Conceptually, The Last Frontier has a lot going on. If I were to describe it to a friend who has not seen the trailer or to share the premise without breaking the NDA, it would be similar to a fever dream: A plane crash on a flight transporting federal prisoners evolves into a prison break after it haphazardly lands amid the snowcapped vistas of Alaska, unleashing violent inmates on a sleepy, rural town. Tasked to mitigate the situation across the next 10 episodes are a lone U.S. Marshal and a CIA agent as they try to keep what they cherish safe. Evident from even the trailer itself, the show goes large and builds up an appetite for its audience — an edge-of-your-seat thriller that takes place in the cruel snow, narrated through slick visuals and riveting performances. Slated for a weekly release from 10 October until 5 December, with a double-episode debut, all that is left for the talent-stacked cast — Jason Clarke, Haley Bennett, Dominic Cooper and Simone Kessell — is to bring Jon Bokenkamp’s story to life and deliver beyond what audiences are in for. Men’s Folio gets an exclusive glimpse into the creation of the show through conversations with The Last Frontier’s cast and crew.

Some series vaguely take place in either a metropolitan, suburban or rural setting with little need for geographical specificity – just because where the story takes place is not central to the story. However, for the case of The Last Frontier, Fairbanks, Alaska (yes, an actual city!) becomes omnipresent in each scene, deliberately impacting the way characters live, breathe and make their decisions. Although the story was initially created to take place in New York City, writer Jon Bokenkamp considered the sheer unfamiliarity of rural Alaska to increase the stakes for the characters. “In our story, Alaska just possesses a different type of danger. It’s rugged, it’s inhospitable — just a difficult place to survive. Especially if you’re an inmate in a state-issued jumpsuit out in the wilderness. I also wanted to lean into the juxtaposition of how beautiful it is,” explains Bokenkamp. Rather than the bleak, detached community often associated with big, modern cities, the story also took place in a community where one cannot necessarily buy their way out of a problem. “When tragedy strikes, does the community come together, or turn away and lock their doors?” he raises the question.

Once the mise-en-scène was set in the cold, the characters brought a reverberating sense of warmth to their scenes, be it through gripping tension or explosive action sequences. The butterfly effect is palpable in the plot, no matter how subtle or overt certain moments are, as the inmates, townspeople and law enforcement are cleverly woven into the series. “You might think, oh, that guy’s done, but he still impacts the story somehow,” explains Bokenkamp. Admitting that the writing process was not an easy feat, the main character, Frank Remnick (played by Jason Clarke) embodies the act of holding on to old-fashioned values, especially when challenged by a distressed CIA agent, Sidney Scofield (played by Haley Bennett) and other unforeseeable forces. “You can make an argument about why each character is right, and how each of them is just trying to do the right thing,” he elaborates.

When asked how being both Executive Producer and the starring role has helped influence both of Jason Clarke’s involvement with the show, he believes that being in production has helped him find his character. “I was on set every day we shot in Montreal, and I got to know a lot of the crew. As the number on the call sheet, the camera was always going to find you and give you what you need, so in return, I focused on making my other castmates feel comfortable, particularly guest stars who were going to do heavy lifting in some scenes. This helped cultivate Frank’s role as a US Marshal who cares about his community and his family,” Clarke explains. Having shot in the brutal cold also meant that he had to stay razor sharp, as he bears the responsibility to keep the shoot as efficient as possible.

The guiding force for Frank is his wife, Sarah Remnick, played by Simone Kessell (“Yellowjackets”). Having known each other as friends for over two decades, which began in the Sydney theatre scene, she kept her news about auditioning for the role a surprise to Clarke. Eventually, she fostered a tender yet turbulent chemistry as husband and wife on the show. As a nurse and a mother, she brings a healing and grounding presence to what would otherwise be a chaotic story. “As an actress, the challenge was about carrying the sense of heartbreak the character embodies,” she shares. To bring Sarah to life, she looked to mothers around her, and imbued a sense of tactility into her scenes, “like putting your hands on somebody changes the scene immediately,” as she explains.

For Haley Bennett, who plays CIA Agent Sidney Scofield, and Dominic Cooper, who plays Levi Hartman, their roles are a demonstration of having the brutal Alaskan wear down their veneers, revealing their true motives over time. “It’s interesting to play a character who carries so much trauma, secrets and is full of contradictions. For me, I wanted to character to be as truthful as possible in all her interactions, so the audience can understand where her headspace is at all the time — and this carries into the final episode,” teases Bennett. “I like how all our characters possess a sense of duality that does not portray anyone as strictly good or bad,” adds Cooper. As for how costuming has influenced the characters, Bennett explains how the audience can really observe how differently her character portrays herself: sleek and smart in Washington, but more and more undone as things unfurl in Alaska. “Sidney is a woman who takes a lot of pride in the way she looks, and how she presents herself is a way of staying in control of others’ perception of her. In Alaska, she doesn’t have anywhere to hide, and that is clear as day in her costuming.”

Part of bringing action sequences to life could be credited to the Hargrave brothers — Sam and Daniel, who are best known for their stunt work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The brothers worked together to create the opening plane crash scene. With a real-life crashed and smouldering plane, episodic director Sam Hargrave created a captivating continuous shot that fully immersed audiences into the POV of Frank Remnick as he first discovers the wreck. Another notable scene that takes place in a tour buggy, as seen towards the end of the trailer was also a logistical feat that involved a fully customised vehicle and impeccable planning to materialise. “It’s one thing to conceive the vehicle, it’s another to put it on ice and shoot it. We also had a great stunt team and amazing equipment that gets put into use — you know it’s something exciting when the studio camera crew come to watch,” recalls Clarke.

Given its themes of law enforcement, violence and community all wrapped up into a riveting thriller, is this a show meant to be a blockbuster geared for sheer entertainment or serve as an artistic commentary on the times we live in? “While there are many horrendous things that are happening in this world, I hope the Last Frontier gives viewers a moment to escape from it. It doesn’t touch on any political topics for that reason — like a theme park ride where you just immerse yourself in the experience,” says Kessell. As for Cooper, he sees this project as a demonstration of accountability from individuals of power. “Right now, more than ever, we are being confronted by how some of our leaders behave, and we use our way to hold the mirror up. People are going to watch this because they want to see action, but the complex characters in this show will give them a reason to have conversations around the dinner table, going ‘What has happened to the world? What do we stand up for and how do we stop this from happening?’ offers Cooper.

A plane crash that is filled with dangerous inmates who survive might not be a headline most of us will live to see — but who is looking for reality when there are harsher, colder fantasies to indulge in?

The 10-episode series begins streaming on Apple TV+ on Friday, 10 October 2025.

Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our October 2025 issue.