# The Red Road (2014)

> Two compromised men in a rural American town are drawn together by a hit-and-run and the secrets it forces them to bury.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/51259

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: crime, drama
- Created by: Aaron Guzikowski
- Network: SundanceTV
- Cast: Martin Henderson, Jason Momoa, Julianne Nicholson, Allie Gonino, Tom Sizemore, Kiowa Gordon, Tamara Tunie, Ben Winchell
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2505072/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: brooding, tense, bleak, melancholic, slow burn

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series positively, praising its brooding small-town atmosphere and the intense performances of its lead cast.

## Synopsis

The Red Road (2014-2015) is an American crime drama series created by Aaron Guzikowski for SundanceTV. Set in a small town bordering a Native American reservation, the story follows an embattled local sheriff, Harold Jensen (Martin Henderson), whose family life is already fraying, and Philip Kopus (Jason Momoa), a mesmerizing ex-con whose past is tied to Harold's. Their uneasy alliance begins after a tragedy forces both men to face secrets they would rather keep buried. Julianne Nicholson plays Jean Jensen, and Kiowa Gordon plays Junior Van Der Veen, whose family ties to the reservation pull the story in new directions. Across two seasons and twelve episodes, the show builds its engine from the slow accumulation of compromises: each lie told to protect a secret forces another, and every new concealment tightens the knot around both men. Episodes move at a deliberate, character-driven pace, with the rural landscape and the tension between law and loyalty shaping the mood. The tone is brooding, tense and morally heavy, and the atmosphere carries a steady dread. Viewers who enjoy Longmire, Fargo and the tangled guilt of prestige crime dramas will find resonance here. The series was canceled before its story was finished, leaving its central tangle unresolved.

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