Damnation

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Overview

Seth Davenport is masquerading as a small town Iowa preacher in the hopes of starting a full-blown insurrection against the status quo, unaware that an industrialist tycoon has hired a professional strikebreaker to stop the uprising by any means necessary. An epic saga of the secret history of the 1930’s American heartland, chronicling the mythic conflict and bloody struggle between big money and the downtrodden, God and greed, charlatans, and prophets.

Media

Damnation | Teaser Trailer: Country At War | USA Network

Cast

Logan Marshall-Green

Christopher Heyerdahl

Creator:

Tony Tost

Fist Air Date:

2017-11-07

Episode Runtime:

42m

Production Companies:

UCP, No Possum Productions, Entertainment 360, Turnpike Films

Genres:

Keywords:

1930s power struggle

More Show Details

Vote Average: 6.9/10

Vote Count: 88 Votes

Show Popularity: 1.7064

Show Status: Canceled

Show Type: Scripted

Spoken Languages: English

Review

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Insomniacs Reviews
- 23 April 2026 at 8:01 am

8 Based on 1 Votes
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⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 8/10 THE SUMMARY Welcome to the American labor wars of 1931, where the sermons are radical and the strikebreakers are terrifyingly efficient. *Damnation* (2017–2018) follows Seth Davenport (Killian Scott), a man with a dark, violent past who arrives in a small Iowa town posing as a preacher. His mission? To rally the local farmers into a bloody revolution against the greedy bankers and industrialists of the Great Depression. However, he meets his match in Creeley Turner (Logan Marshall-Green), a cold-blooded Pinkerton operative sent to quash the uprising—who also happens to share a twisted history with Seth. By April 2026, it is officially the "lost epic" of the 900+ archive, a gritty, dust-covered masterpiece that was cut down just as the war was starting. THE PROS The sibling rivalry between Seth and Creeley is a total win; the tension between Killian Scott and Logan Marshall-Green is a sincere highlight that keeps the "holy war" grounded in personal pain. The show’s biggest win is its unapologetic grit—it feels like a Coen Brothers film mixed with *The Grapes of Wrath*, refusing to shy away from the brutal realities of class warfare and racism in the 1930s. Sarah Jones as Amelia Davenport is the business, proving she’s much more than just a "preacher’s wife" by being the tactical brain behind the revolution. The production design is a masterstroke, making the Iowa farmlands feel like a sprawling, dangerous battlefield. THE CONS It is an 8/10 because it was cancelled after only one season of 10 episodes, leaving us with a massive, unresolved powder keg of an ending. It misses the 9/10 mark because the pacing in the middle episodes can feel like a bit of a Languid Burn as it tries to juggle the Black Legion, the Pinkertons, and the town's internal politics. It is total garbage that the USA Network pulled the plug in early 2018 due to low ratings, effectively burying one of the most intelligent period dramas in years. For some, the "Christian Socialist" messaging can feel like a head-scratcher if you’re looking for a traditional, apolitical Western shoot-'em-up. THE VERDICT An 8/10. It is a genuine, intense, and atmospheric drama that deserved a five-season run to finish its "secret history." I was slightly gutted to find out this month that despite a 2026 streaming resurgence on several platforms, there are still no official plans for a revival. It is total garbage that we never got to see Seth and Creeley fully reckon with their shared bloodline in a Season 2. By April 23, 2026, it remains a vault essential for anyone who likes their history served with a side of revolution and high-stakes tension. INSOMNIAC TRIVIA * Real-Life Inspiration: While the specific town of Holden is fictional, the "Farmers' Holiday Association" and the "Black Legion" vigilante group were very real and very terrifying parts of 1930s American history.* Tom Hardy Double: Logan Marshall-Green is so frequently confused for Tom Hardy that fans often joke *Damnation* is the best Tom Hardy show Tom Hardy never made. Logan leaned into the "silent but deadly" persona to make Creeley even more intimidating.* The Pinkerton Ghost: The character of Connie Nunn is based on the real-life female operatives of the Burns and Pinkerton agencies, who were often used to infiltrate communities because they were less suspected than men.* 2026 Connection: This April, *Damnation* has seen a massive 2026 spike in views after a popular history YouTuber released a three-hour deep dive into the real "Iowa Cow War," leading millions to rediscover the show as the definitive visual guide to the era. THE VIBE Like a dusty Bible with a gun hidden inside. It is heavy, righteous, and smells of gunpowder and cheap whiskey. It makes you want to join a picket line, question your bank’s interest rates, and realize that some family grudges can burn a whole town to the ground.

TV Show Poster

Season 1

10 Episodes

Air Date: 2017-11-07

In a rural Iowa community during the Great Depression, a stranger with a violent past poses as a preacher and rallies the farmers to mount a strike.

Videos

Damnation | Teaser Trailer: Country At War | USA Network

Damnation | Teaser Trailer: Mysterious Ways | USA Network

Cast

Logan Marshall-Green

Christopher Heyerdahl

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Reviews for

Damnation

Comment (1)

Insomniacs Reviews
- 23 April 2026 at 9:01 AM

⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 8/10
THE SUMMARY
Welcome to the American labor wars of 1931, where the sermons are radical and the strikebreakers are terrifyingly efficient. *Damnation* (2017–2018) follows Seth Davenport (Killian Scott), a man with a dark, violent past who arrives in a small Iowa town posing as a preacher. His mission? To rally the local farmers into a bloody revolution against the greedy bankers and industrialists of the Great Depression. However, he meets his match in Creeley Turner (Logan Marshall-Green), a cold-blooded Pinkerton operative sent to quash the uprising—who also happens to share a twisted history with Seth. By April 2026, it is officially the “lost epic” of the 900+ archive, a gritty, dust-covered masterpiece that was cut down just as the war was starting.
THE PROS
The sibling rivalry between Seth and Creeley is a total win; the tension between Killian Scott and Logan Marshall-Green is a sincere highlight that keeps the “holy war” grounded in personal pain. The show’s biggest win is its unapologetic grit—it feels like a Coen Brothers film mixed with *The Grapes of Wrath*, refusing to shy away from the brutal realities of class warfare and racism in the 1930s. Sarah Jones as Amelia Davenport is the business, proving she’s much more than just a “preacher’s wife” by being the tactical brain behind the revolution. The production design is a masterstroke, making the Iowa farmlands feel like a sprawling, dangerous battlefield.
THE CONS
It is an 8/10 because it was cancelled after only one season of 10 episodes, leaving us with a massive, unresolved powder keg of an ending. It misses the 9/10 mark because the pacing in the middle episodes can feel like a bit of a Languid Burn as it tries to juggle the Black Legion, the Pinkertons, and the town’s internal politics. It is total garbage that the USA Network pulled the plug in early 2018 due to low ratings, effectively burying one of the most intelligent period dramas in years. For some, the “Christian Socialist” messaging can feel like a head-scratcher if you’re looking for a traditional, apolitical Western shoot-’em-up.
THE VERDICT
An 8/10. It is a genuine, intense, and atmospheric drama that deserved a five-season run to finish its “secret history.” I was slightly gutted to find out this month that despite a 2026 streaming resurgence on several platforms, there are still no official plans for a revival. It is total garbage that we never got to see Seth and Creeley fully reckon with their shared bloodline in a Season 2. By April 23, 2026, it remains a vault essential for anyone who likes their history served with a side of revolution and high-stakes tension.
INSOMNIAC TRIVIA
* Real-Life Inspiration: While the specific town of Holden is fictional, the “Farmers’ Holiday Association” and the “Black Legion” vigilante group were very real and very terrifying parts of 1930s American history.
* Tom Hardy Double: Logan Marshall-Green is so frequently confused for Tom Hardy that fans often joke *Damnation* is the best Tom Hardy show Tom Hardy never made. Logan leaned into the “silent but deadly” persona to make Creeley even more intimidating.
* The Pinkerton Ghost: The character of Connie Nunn is based on the real-life female operatives of the Burns and Pinkerton agencies, who were often used to infiltrate communities because they were less suspected than men.
* 2026 Connection: This April, *Damnation* has seen a massive 2026 spike in views after a popular history YouTuber released a three-hour deep dive into the real “Iowa Cow War,” leading millions to rediscover the show as the definitive visual guide to the era.
THE VIBE
Like a dusty Bible with a gun hidden inside. It is heavy, righteous, and smells of gunpowder and cheap whiskey. It makes you want to join a picket line, question your bank’s interest rates, and realize that some family grudges can burn a whole town to the ground.

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