Hatfields & McCoys

It’s the true American story of a legendary family feud—one that spanned decades and nearly launched a war between Kentucky and West Virginia. The Hatfield-McCoy saga begins with Devil Anse Hatfield and Randall McCoy.. Close friends and comrades until near the end of the Civil War, they return to their neighboring homes—Hatfield in West Virginia, McCoy just across the Tug River border in Kentucky—to increasing tensions, misunderstandings and resentments that soon explode into all-out warfare between their families. As hostilities grow, friends, neighbors and outside forces join the fight, bringing the two states to the brink of another civil war.

Hatfields & McCoys (2012) is an American History network miniseries created by Ted Mann, a three-episode limited series of roughly ninety-six minutes per episode. Kevin Costner stars as Devil Anse Hatfield, a Civil War veteran who settles in West Virginia, while Bill Paxton plays Randall McCoy, his former wartime comrade who lives just across the Tug River in Kentucky. Their friendship curdles into suspicion as small disputes over land, livestock and pride harden into a vendetta that draws in their wives, sons and daughters, including Johnse Hatfield (Matt Barr) and Roseanna McCoy (Lindsay Pulsipher). The engine of the story is the slow escalation of retaliation, where each killing demands another and neighbors, lawmen and outside forces are pulled toward open conflict. Set in the rugged hills of the post Civil War Appalachian border country of the 1870s and 1880s, the production is a grim, tense period drama built on the texture of frontier life, rough mountain landscapes and simmering resentment. Its tone is harrowing and intense, with a sense of inevitability that makes it feel like a true American tragedy. Fans of Deadwood, John Adams and Justified will find resonance in its frontier grit, historical weight and generational rivalry.

Audiences rated the miniseries positively, praising its large-scale telling of the real feud and its cast led by Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton.

• Deadwoodshared grounded american frontier feud drama with violent family rivalry
• John Adamsshared true american history dramatization with prestige miniseries form
• Justifiedshared generational feud and rural mountain violence in a serialized western-leaning saga

Created by

Ted Mann

Release Date

2012-05-28

Episode runtime

96 min

Rating

7.9 / 10 (377)

What is Hatfields & McCoys about?

Two former Civil War comrades return to neighboring Appalachian homes and see their families drawn into a decades-spanning blood feud.

What is Hatfields & McCoys like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Hatfields & McCoys as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Hatfields & McCoys violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in Hatfields & McCoys as brutal.

What did critics think of Hatfields & McCoys?

Audiences rated the miniseries positively, praising its large-scale telling of the real feud and its cast led by Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton.

Which shows are like Hatfields & McCoys?

Shows with a similar feel include Deadwood, John Adams, and Justified.

How long is Hatfields & McCoys?

Hatfields & McCoys: 1 season, 3 episodes.

Is Hatfields & McCoys still running?

No, Hatfields & McCoys has ended.

Where can I watch Hatfields & McCoys?

In United States, Hatfields & McCoys is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home.