Elkhorn is the original new series from INSP that gives us historical insight into one of our most complex and exciting presidents, Theodore Roosevelt. From New York society to the badlands, a young Teddy Roosevelt is discovering who he is and why he left his family, where his family connections and money had insulated him for most of his life.
Loss, grief, and the process all humans go through to heal motivated Roosevelt, referred to as "T.R.," to head West and reinvent himself as a man and a future leader. He was the first U.S. President to receive the Nobel Peace Prize among his many life achievements.
Idahoan actor Mason Beals was a shoo-in for the role once he met with the casting director and producers. Beals even physically resembles T. R., our 26th president, who was not only a politician but also a revered statesman, conservationist, naturalist, and writer.
Roosevelt's wealthy New York City birthright had life challenges. In reality, he had asthma and other health ailments—and even endured some bullying to a degree until the Badlands and Elkhorn, his ranch, taught him how to become self-sufficient and comfortable in his skin.
The unusual process was born from his incredibly heartwrenching string of bad luck in his personal life. In 1884, his first wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt, and his mother, Martha, died on the same day. This string of events was two days after the birth of his daughter, Alice.
This motivation led Roosevelt to the Dakota Badlands, where he learned the land, rode horses, drove cattle, and hunted big game. This immersion in the wildness of the West, which was "going to be lost like the city of Atlantis" as populations migrated in droves, inspired Roosevelt's conservationist bent.
INSP's original dramatic series has ten episodes for Season 1, revealing T.R.'s first months in the Badlands of the Dakota Territory. The action for Elkhorn commences in 1884 in the Territories. The early days of T.R. are dramatized and reenacted by Beals and a superb supporting cast who surround the young Roosevelt in various capacities.
For Beals, this starring role shows the actor's subtle ranges and seamless ability to inhabit such a larger-than-life American icon with a stoic sense of place and emotional depth. Despite the fictionalized conversations and dialogue, the producers faithfully include the known events tied to historical time and place. Of note is the grandness of those precious last few years of the wild, open West that bewitched T.R., as cinematographer Jim Orr captured the visual majesty perfectly.
Teddy's character, natural sense of resolve, and solid education helped him establish his cattle ranch, Elkhorn. Viewers will see how the young widower faces down barroom drunks and fancy French-speaking hired guns, horse thieves, and even giant predatory bears. The series is a brilliant way to engage young viewers in learning more about our "Cowboy President," who triumphed in life despite enormous emotional setbacks and illness.
The exclusive television premiere of Elkhorn will be on Thursday, April 11th, at 9 p.m. E.T. on INSP; Subsequent episodes will air every Thursday at 9 p.m.