How a Canadian historical drama challenged the Hudson's Bay Company's brutal fur trade monopoly
In short: Frontier, a gritty historical drama co-produced by Discovery Canada and Netflix, explores the cutthroat world of the North American fur trade. Centered on the outlaw Declan Harp, the series depicts a violent struggle against the corrupt monopoly of the Hudson's Bay Company in late 18th-century Canada.
Premiering on November 6, 2016, Frontier marked a significant milestone as Discovery Canada's first original scripted commission. The series, which was filmed across diverse locations including Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and parts of the United Kingdom, was notable for being produced in 4K ultra high definition. Its distribution strategy was unique, with an exclusivity agreement delaying its Canadian Netflix release until 2017, while international audiences gained access earlier that year.
The narrative follows Declan Harp, portrayed by Jason Momoa, a character of half-Irish and half-Cree descent. Harp serves as an outlaw figure determined to dismantle the Hudson's Bay Company. The show frames the company not merely as a commercial entity, but as a corrupt organization engaging in illegal activities to enrich itself at the expense of the land and its inhabitants. Critics have noted that the series avoids a sanitized version of history, instead focusing on the brutal competition between English, Scots, Irish, and French interests.
Critical reception for the show was initially divided. The first season earned a 43% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with some reviewers finding the storytelling sluggish despite Momoa's intense performance. However, the series saw a marked improvement in critical standing by its second season, which achieved a 100% approval rating on the same platform. The show concluded its run with a third season that premiered on Netflix in November 2018, followed by a Canadian broadcast in December of that same year.
The series has been praised for its portrayal of the complex interactions between European settlers and First Nations people. John Doyle of The Globe and Mail described the show as an entertaining, action-packed yarn that does not shy away from the violent reality of how the country was formed. By focusing on the plundering and conflict inherent in the fur trade, Frontier attempts to provide a raw look at the colonial era.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Frontier (2016 TV series)
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