The Church of Jesus Christ recently released an important commentary on the 6-part historical fiction series, called American Primeval on Netflix. It is important to note, as the Church does not usually release a commentary on popular culture, but in this case the story so egregiously distorts Brigham Young and Latter-day Saint history that silence would be betrayal.
First, the church’s commentary, followed by some of our own thoughts:
Depictions that Deceive: When Historical Fiction Does Harm
A recently released streaming series presents a fictionalized interpretation of events in mid-19th century Utah. While historical fiction can be illuminating, this drama is dangerously misleading.
Brigham Young, a revered prophet and courageous pioneer, is, by any historical standard, egregiously mischaracterized as a villainous, violent fanatic. Other individuals and groups are also depicted in ways that reinforce stereotypes that are both inaccurate and harmful.
As to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, which the series inaccurately portrays as reflective of a whole faith group, the Church has long acknowledged and condemned this horrific tragedy. It has also taken significant steps to uncover and share the full truth of what happened and promote healing.
The problem with such deceptive, graphic and sensationalized storytelling is that it not only obscures reality and hinders genuine understanding but can foster animosity, hate and even violence. This is particularly troubling today when peacemakers are needed more than ever. At a time when so many responsible leaders are condemning the division and hostility that dominate so much of our public discourse, we echo the plea of President Russell M. Nelson: “The Savior’s message is clear: His true disciples build, lift, encourage, persuade, and inspire—no matter how difficult the situation. True disciples of Jesus Christ are peacemakers. … Peacemaking is a choice. … I urge you to choose to be a peacemaker, now and always.”
This sentiment, shared across many traditions, is resonating around the world today. It is the prophetic message of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—a message of peace that all the modern prophets have shared, including Brigham Young.
The problem with a dramatically produced historical fiction series is that people come away simply believing that it is true, and since the series has been riding at the number one spot as the most popular on Netflix, that means many have been influenced by these terrible fabrications. Carried along in a compelling story, viewers think they know something about Latter-day Saints which utterly discredits us. They know it’s true because publications everywhere are telling them this series is based on actual events and the story telling was so compelling.
Here’s a sample, compiled by Daniel C. Peterson:
MovieWeb (emphasis in the original):
American Primeval, a six-part miniseries on Netflix . . . explores the gritty and harsh life on the American frontier. The Western is based in part on real events that took place in Utah during the 1850s and incorporates many of the same brutality and fortitude exhibited by the people who lived through them. . . .
During the Utah War of 1857 and 1858, Mormons Attacked Other Mormons to Try to Preserve Their Way of Life . . .
By September 1857, Lee and his fellow militia leader Isaac C. Haight recruited members of the Southern Paiute tribe to attack a group of Mormons called the Baker-Fancher party passing through Mountain Meadows. . . .
It’s not entirely clear whether Young ordered the attack on the group at Mountain Meadows . . .
The Nauvoo Legion attacked the group of Mormon settlers at Mountain Meadows and, after five days, the survivors attempted to surrender. After the remaining members of the Baker-Fancher party were disarmed, they were led away — only to be attacked once again, by “Indians, among whom were Mormons in disguise.”
Here’s a piece from Men’s Health (of all things!) entitled “Kim Coates Makes American Primeval‘s Brigham Young Into a Chilling Western Villain: It’s another great role for an actor you’ve likely seen a few times before”:
One of the main threads and depictions in American Primeval is how the Mormons—the early Church of Latter Day Saints—are expanding their grasp on Utah at any cost. In the very first episode, that is realized in the form of the excruciatingly bloody Mountain Meadows Massacre, a real event that the Church of Latter Day Saints has in the time since accepted responsibility for; we see murders, scalpings, and all sorts of horrible violence in this grueling long scene that sets the tone for the remainder of the limited series.
American Primeval early on establishes the Mormons as the show’s relentless antagonists, but it’s only once Brigham Young is properly introduced, as both their political and religious leader, that the threat feels even more real. Young is a gifted orator, a calm speaker whose words actually suggest a violent, terrifying future of violence and brutality at the benefit of his church and to the detriment of everyone in their path.
Forbes: “Is Netflix’s ‘American Primeval’ Based On A True Story? What’s Fact Vs. Fiction”
Netflix’s new limited series American Primeval debuted this week and quickly claimed the top spot as the streamer’s most popular show. . . . Brigham Young (portrayed by Coates), the leader of the Mormon Church at the time, commanded his army known as the Nauvoo Legion.
The Forbes article goes on to sift through what’s true and not true, and entirely misses the point that the show’s premise, geography, and players are fundamentally distorted. They completely miss all that is false.
People: “Is American Primeval a True Story? All About the Deadly Utah Massacre That Inspired the Netflix Miniseries (and Its Connection to 2015’s The Revenant): In 1857, a Mormon army murdered over 120 settlers — and covered up their involvement for decades” If you read Eric Newman’s comment with any degree of attention, you may detect a certain political vibe: Everything good about America’s history is a lie:
The only thing more horrific than the violent story of American Primeval is that it’s based on true events. . . .
the Utah War, a confrontation between the Mormon people and the U.S. government over land ownership [?] . . .
Executive producer Eric Newman described the retelling as “an anti-nostalgic, truthful look at our history.”
“These rose-colored glasses in which we view the past, from the first Thanksgiving onward, is a lie,” he told Tudum. “It’s a lie meant to make us feel good about this really rugged, brutal path that we’ve taken. I think we do a disservice to ourselves by looking at it in that way because it prevents us from seeing it [happening] again.”
FAIR has assembled this fact check on the series: Fact Checking American Primeval: What’s Real and What’s Fiction?, https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/home-page/current-events/fact-check-american-primeval and the series contains a flurry of falsehoods that ultimately smear Brigham Young. Here’s a sample:
Brigham Young ordered the genocide of a Shoshone village. FALSE
Brigham Young and Mormon settlers regularly attacked emigrant wagon trains heading through Utah. FALSE
Wild Bil Hickman was a lawman and a member of the Nauvoo legion who later engaged in violent acts, illustrating the supposed inherent violence of early Mormon culture. MISLEADING
Brigham Young commanded a secret group of assassins known as the Danites. FALSE
To create a story as those who made American Primeval have done that is supposedly based on real characters in a way that distorts facts, promotes a false narrative, and makes villains of them is unethical.
The FAIR document notes that “when portraying real historical groups or events, filmmakers have an ethical responsibility to consult credible experts and representatives of the group being portrayed. Choosing consultants who lack expertise or who are known to have personal biases can lead to distorted narratives that misrepresent the group. This is particularly problematic when the portrayal involves a minority or religious group that has historically faced misunderstanding or prejudice.”
They note that it is not “ethical for consultants to misrepresent a group in order to satisfy personal or ideological agendas.”
“Ethically sound consulting requires presenting a balanced and truthful perspective, even when personal beliefs or experiences differ from those of the group being represented. The goal should be to foster understanding and promote respectful dialogue, not to advance personal agendas at the expense of accuracy.”
Why does this matter so much?
Why does this portrait of a villainous, hysterical Brigham Young with crazed followers matter so much? Because it has real consequences in the real world. Latter-day Saints have been a misunderstood and maligned minority in this country and by the screeds against the church that have appeared on social media since American Primeval made its preview, a feeding frenzy can be ignited. Violence can be shaped against a people who are described in a dramatic narrative in such dark tones. The idea is largely promoted that the great underbelly of religion is violence, and no people are more violent than the Latter-day Saints.
Latter-day Saints will not recognize themselves, nor their history in this series—if they know history. Yet, it is also true that our own young people, ignorant of the facts, may believe the power of this 6-part series. Nothing is a more powerful teacher than a story.
The Power of a Narrative to Create Bias and Hatred
A people may be judged with great bias based on the narratives that have been created and repeated about them or they can be seen fairly and humanely. One can hardly count the importance of a narrative for creating discrimination and hatred or understanding and regard.
I can’t help but think of the powerful narratives that have shaped the acceptance and rejection of Jews worldwide. A narrative called The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was published in 1902-03 in Great Britain based on anti-Semitic materials developed earlier during the pogroms against Jews in Russia. According to Wikipedia, “The Protocols purports to document the minutes of a late-19th-century meeting attended by world Jewish leaders, the “Elders of Zion”, who are conspiring to control the world. The forgery places in the mouths of the Jewish leaders a variety of plans, most of which derive from older antisemitic canards. For example, the Protocols includes plans to subvert the morals of the non-Jewish world, plans for Jewish bankers to control the world’s economies, plans for Jewish control of the press, and – ultimately – plans for the destruction of civilization.”
This book was large believed and transmitted, taught in schools in Germany during the thirties, and used as a rationale for the Holocaust. They purported to be true, but were completely false, and put the Jewish people in the most dastardly light, whipping up the greatest prejudice against them.
So much for sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Words can lead to all the rest—as it did for the Jews.
Yet, the Jews also used a moving narrative to break down barriers. In 1958, Leon Uris was asked to write his novel Exodus about the Jews at a time after World War II when most nations, including British-controlled Palestine were unwilling to accept Jewish refugees. Leon Uris was asked to write a novel about this struggle and the result was Exodus, which fictionalized the story of 4,500 displaced Holocaust victims making the journey by ship to the land that would become the state of Israel.
In this book, scholars say Uris used history to make history. The story became a worldwide phenomenon that “galvanized Jewry and helped establish an international Jewish identity.”
Here was the power of a narrative for great good.
So, it is worth paying attention to what is written about your religion and faith tradition, for others can and will use it to marginalize or hurt you. American Primeval is a travesty to Latter-day Saint history and particularly Brigham Young, but it ultimately can hurt any Latter-day Saint who finds that people scorn their beliefs or their history. That’s a disservice to everybody.
JuliannJanuary 30, 2025
Having read several books on the Mountain Meadow Massacre in high school I was surprised and grateful for the accurate account in the book Saints, put out by The Church. My nonactive daughter and her nonmember husband watched this series and told me about it. I acknowledged that the horrific incident did take place but that responsibility lay with a group of leaders and followers who acted without authority and in response to fear. I have never laid blame on Brigham Young. I have ancestors who had slaves. I was raised observing prejudice. I chose to live differently and will not live my life apologizing for others choices, nor do I excuse their behavior. Learn the truth for yourself and if challenged state the facts.
Gordon HensleyJanuary 29, 2025
What we have here is "The Protocols of the Elders of Utah."