Come for the nature shots, stay for the compelling characters from Nevada Barr’s novels.
USA Network’s “Anna Pigeon” is filled with beautiful Montana vistas (even if shooting took place in neighboring Alberta, Canada) and golden-hour glows as it follows its titular park ranger. Played with charisma by Tracy Spiridakos, Anna Pigeon’s got a mystery to solve each week while delivering lines like “Littering is a gateway crime.”
Yes, this is a traditional show with pulpy intrigue, a little bit of sex, and some corny jokes thrown in for good measure. Like other TV series of yore, it centers a messy blonde with a diverse supporting cast. Of them, Paulina Jewel Alexis stands out as Ranger Zoey Bear Child, who views Anna as her mentor. Coming off the critically acclaimed “Reservation Dogs,” Alexis continues to bring warm humor and openness to her Indigenous identity. And “Anna Pigeon” does right by her, letting her wear her identity lightly but purposefully. She’s also free from the pressure of being the sole Native cast member, thanks to Crystle Lightning playing dispatcher Frieda Dierkz, who the costume department fits with spectacular spectacles.
These choices around Indigenous representation strike a strong note in a series that is primarily about white people and their preoccupations. At the center, of course, is Anna. She’s haunted by nightmares of the night her husband was murdered, even as she’s past the initial mourning period. No longer running from her New York life, she fields probing calls from her psychiatrist sister (Tricia Helfer) while finding a home and a lover (Cooper Levy) in Glacier National Park.
In the pilot, she declares herself “a cop,” explaining her particular brand of ranger and setting herself up to encounter and solve a variety of crimes. For all the show’s awareness of the need to portray Montana’s Native community, it can’t quite bring itself to imagine non-white femininity. This is a show with a fair amount of violence against women–as seen in the six episodes given to critics–but all of the murder victims are white women, despite Indigenous women experiencing much higher rates of violence.
Still, “Anna Pigeon’s” heart is in the right place. Here, the heroes are a diverse group of environmentalists, while the bad guy is greasy, greedy patriarch Jeremiah Paulson (a smarmy Kim Coates). He’s a nasty capitalist, the man who owns the most land in the state and inspires a variety of crimes Anna uncovers. If that matches your politics, then “Anna Pigeon” will be a guilt-free pleasure for you.
To the show’s credit, Jeremiah’s easy to root against, just as Anna is easy to root for. She’s a flawed woman who drinks too much and moves on instinct. But the show doesn’t judge her sleeping around or taking a circuitous path through grief. Instead, it lets her be messy in ways that only men usually get to be.
And because of that, “Anna Pigeon” doesn’t fall into the trap that so many of these shows do, of having the vanilla protagonist be the least interesting character of the ensemble. Instead, Spiridakos holds the eye whenever she’s on screen, her piercing blue eyes allowing humor and vulnerability even as she radiates strength. And the camera loves her, with the sun bouncing off her wavy locks and caressing the various scratches and bruises she gets along the way.
Some of the mysteries she uncovers are predictable, but in a comforting sort of way. This is a show that revels in traditional TV beats with their clear sense of right and wrong. The crimes are surprising enough to keep it interesting, even if the show can’t quite pull off its multi-episode arc, thanks to some nonsensical motivation and strange acting choices.
Which is to say, “Anna Pigeon” won’t leave you thinking, but it will leave you satisfied. It isn’t a challenging show–it works best if you don’t think too much about it. But it is a pleasant one.
Certainly, USA Network’s “Anna Pigeon” is an easy way to experience Montana’s natural beauty from your living room, while following a beautiful woman completing physical and mental feats to make her little corner of the world better. And that’s a satisfying way to spend an hour or so a week.
Six episodes screened for review. Premieres on USA Network on August 7, 2026.
