle to keep the Black Wolf in business.
Bounty hunters find Harp in the North. Benton sails to England at the mercy of Everton, but makes a new friend. Michael has a plan to make the Black Wolf more money. Carruthers and Grant vie for the attention of a French Marquis, and Emberly finds herself in danger of losing her independence.
9
3
"The Wolf and the Bear"
John Vatcher
Chris Roberts
November 1, 2017 (2017-11-01)
Harp is hunted by the Siberian. Michael and Sokanon plot a heist against the Hudson Bay Company. Emberly seeks to protect her father's alehouse from Chesterfield.
Michael and Sokanon remain at Fort James preparing to execute the plan for the Black Wolf company. En route to England, Benton proves he is still a skilled manipulator and Chesterfield demonstrates that he is an able student of Benton's.
11
5
"Cannonball"
Paul Fox
Kerri MacDonald & Sherry White
November 15, 2017 (2017-11-15)
Emberly reclaims the Alehouse, but even caught with his pants down, Chesterfield does not intend to lighten the pressure. The plan for seizing the pelts becomes more dangerous. Grant's and Elizabeth's sparring turns deadly.
12
6
"Keetom Takooteeoo Maheekun (The Return of the Wolf)"
David Frazee
Peter Blackie & Rob Blackie
November 22, 2017 (2017-11-22)
Michael meets Pond and negotiates the sale of the stolen pelts but Sokanon has reservations, meanwhile Chesterfield is searching for Harp and Grace is in danger. Douglas and Malcolm Brown find a new ally and set their sights on a weakened Grant. Lord Benton is the chess grand-master and is making sinister plans.
Emberly and Chaulk turn the tables on Benton; Michael makes an attempt at forming an alliance.
15
3
"Satanazes"
TJ Scott
Kerri MacDonald
December 14, 2018 (2018-12-14)
Harp and the group chase Emberly and Benton; Emberly tries to figure out what Benton wants; Douglas finds out about a betrayal; Malcolm gets in some trouble.
The series is produced in 4Kultra high definition; on January 8, 2016, Bell Media confirmed that Frontier would stream in 4K via the Discovery Go app exclusively on Samsung 4K smart TVs.[6]
The series premiered on November 6, 2016.[7] The series was renewed for a second season in October 2016, ahead of its premiere,[8] which premiered on October 18, 2017.[9]Frontier was renewed for a third season on September 20, 2017, also ahead of the previous season.[10] The entirety of the third season premiered first on Netflix on November 23, 2018, and was broadcast in Canada between December 7 and 21, 2018.[11][12]
Internationally, the series is distributed by Netflix, with the first season available from January 20, 2017.[13] An exclusivity agreement meant that the series would not be available on Netflix in Canada until 2017.[2][14]
Reception
The first season received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating from critics of 43% based on 14 reviews, with the site's consensus reading "Jason Momoa's powerhouse performance as Declan Harp is ultimately weighed down by Frontier's often sluggish storytelling".[15] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[16]
In a positive review, John Doyle of The Globe and Mail described the series as "an action-packed, uncomplicated and very entertaining yarn about the cutthroats who created this country by plundering it, when they weren't busy killing each other". Doyle felt the opening episode's handling of interactions with First Nations was handled "delicately," commenting that Frontier was "far from being a whitewashed tale about the English, Scots, Irish and French battling out for possession of fur and land".[17]
The second season was better received and has a 100% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 5 reviews.[18]
Awards and nominations
Canadian Screen Awards
Year
Category
Nominee
Result
Ref
2017
Best Achievement in Casting
Denise Chamain, Sara Kay, Jenny Lewis, Danielle Irvine
