The Son: Season 1

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Mixed or average reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews

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Mixed or average reviews based on 36 Ratings

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The Son

Now Playing: The Son

Season Details & Credits

AMC | Season Premiere Date: April 8, 2017

Summary: Eli McCullough (Pierce Brosnan) was kidnapped by the Comanches at 13 and grows into a ruthless businessman, his oldest son Pete McCullough (Henry Garrett) struggles with his father's brutality and making his own way, while Pete's daughter Jeannie McCullough (Sydney Lucas) seeks to escape the many expectations of being a woman in this epicEli McCullough (Pierce Brosnan) was kidnapped by the Comanches at 13 and grows into a ruthless businessman, his oldest son Pete McCullough (Henry Garrett) struggles with his father's brutality and making his own way, while Pete's daughter Jeannie McCullough (Sydney Lucas) seeks to escape the many expectations of being a woman in this epic based on the novel by Philipp Meyer.… Expand

Genre(s): Drama, Action & Adventure

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Season 1 Episodes

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S1:E10. Scalps
Air Date: June 10, 2017
tbd
S1:E9. The Prophecy
Air Date: June 3, 2017
tbd
S1:E8. Honey Hunt
Air Date: May 20, 2017

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Critic Reviews

TV Guide Magazine Matt Roush

Mar 30, 2017

[A] terrific dynastic saga, a darker-than-dark "Giant" [1956 film directed by George Stevens]. [3-16 Apr 2017, p.19]

Lorraine Ali

Apr 7, 2017

[Pierce Brosnan's] awkward drawl is one of the most jarring mood-killers in The Son, and those twinkly eyes are often more playful than dangerous. Even though the journey may be a bit bumpy, The Son still offers an easy ride into the Old West. Read full review

Darren Franich

Mar 13, 2017

The Son will rise--if it can live up to its ambitions, if it can more convincingly explain how young Eli on the frontier became old Eli at the dawn of civilization, and if it can be even half as wild as the West it wants to explore. Read full review

Matthew Gilbert

Apr 6, 2017

Like AMC’s “Hell on Wheels,” the show inspires all kinds of middling adjectives--decent, average, fair, and all right. It’s not bad, but it’s not quite good, either. Read full review

Brian Lowry

Apr 7, 2017

The main problem is that very little of what happens during the 20th-century sequences proves especially interesting, beginning with the rather nondescript assortment of family members, neighbors and friends that surround Eli. If this is supposed to be a big "Dallas"-style epic filled with family intrigue and hoisted petticoats, it's as if they conjured a slightly wizened J.R. but nobody else of much note. Read full review

Dennis Perkins

Apr 7, 2017

The Son is handsomely if stiffly mounted would-be prestige drama without the imagination to rise to the level of its ambitions. Read full review

Ira Madison III

Mar 13, 2017

Even if the viewer can ignore the familiar beats of the story, the only well-drawn characters are [Eli] McCullough and his son, Pete. Everyone else contains scraps of traditional Western archetypes, but they aren’t fully realized as characters we should care about. Chances are, if you recognize the archetypes, you’ll recognize another Western you’d much rather watch instead of The Son. Read full review

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User Reviews

pdw123

Jul 26, 2017

The themes of prejudice and discrimination involved in this quasi-historical cowboy-Indian-Mexican saga are engaging, as is the time edited style going between 2 periods in Eli's later and earlier life. I haven't gotten into Brosnan a lot before, but he gives some of his most worthyThe themes of prejudice and discrimination involved in this quasi-historical cowboy-Indian-Mexican saga are engaging, as is the time edited style going between 2 periods in Eli's later and earlier life. I haven't gotten into Brosnan a lot before, but he gives some of his most worthy performances here, as do the other great supporting cast, whom we'll hopefully see more of. I've like this and "Turn" on AMC, as it seems the network does a better job with period pieces and the dialog is much more intelligent than the millennial intended schlock like "Walking Dead" and "Preacher". Hopefully, we "adults" paying thru the nose for cable will see more of the former than the latter from this network in the future.

That said, some of the gore and violence might be a turnoff for some as the scalping, lynching, and Indian torture scenes seem very realistic---but hey, that's how violence really is and it just adds to the effective dramatic tone here. I don't like watered down violence, as folks needs to see violence as an abhorrent thing as it is. Nice work for once and on the nice production design too, AMC. Keep doing your multi-cultural research, and good job!… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

GrantD243

Jul 21, 2019

The acting is great the story has its moments, but ultimately it's a fairly mediocre western show.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Greendevil1978

May 1, 2017

I wanted to like this more. I really did. But the pacing really drags. The flip flopping back and forth each hour means neither narrative progresses much each week, either. That said, I think Brosnan does a good job (though would have liked to have seen Sam Neill handle it. Not sure whyI wanted to like this more. I really did. But the pacing really drags. The flip flopping back and forth each hour means neither narrative progresses much each week, either. That said, I think Brosnan does a good job (though would have liked to have seen Sam Neill handle it. Not sure why he dropped out!) and the rest of the cast, including the younger version of McCullough, is good, as well. And there are a few great action scenes. But for the most part you keep wishing the thing would hurry up and move along.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

tiredcrap

Jun 12, 2017

Considering the times we live in perhaps not the best idea to set people against one another for entertainment purposes. This series is the definition of racist and contemptible, the only character you can hang your hat on is Toshaway.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

ChaseTheRabbit

Apr 30, 2018

I was optimistic that a new drama with Pierce Brosnan would be not only entertaining, but cerebral. Then I had my intelligence insulted by Hollywood yet again - and all within the first 8 minutes of episode 1. This really pisses me off. These Hollywood idiots ALL earn an easy 7 figures -I was optimistic that a new drama with Pierce Brosnan would be not only entertaining, but cerebral. Then I had my intelligence insulted by Hollywood yet again - and all within the first 8 minutes of episode 1. This really pisses me off. These Hollywood idiots ALL earn an easy 7 figures - but none of them can add two f*****g numbers together.

The starts out with a youthful Ian McCullough in 1849 - appearing as more or less a teenager - but one just entering manhood, making him around 15 or 16 years old - at most. After being orphaned by a tribe of Comanche Indians - we fast forward to McCullough as an adult - Pierce Brosnan - in 1915. Now, Pierce Brosnan is 64 years old - a rather youthful and robust 64 I might add. But if McCullough was just 15 in 1849, he'd be 81 in 1915. Even if the young McCullough had only been 12 in the first scene - he'd still be 78 as an adult Pierce Brosnan in 1915.......

So what is his character's age ? What kind of idiots do the writers of these shows thing their audience really is. It would have been more realistic if the older version of Eli McCullough - was Eli Jr.

The only reason I even decided to watch this (On Hulu - via Roku - since I refuse to pay for cable and satellite extortion any longer) - is because I suffered through three episodes of an even worse new TV program "Blindspot." These two pathetic attempts at drama are a testament to the fact that everyone in Hollywood are a bunch of over-paid, untalented, brainless, Leftist / Marxist morons, who think the general public are stupid enough to be entertained by absolute nonsense - as long as some big-name celebrity superstar like Pierce Brosnan is the star. I can't believe even he would let pass a script - that has him playing a rugged, tough, land-baron whose chronological age in the story would put him at more than 80 years old - at a time in history when the average life-span of an American was only 52.3 years.

Message to Hollywood -- Get your heads out of your asses and please stop insulting our intelligence.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Sharonk

Apr 9, 2017

the acting was good. The scenery, and filming was good. What i thought was too excessive was the profanity, and constant anger. At the rate Eli is stringing up people there won't be anyone left in Texas.

3 of 8 users found this helpful35

billycat

Jul 21, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A series Trumpsters will love! I only watched this because I like Pierce Bronson. First, the series is historically inaccurate. After the Texas war with Mexico the state of Texas had, and still does, have a hateful view of Mexicans. Historically all Mexican ranchers were terrorized (rape, murder, fire, etc) off their land by Texas Rangers. So that within in few years no Mexicans had retained their lands.

However, "The Son" has a rather prosperous Mexican ranch owning family who are friends and allies to the Elijah's family. Even after Elijah's family kills Cesar, a member of that prosperous Mexican family. It gets better! The sister in law of the murdered Cesar tips off Elijah's son about other Mexicans doing harm. Even though those very Mexicans helped her father prosper. And the best part is that after Elijah's people glorify the killing of Mexicans and encounter their comeuppance, that prosperous Mexican family rides in to save Elijah's family. Now remember it was Elijah's family who tortured and murdered Cesar, the son in law of their Mexican allies..

Now I don't know what racist or sell out Latino wrote this piece of garbage, but it's horrible! It's insulting to Mexicans and Latinos overall. I watched it because I wanted to see how they young Elijah did with the Comanche's. Also I was in disbelief that in 2017 a cable tv network would make somethings so vulgarly historically inaccurate and so bigoted in it s portrayal of Mexicans. They might as well have name this series "Sellout Mexicans of Old" or "Tio Tacos of Texas" or "How Mexicans Betray Mexicans" or "Good Mexicans Enable Hate Crime". Or how about, "Now Why Can't All Mexicans Be Like This, A Bigot's Tale!", or maybe they should name it, "How to Mass Murder Mexicans and Get Away with It".

My guess is that whoever made this series is Trump supporter. I'm not a big AMC fan. I've only watched it for McMafia. But I'm pretty sure I'm writing AMC off as trash.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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Seasons & Episodes

57

Series Overview
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: April 27, 2019
Season 1

57
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: April 8, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E10. Scalps
  Air Date: June 10, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E9. The Prophecy
  Air Date: June 3, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E8. Honey Hunt
  Air Date: May 20, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E7. Marriage Bond
  Air Date: May 13, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E6. The Buffalo Hunter
  Air Date: May 6, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E5. No Prisoners
  Air Date: April 29, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E4. Death Song
  Air Date: April 22, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E3. Second Empire
  Air Date: April 15, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E2. The Plum Tree
  Air Date: April 8, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E1. First Son of Texas
  Air Date: April 8, 2017