The Last Frontier (Review): Terrific?

The Last Frontier (Season 1, USA, 2025) series title obviously suggests that its action-packed story is set in Alaska, which is primarily famous for its long, cold, and snowy winters. In the opening first five minutes of this series, we watch a transport plane go down and crash-land in a remote forest in Alaska.

So, in this 10-part American series in Season 1, in addition to the ensemble cast, the rugged and tough terrain of Alaska plays a key role in this thrilling, proverbial cat-and-mouse tale. And, most certainly, we are going to see more of this snow-laden place in the upcoming seasons in the near future.

Please note that Alaska is often referred to as "The Last Frontier" for its expansive wilderness, abundant wildlife, glaciers, opportunities for outdoor recreation and unique phenomena like the Northern Lights and midnight sun. Notably, located on the northwest extremity of North America, Alaska is not only the non-contiguous state of the United States of America (USA), but it is also its largest state. It contains 17 of the 20 highest peaks in North America, including the highest, Denali. Moreover, it showcases beautiful scenery such as Denali and Kenai Fjords National Park, with Juneau as its capital and Anchorage as its largest city. 

Spoiler-Free Series Review: The Last Frontier (S1/2025)

A US Marshall Takes On CIA Operatives In This Thrilling & Suspenseful Drama

Synopsis

The Last Frontier follows Frank Remnick (Jason Clarke), the lone U.S. marshal in charge of the quiet, rugged barrens of Alaska. Remnick’s jurisdiction is turned upside-down when a prison transport plane suspiciously crashes in the remote wilderness, setting free dozens of violent inmates. Tasked with protecting the town he’s vowed to keep safe, he begins to suspect the plane crash wasn’t an accident, but the first step of a well-crafted plan with far-reaching and devastating implications. So, a lone U.S. marshal and his team lead the hunt for escaped convicts in the Alaskan wilderness.

Criminals versus US Marshal

In this suspenseful tale, there are two distinct parts.

A plane full of dreaded criminal passengers crashed in the wilderness of Alaska. No one is sure as to why and how this aeronautical disaster took place. But one thing is certain that the air accident has unimaginable consequences for the local population. Picture this: what if many dangerous prisoners have survived and reportedly escaped? So, in the first part of the story, the team of local law enforcement agencies (and citizen volunteers) led by a US Marshal in charge, Frank Remnick (Jason Clarke), set out to capture all the escaped criminals, dead or alive.

In the first half, the protagonist, Frank Remnick, was relying on and using the superior (muscle) manpower at his disposal to capture and arrest the dreaded criminals.

In other words, this portion of the story initially focuses on typical good cops chasing bad criminals.

CIA Operatives versus US Marshal

But, as expected from the show creator of “The Blacklist” (2013-2023) Series, this Alaskan-based tale also has surprising twists and turns.

The introduction of CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) Agent Sidney Scofield (Haley Bennett) to the story adds another suspenseful dimension and secret layers to its storyline. So, in the second half of the series, we learn about different kinds of shady covert missions being carried out by the CIA operatives across the different nations of the world. The flashbacks and background stories are used smartly by its makers to add further complexities and depth to its mystery. As to what was the real intention behind the plane crash?

It's a pretty good possibility that the name of CIA agent Sidney Scofield came from the names of two of the most famous spies in fiction - Jennifer Garner's Sidney Bristow from the terrific show "Alias," and legendary spy-novel author Robert Ludlum's Brandon Scofield from his "Matarese" series of books (the first of which, "The Matarese Circle" is considered to be one of the best spy novels ever). 
[Info. Source: IMDb.]

And as Frank gets closer to the truth, the CIA operative puts the members of Frank Remnick’s family in a life-threatening situation. From then on, it is not only about catching criminals but also about unmasking the people behind the plane crash conspiracy.

Positives

➕The suspenseful action drama story is fun to watch. Especially, as the show follows the traditional path of releasing only one episode every week. Thereby, ensuring that it keeps the viewers hooked and engaged with the show. And certainly, the beautiful snow terrain of Alaska also helped.

➕ Frank Remnick, the protagonist’s character, has a lot of positives. He is a strong and silent type. And unlike the CIA Operatives, Frank is an upright US Marshall who believes in following the spirit of the law. We liked Jason Clarke’s portrayal of Frank Remnick, a caring family man and a lawman.

➕The actor and actress, Haley Bennett (Sidney Scofield) and Dominic Cooper (Havlock/Levi Hartman), impressed us with their clever psychological mind games being played by their respective characters. Both of them really looked the part, and they are a formidable pair, indeed, in this tale.

➕Despite their limited screen time, we appreciate the performances of Simone Kessell (Sarah Remnick), Dallas Goldtooth (Hutch), Tait Blum (Luke Remnick), Alfre Woodard (Jacqueline Bradford), Josh Cruddas (Trooper Marks), Theresa Cutknife (Jane), etc.

➕Starting with the plane crash scenes, the fight sequences, the vehicle chase shots, in fact, all kinds of action scenes were shot splendidly and dramatically. The stunts and action scenes were quite good and looked realistic, too. The production value is notable, indeed.

Negatives

➖We could guess some of the twists and turns in the story. Even the cliff-hanger ending in the season finale was as expected. Hopefully, its makers will further tighten its script and add unexpected, shocking events in the upcoming seasons of this show.

➖The rest of the ensemble cast did not have much to do, as their specific characters mainly played supporting roles. Let us hope that in the future, we will get to see some of these minor characters becoming important and integral to its storyline.

FM Rating

Conclusion

For a change, it was like viewing an old-fashioned action flick from Hollywood. We did not have to tax our brain cells too much. And, the scenic beauty of Alaska was a bonus. All in all, we could state that we really enjoyed watching The Last Frontier (Season 1/2025) Series. It is a good (terrific) show, surely.

Poster

Key Details

Trailer

Also, check out the YouTube video clip link: The Last Frontier — An Inside Look: Beyond the Crash | Apple TV.

Episodes Summary

An unprecedented emergency sends Fairbanks into lockdown. Frank gathers every resource available to mount a full-scale response.

Luke tries to get back home as the manhunt for Havlock intensifies. Frank weighs whether he should give in to a set of demands.

Sarah's disappearance adds urgency to Frank's search. Havlock's master plan takes an unexpected turn, increasing the number of hostages.

A state trooper goes missing, widening Frank's investigation. Armed locals join the manhunt. Sarah grows concerned over Luke's whereabouts.

Frank focuses on tracking down Luke. The CIA's involvement ramps up as Havlock's plan enters a new phase.

Fairbanks is hit with a mass power outage. Sarah spots someone suspicious in the ER. Sidney tries to get control of a key piece of evidence.

A new suspect emerges during questioning, revealing Frank's hidden past. Meanwhile, Havlock works to recover data from a hard drive.

Sidney learns about her father's past, the Atwater Protocol, and the classified intel in Archive 6.

Bradford lands in Fairbanks with a CIA task force and new primary target. Sidney makes a desperate attempt to expose the truth.

Sidney and Havlock risk it all to gain possession of the archive. Frank sets out on a life-saving mission.

*"Arnaq" (plural arnat), the Inuit word, means woman. 

** "L'air perdu" translates to "looking lost" or "seeming lost" in English. It is a French expression describing someone's appearance or demeanour.

Lastly, check out the Series Review of The Recruit (Season 2/USA/2025) Series in our Focus Magazine, which is also a CIA tale. 

Poster and Featured Image of The Last Frontier (Season 1, USA, 2025) Series | Pictures Credit: Apple TV.