Preemptive renewals are all the rage these days, so it’s not all that surprising to learn from The Hollywood Reporter that Netflix has gone ahead and renewed Frontier before the series has even premiered on its home network of Discovery Canada. The streaming giant has zero chill about the fur-trading drama starring Jason Momoa, which we can kind of understand. Then again, Frontier also happens to be the first original scripted series for Discovery Canada, which is currently the home of Canada’s Worst Driver and Bitchin’ Rides. We suppose that shouldn’t temper anyone’s excitement for the show, especially since Discovery Canada is also where you can watch Alaska: The Last Frontier, so at least the network’s got a whole theme going.
Momoa leads Frontier as Declan Harp, a ruthless fur trader (is there any other kind?), who’s also an “ambitious, confident, charismatic and untamed man” who’s “driven by lust and revenge.” We’re not sure who he’ll be lusting after or avenging just yet, but the series will also explore “the delicate relations between Native tribes and Europeans that can spark bloody conflicts.” He’s joined in the cast by Alun Armstrong, Jessica Matten, and The Expanse’s Shawn Doyle. The Aquaman actor’s work on Sundance’s defunct The Red Road centered on a contemporary version of said conflicts, so he should be able to travel to the past for their inception.
Frontier premieres next month on Discovery Canada, and will debut on Netflix in 2017.