Jason Clarke's Gritty Apple TV+ Series Is The Next Big Thing You Need To Watch

"Reacher" season 3 set a high bar for action on the small screen in 2025, but "The Last Frontier," starring the great Jason Clarke, on Apple TV+ also deserves to be celebrated and worshipped. Created by Jon Bokenkamp and Richard D'Ovidio, it tells the story of a plane full of criminals that crashes down in Alaska, and it's up to U.S. Marshal Frank Remnick (Clarke) to protect the locals from the fugitives. It's one of the best Apple TV+ shows to come out this year. Actually, scrap that: "The Last Frontier" is one of the best series on any streaming platform right now.

So, why should you watch "The Last Frontier" ahead of all of the other unwatched shows you want to get around to? Well, if the "Con-Air"-esque premise of escaped criminals wreaking havoc in the snow doesn't sell you, how about the fact it's wilder than dining with a squirrel? Before the carnage unfolds on the ground, we are treated to chaotic scenes of people falling from the sky, setting the tone for a chilly, action-packed slice of dad entertainment, and it just gets better from there. I recommend this one to viewers who currently find themselves longing for more shows like "Justified," as "The Last Frontier" also mixes Western tropes with modern-day action storytelling.

"The Last Frontier" is gritty and violent, but the show's creators set out to make something fun, and that sentiment is tangible in every frame. In the age of prestige TV, it's refreshing to see a series that's unabashedly pulpy while still being upscale. With that in mind, how did Bokenkamp and D'Ovidio go about finding the right balance?

The best aspect of "The Last Frontier" is that it approaches the material seriously, even though the premise is inherently silly. Without going into spoiler territory, there is also a governmental conspiracy at the heart of the series, reminding viewers that we shouldn't merely trust our rulers, so know that there are intellectual elements at play. That said, while speaking to /Film's Jeremy Mathai, Jon Bokenkamp revealed that "The Last Frontier" was always intended to be unadulterated, popcorn entertainment:

"This is definitely pulpy. This is supposed to be fun. There's a lot of prestige, there's a lot of smart TV. Sometimes, I feel like I'm needing to eat my vegetables in some of the things that I'm watching, that I'm supposed to reflect back on how I feel and how the world is. This is supposed to give people a place to escape, to forget about the world for a little bit and have some fun. That is the pulp side."

Of course, any show that stars Jason Clarke, Haley Bennett, and Dominic Cooper is always going to be elevated, regardless of how intentionally fun the story is supposed to be. "The Last Frontier" belongs to the genre of prestigious pulp, as it boasts an all-star cast, kinetic action sequences, and an engaging, edge-of-the-seat story that finds a perfect balance between ridiculous and grounded. We need more shows like it, and long may it continue.

"The Last Frontier" is now streaming on Apple TV+.