Kevin Costner’s ‘The West’ Exposes Tragic Truths of America’s Frontier

Kevin Costner, the cowboy-loving star of Yellowstone and Horizon, saddles up as narrator and executive producer for the History Channel’s new docu-series, The West. This eight-part exploration dives deep into the rugged, often heart-wrenching history of America’s frontier. Costner, in a candid chat, revealed the series uncovers a tapestry of tragedy, with few tales boasting happy endings. “Almost everything I found was tragic,” he noted, reflecting on the brutal realities of the era.

Take John Colter, the legendary mountain man who thrived in the wild, hunting and communicating through sign language. Costner was captivated by Colter’s story, a man who didn’t just survive the frontier but shaped its wildest legends. Yet, the series doesn’t shy away from darker truths—how settlers displaced Native peoples, imposing their religion and renaming lands. “We told them we just wanted to pass through, then we took their land, cut their hair, changed their faith,” Costner said, highlighting the deception and violence that scarred the West.

Joined by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, also an executive producer, Costner’s passion for the West shines through. Goodwin praised his “contagious” enthusiasm and spiritual connection to the subject. For Costner, the West mirrors the raw honesty of sports—a place where survival demanded resourcefulness, and humanity’s best and worst traits clashed. “It was a dangerous place. You had to be tough,” he mused, noting how groups often perished together, their stories a mix of courage and cruelty.

The West premieres on the History Channel this Memorial Day, with streaming available May 27. It’s a gritty, unflinching look at how the struggle for land shaped America, told through Costner’s lens of reverence and realism.