Billy the Kid (TV series)

Last updated
Billy the Kid
2022 Billy the Kid title card.png
Title card for the first season
GenreWestern
Created by Michael Hirst
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producers
ProducerNick Iannelli
Production location Alberta
Cinematography
Running time45–54 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Epix
ReleaseApril 24 (2022-04-24) 
June 5, 2022 (2022-06-05)
Network MGM+
ReleaseOctober 15, 2023 (2023-10-15) 
present

Billy the Kid is an American Western drama television series created by Michael Hirst set in the 19th-century American Old West. It stars Tom Blyth as outlaw and gunfighter Billy the Kid. The series premiered on Epix on April 24, 2022. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a second season split into two parts. [1] The first part premiered on the rebranded MGM+ on October 15, 2023, [2] with the second part premiering on June 2, 2024. [3] In October 2024, the series was renewed for a third and final season. [4]

Contents

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Tunstall-McSween Faction & Lincoln County Regulators

Murphy-Riley Faction & Jesse Evans Gang

Other

Guest

  • Joey Batey as Patrick McCarty (season 1)
  • Leif Nystrom and Nash Nystrom as Joe McCarty (season 1)
  • Timothy Webber as Moss (seasons 1–2)
  • Jamie Beamish as Henry Antrim (season 1)
  • Ryan Kennedy as Ash Upson (season 1)
  • Michael Adamthwaite as Alias (season 1)
  • Christie Burke as Barbara Jones (season 1)
  • Guillermo Alonso as Melquiades Segura (season 1)
  • Siobhan Williams as Irene Riley (season 1)
  • Jason Burkart as Sam Wortley
  • Ty Provost as José Chávez (season 1)
  • Jasmine Vega as Ana Baca (season 2)
  • Guilherme Babilônia as Yginio del Tobosco (season 2)
  • Manuel Uriza as Antonio del Tobosco (season 2)
  • Ana-Maria Alvarado as Isabella del Tobosco (season 2)
  • Iván López as José (season 2)
  • Kurtis Sanheim as Lieutenant George Smith (season 2)
  • Andrew David Long as Dr. Clay (season 2)
  • Sage Kitchen as Alice Clay (season 2)
  • Jason Cermak as Huston Chapman (season 2)
  • Anthony Lemke as Governor Lew Wallace (season 2)

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
1 8April 24, 2022 (2022-04-24)June 5, 2022 (2022-06-05) Epix
2 84October 15, 2023 (2023-10-15)November 5, 2023 (2023-11-05) MGM+
4June 2, 2024 (2024-06-02)June 23, 2024 (2024-06-23)

Season 1 (2022)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"The Immigrants" Otto Bathurst Michael Hirst April 24, 2022 (2022-04-24)
12-year-old Billy McCarty and his immigrant Irish family have to leave New York and travel west to seek new opportunities. But the journey proves fatal for some.
22"The Rattler"Otto BathurstMichael HirstApril 24, 2022 (2022-04-24)
Kathleen and her sons travel on to Santa Fe. Life is hard, but she meets and marries a man who might change everything for the better – only to find that he makes it a lot worse.
33"Antrim"Rachel LeitermanMichael HirstApril 24, 2022 (2022-04-24)
Antrim, Kathleen, and the two boys relocate to Silver City, trying to start a new life. But all their dreams are shattered, and Billy loses everything.
44"Interlude"Rachel LeitermanMichael HirstMay 1, 2022 (2022-05-01)
Billy falls in with a character called Alias. He kills a man in self-defense and ends up on the run, and then in the arms of a young woman who also happens to be the girlfriend of Jesse Evans. He becomes a wanted man in two counties.
55"The Little Bit of Paradise" Michael Nankin Michael HirstMay 8, 2022 (2022-05-08)
Billy ends up in Chihuahua, Mexico, with a new Mexican friend named Segura. Together, they enjoy several risky escapades, but in the end, Billy risks losing his life after killing a man.
66"Fate"Michael NankinMichael HirstMay 15, 2022 (2022-05-15)
Billy bumps into Pat Garrett, who is riding with Jesse and the 7 Rivers Gang. Billy joins them, but lawmakers are already closing in. They plan to flee to Lincoln County, but not before Billy fulfils one last promise.
77"At the House" David Frazee Michael HirstMay 22, 2022 (2022-05-22)
Billy joins Jesse, Pat Garrett, and another outlaw called Frank Baker, as well as the rest of the 7 Rivers Gang in their new camp just outside the town of Lincoln, New Mexico. The gang is now working for Lincoln's most powerful boss, Irishman Major Murphy.
88"The Rampage"David FrazeeMichael HirstJune 5, 2022 (2022-06-05)
We are on the eve of the Lincoln County War. Jesse and the gang are encouraged by Murphy to ramp up their attacks on the farmers, mostly Mexican, who have signed up with rival businessman, the English man Mr. Tunstall.

Season 2 (2023–24)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
Part 1
91"The Road to Hell"Rachel Leiterman Michael Hirst October 15, 2023 (2023-10-15)
War is brewing in Lincoln County between rival businessmen Murphy and Tunstall. After seeing the Irishman's brutal ways, Billy joins Tunstall in his battle to stop Murphy and the corrupt organization, the House. Even if it means being enemies with his best friend, Jesse. Attorney Mr. Catron sends his son-in-law, Mr. Waltz to gather information on Billy.
102"Sickness"Rachel LeitermanMichael HirstOctober 22, 2023 (2023-10-22)
As Tunstall gets hospitalized with smallpox, he is visited by Mr. Waltz, who gives him an ultimatum; end his businesses in Lincoln County or be killed. When Jesse and his 7 Rivers Gang steal Deputy Brewer's horses, Billy and the sheriff track them down and arrest them. Thinking he can show Murphy a gesture of goodwill, Tunstall has his men spring them from jail. The plan backfires and the war ensues.
113"The Agony" David Frazee Michael HirstOctober 29, 2023 (2023-10-29)
124"The Day of the Dead"David FrazeeMichael HirstNovember 5, 2023 (2023-11-05)
Part 2
135"A Debt Collected" Adam Kane Michael HirstJune 2, 2024 (2024-06-02)
146"The Plea"Adam KaneMichael HirstJune 9, 2024 (2024-06-09)
157"The Blood-Soaked Bible" John Fawcett Michael HirstJune 16, 2024 (2024-06-16)
168"An Invitation"John FawcettMichael HirstJune 23, 2024 (2024-06-23)

Production

Development

On May 4, 2021, it was announced that Epix greenlit the series for an eight-episode first season, which will be written and executive produced by Michael Hirst. It was also announced that Otto Bathurst will direct the first two episodes. Production companies involved with the series include Epix, MGM International TV Productions and Nordic Entertainment Group. [5] [6] On January 10, 2023, the series was renewed for a second season. [1] On October 1, 2024, the series was renewed for a third and final season. [4]

Casting

On May 13, 2021, it was announced that Tom Blyth had been cast in the series' lead role. [7] On August 27, 2021, it was announced that Daniel Webber had been cast as Jesse Evans. [8]

Filming

Principal photography for the series took place in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada. [9]

Release

The first episode was screened in March 2022 at the Series Mania festival in Lille, France. [10] The first season premiered in the United States on Epix on April 24, 2022. The first part of the second season premiered on the rebranded MGM+ on October 15, 2023, [2] with the second part premiering on June 2, 2024. [3]

In Australia, it was distributed by Stan.

In Canada and Latin America, it was made available to stream on Paramount+.

Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 43% with an average rating of 5.90 out of 10. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln County War</span> 1878–1881 conflict in the Old West of the US

The Lincoln County War was an Old West conflict between rival factions which began in 1878 in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, the predecessor of the state of New Mexico, and continued until 1881. The feud became famous because of the participation of William H. Bonney. Other notable participants included Sheriff William J. Brady, cattle rancher John Chisum, lawyer and businessmen Alexander McSween, James Dolan and Lawrence Murphy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom O'Folliard</span> Outlaw and figure in the Lincoln County War (1858–1880)

Tom O'Folliard was the best friend of outlaw William Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid. Both were members of the Regulators during the Lincoln County War.

Michael Hirst is an English screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his films Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), as well as the Emmy Award-winning television series The Tudors (2007-2010) and Vikings (2013-2020). Hirst owns Green Pavilion Entertainment, a production company he launched in December 2017.

The Lincoln County Regulators, or just the Regulators, were an American Old West deputized posse that fought in the Lincoln County War in New Mexico, during the late 19th century. They are well known for including Billy the Kid as a member.

The Battle of Lincoln, New Mexico, so-called Five-Day Battle or Five-Day Siege, was a five-day-long firefight between the Murphy-Dolan Faction and the Regulators that took place between July 15–19, 1878, in Lincoln, New Mexico. It was the largest armed battle of the Lincoln County War in the New Mexico Territory. The firefight was interrupted and suppressed by United States Cavalry led by Lt. Col. Nathan Dudley from Fort Stanton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MGM+</span> American pay television network

MGM+, is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the MGMPlus Entertainment subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), which is itself a subsidiary of Amazon MGM Studios. The network's programming consists of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, original television series, documentaries, and music and comedy specials.

<i>Goliath</i> (TV series) American legal drama television series

Goliath is an American legal drama television series by Amazon Studios. The show was commissioned with a straight-to-series order of eight episodes on December 1, 2015 and premiered on October 13, 2016, on Amazon Prime Video. On February 15, 2017, Amazon announced the series had been renewed for a second season and confirmed that Clyde Phillips was joining the series as showrunner. The trailer for season 2 was released on May 1, 2018. Season 2, consisting of eight episodes, was released on June 15, 2018. On December 11, 2018, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on October 4, 2019. On November 14, 2019, Amazon announced the series was renewed for a fourth and final season, which premiered on September 24, 2021.

<i>Get Shorty</i> (TV series) American comedy-drama television series

Get Shorty is an American comedy-drama television series, based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard, and serves as the third installment overall in its titular franchise. Created by Davey Holmes, it premiered on August 13, 2017, on Epix. It stars Chris O'Dowd, Ray Romano, Sean Bridgers, Carolyn Dodd, Lidia Porto, Goya Robles, Megan Stevenson, Lucy Walters, and Sarah Stiles. It has aired for three seasons, consisting of twenty-seven episodes. In December 2018, it was renewed for a third season, which began airing on October 6, 2019. Although no further seasons have been commissioned, MGM+ has not officially cancelled the show.

<i>Condor</i> (TV series) 2018 American thriller television series

Condor is an American thriller television series based on the novel Six Days of the Condor by James Grady and its 1975 film adaptation Three Days of the Condor written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel. The series stars Max Irons. The series was created by Todd Katzberg, Jason Smilovic, and Ken Robinson and premiered on June 6, 2018 on Audience. In July 2018, the series had been renewed for a second season, although in January 2020, Audience announced it would be ending operations in its current format. The second season, already filmed at the time of the announcement, premiered on June 9, 2020, on C More and RTÉ2. In December 2020, its existing two seasons were picked up by Epix. They began premiering the second season on November 7, 2021.

<i>Godfather of Harlem</i> American television series

Godfather of Harlem is an American crime drama television series that premiered on September 29, 2019, on Epix. The series is written by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, and stars Forest Whitaker as 1960s New York City gangster Bumpy Johnson. Whitaker is also executive producer alongside Nina Yang Bongiovi, James Acheson, John Ridley and Markuann Smith. Chris Brancato acts as showrunner. On February 12, 2020, the series was renewed for a second season; which premiered on April 18, 2021. On January 13, 2022, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on January 15, 2023, on the rebranded MGM+. On November 29, 2023, the series was renewed for a fourth season.

<i>Perpetual Grace, LTD</i> 2019 American TV series or program

Perpetual Grace, LTD is an American neo-noir thriller television series that premiered on Epix on June 2, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AGBO</span> American film and television production company

AGBO is an independent entertainment company based in Downtown Los Angeles, founded and led by Anthony and Joe Russo and Mike Larocca. The Russo brothers are best known for their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), most notably Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Recent television productions by AGBO include Citadel, a television series with Amazon Prime Video starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Recent AGBO films include Extraction, written by Joe Russo and starring Chris Hemsworth; Extraction 2; The Gray Man with Netflix in 2022; and the Academy Award-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once.

<i>Vikings: Valhalla</i> Historical television series

Vikings: Valhalla, or simply Valhalla, is a historical drama television series created by Jeb Stuart for Netflix that acts as a sequel to Vikings. The eight-episode first season premiered on February 25, 2022. With a 24-episode order announced in November 2019, the series was officially renewed for a second and third season in March 2022. The second season premiered on January 12, 2023. The third and final season premiered on July 11, 2024.

<i>Chapelwaite</i> American horror television series

Chapelwaite is an American horror television series based on the short story “Jerusalem's Lot” by author Stephen King. It was written by Peter and Jason Filardi, and premiered on Epix on August 22, 2021, and concluded on October 31, 2021. In February 2022, the series was renewed for a second season; however, in November 2023, it was announced that MGM+ had decided not to move forward with a second season.

<i>From</i> (TV series) 2022 American science fiction horror television series

From is an American science fiction horror television series created by John Griffin. The first season premiered on February 20, 2022, on Epix. In April 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 23, 2023, on the rebranded MGM+. In June 2023, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on September 22, 2024.

Domina is a British-Italian historical drama television series created and principally written by Simon Burke for Sky Atlantic (Italy) and Sky Atlantic (UK). Starring Kasia Smutniak as Livia Drusilla, it examines the power struggles of Ancient Rome from a female perspective. The series premiered on 14 May 2021 in Italy and the UK. MGM+ renewed Domina for a second series, which premiered on 9 July 2023 in the United States. In April 2024, the series was canceled after two seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Blyth</span> English actor (born 1995)

Tom Keir Blyth is an English actor. He took an interest in drama from a young age, studying acting at the Central Junior Television Workshop and at the Juilliard School.

References

  1. 1 2 White, Peter (January 10, 2023). "Billy The Kid Renewed For Season 2 At MGM+". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "War Is Brewing in 'Billy The Kid' Season 2 Part One Trailer". Collider . August 24, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Video: MGM+ Announces "Billy the Kid" Season Two: Part Two Premiere Date with New Trailer". The Futon Critic . May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  4. 1 2 White, Peter (October 1, 2024). "'Billy The Kid' Renewed For Third & Final Season At MGM+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  5. Zorrilla, Mónica Marie (May 4, 2021). "'Billy the Kid' Drama Series From 'The Tudors' Alum Michael Hirst Greenlit by Epix". Variety . Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  6. Andreeva, Nellie (May 4, 2021). "'Billy The Kid' Series From Michael Hirst Ordered By Epix". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  7. Petski, Denise (May 13, 2021). "'Billy The Kid': Tom Blyth To Star In Title Role Of Epix Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  8. Petski, Denise (August 27, 2021). "'Billy The Kid': Daniel Webber To Play Jesse Evans In Epix Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  9. "BEHIND THE LOOK: Billy the Kid". Picture Shop. April 24, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  10. Goodfellow, Melanie (February 17, 2022). "'Billy The Kid', HBO's 'The Baby' to compete at Series Mania". Screen International . Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  11. "Billy the Kid". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved November 30, 2022.