Reviews Praise Taylor Kitsch’s “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf” as Smart Spy Thriller

August 28, 2025 - Early critical responses to Prime Video’s prequel series The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, which debuted August 27, have highlighted Taylor Kitsch’s commanding lead performance and the show’s unexpectedly thoughtful approach to macho action storytelling.

In its review, Variety criticized the series’ heavy-handed patriotism but acknowledged that Kitsch’s portrayal of Ben Edwards “better suits the tormented warrior archetype” than Chris Pratt’s original lead, noting at least one extended hand-to-hand combat sequence that is “gripping and engaging” despite the show’s reliance on large-scale explosions and jingoistic rhetoric.

Meanwhile, The Irish Times complimented Dark Wolf for balancing mindless firefights with surprisingly smart plotting, describing the seven-episode first season as “loud and noisy and not for everyone. But for fans of mindless firefights, this series is fun, and much smarter than it has any need to be”.

Critics agree that Kitsch’s intensity anchors the series’ moral ambiguities and that his chemistry with returning co-executive producer Chris Pratt adds emotional weight to Edwards’s descent into clandestine CIA operations.