The first chapter of Kevin Costner’s epic Western series Horizon: An American Saga unfortunately proved that the sprawling story should have been envisioned as a TV show instead of a movie franchise. The massive story chronicles the life and times of a number of different settlers and Indigenous Americans; the stories are intended to combine into one overarching examination of the American West in the periods before, during and after the Civil War. Horizon’s runtime is planned to be about 12 hours, spread out across four movies, or chapters.

However, Costner may not get the opportunity to follow through on all four parts given the poor reviews for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1. Between the reviews and the daunting three-hour runtime, the box office prospects for the first chapter and its sequel (which will be released roughly six weeks after Chapter 1 opened) are understandably bleak. Without a significant return from the first two chapters, it’s possible that Costner doesn’t have the capital to even finish the saga. That problem could have been avoided if the movie franchise had been envisioned as a TV show, instead.

Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 Shows The Flaws In Kevin Costner’s Approach

It isn’t really a stand-alone movie

The most significant and universal criticism that Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 has faced since it was first released is that it isn’t actually a stand-alone movie. Given that it’s supposed to be just the first part of a four-part story, almost all of Chapter 1’s runtime is spent setting up the dozens of characters and several primary locations that theoretically will remain important throughout the story. Unfortunately, three hours of setup doesn’t make for an entertaining theatrical experience; on the contrary, it almost becomes a chore to try and remember all the people elements being introduced.

There is also very little appeal in trying to guess which characters might return, and which might have already seen their story end. Two perfect examples are Jena Malone’s “Ellen” Harvey and Abbey Lee’s Marigold. Both characters received plenty of screen time in Chapter 1, but when the movie ended, their fates were not hinted at. Ellen Harvey may have been killed by the Sykes family, or she may still be in their custody; Marigold left Costner’s Hayes Ellison with nothing but a note, and that could be the last the audience ever sees of her.

On the other hand, it seems all but certain that the story of Sienna Miller’s Frances Kittredge and Sam Worthington’s Lt. Gephardt is only just beginning. The movie was marketed as being spread across a number of years and potentially multiple generations, so it’s very difficult to get a firm grasp on the series’ progression just from Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1. Without a positive, engrossing experience from the first movie, there is no motivation for moviegoers to sign up for any of the three sequels.

The Horizon: An American Saga Movie Franchise Is A Major Box Office Risk

Several factors are working against it

Horizon: An American Saga already had an uphill battle at the box office mainly due to the kind of movie that it is. Costner has been very open and proud of the fact that Horizon returns to the traditional roots of American Westerns, albeit through a slightly more modern lens. That limits the audience right from the jump, as the movie appeals pretty exclusively to an older male demographic. On top of that, the three-hour runtime is simply too much for many moviegoers, especially when the genre has a reputation for being played out and tired as it is.

Taylor Sheridan has rejuvenated the Western genre to some degree in recent years with the Yellowstone series and its spinoffs, but the success of that serialized storytelling further proves why a movie franchise was a mistake. Costner’s risky plan to shoot the first two movies back-to-back and release them within two months of each other adds to the uncertainty; instead of signing up for one movie, the audience is essentially signing up for six hours of movie in one summer. That’s too many factors working against the Horizon franchise for it to be anything but a major box office risk.

Horizon: An American Saga’s Issues Could Have Been Fixed On TV

The sprawling scope is ideal for TV

Horizon: An American Saga‘s long list of characters and locations isn’t a problem in and of itself. Many prestige dramas tell a number of concurrent stories with many characters, but spread out across 7-10 hour-long episodes. Game of Thrones is a perfect example of how to make that work; there are typically six or seven stories playing out over the course of one season, but each is given enough time to breathe and progress. Chapter 1 was criticized for exclusively setting up future installments, but done over the course of several episodes, that’s a valid way to tell the story.

Putting Horizon on a streaming service like Apple TV+ or Max could have allowed for just as much production value as the movies but with more potential support for the grand vision. Much of the star-studded cast could still have been included, but with less need for box office appeal, some of the major parts could have gone to lesser-known actors who can commit to a longer time frame. A story spread out over the length of time that Horizon plans to cover simply would have worked better over a longer runtime, but broken up to make it more digestible.

Kevin Costner Should Finish Horizon: An American Saga On TV

It may not be too late to save the series

It’s becoming increasingly common for franchises to cross over between the small screen and the silver screen, and Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga franchise is ripe for that set-up. Both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 are committed to the theaters, but Costner can pick up most of the stories on a TV show once all the characters and plots have been introduced. There would likely be an appetite for the series if presented as a TV show thanks to the aforementioned Westerns of Taylor Sheridan, and potentially a much bigger audience if they don’t need to commit to three-hour movies.

Kevin Costner’s vision for Horizon: An American Saga goes back literal decades, and it’s been described as his ultimate passion project. If that’s the case, then a TV show could be the best way for Costner to preserve his original vision and tell the story the way he wants to, but without the pressure of trying to satisfy the elements of success that define the modern box office. Furthermore, TV may end up being the only way Horizon: An American Saga gets completed if the box office returns for Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 are as bad as projections indicate.