What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Son
Brian McGreevy · Series · 2017
If you loved The Son, start with The Son (2022) — a film from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 films and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Son across media.
What hooked you in The Son is the way the brutal weight of history collides with the intimate, often violent, complexities of family legacy.
Start with the source
Adaptation
The Son
Film · 2022
Books on the same thread
Empire of the Summer Moon
S.C. Gwynne · Book
Explores: cultural collision, indigenous resistance, manifest destiny.
If the historical scope of The Son captivated you, this narrative provides the real-world foundation for the Comanche culture and the clash of civilizations depicted in the series.
Lonesome Dove
Larry McMurtry · Book · 1988
Shares a thread with The Son: Western.
Like The Son, this epic follows the grueling realities of building a cattle empire in the American West and explores how one man's ambition shapes those around him.
The Town
Conrad Richter · Book · 1976
Shares a thread with The Son: Family Saga.
You will appreciate how this story mirrors the multigenerational transformation found in The Son as it tracks a pioneer family navigating the encroaching pressures of a modernizing society.
The Road
Cormac McCarthy · Book · 2007
Explores: Parent-child bond, Moral ambiguity, Existential dread.
The Son highlights the crushing necessity of survival, a theme this novel explores with even greater intensity through the bleak, harrowing bond between a father and his son.
Films on the same thread
Red River
Howard Hawks · Film · 1948
Explores: Father-Son Conflict, Tyranny, Moral Ambiguity.
This film captures the same volatile father-son conflict and the moral ambiguity of empire-building that define the central character's struggle for power throughout The Son.
The Revenant
Alejandro González Iñárritu · Film · 2015
Explores: Survival against the odds, Revenge, Man vs. Nature.
The visceral brutality of the frontier, a hallmark of The Son, is pushed to its limits here as a frontiersman fights for survival against both nature and man.
The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion · Film · 2021
Explores: Toxic Masculinity, Repressed Sexuality, Hidden Identity.
Fans of the dark, psychological undercurrents in The Son will recognize the same toxic masculinity and stifling family secrets that drive the tension in this gripping, character-focused western.
How the West Was Won
Henry Hathaway · Film · 1962
Shares a thread with The Son: Family Saga.
If the sweeping historical timeline of The Son intrigued you, this film offers a similar grand-scale perspective on how a single family legacy develops alongside the American West.
Podcasts on the same thread
S-Town
Serial Productions · Podcast · 2024
Explores: small-town isolation, eccentricity, social decay.
Much like the complex family dynamics at the heart of The Son, this investigation delves into the dark, hidden secrets of a wealthy family in a rural setting.
The Archers
Podcast
Explores: family life, community, farming.
Those drawn to the rural family sagas and community conflicts in The Son will find a similar dedication to exploring the deep-seated tensions of life on the land.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Son TV series based on a book?
Yes, the 2017 television series The Son is based on the acclaimed novel by Philipp Meyer. The show explores the dual narrative of Eli McCullough as he grows from a captive of the Comanche in 1849 to a powerful cattle tycoon in the early 20th century.
How are the time periods structured in The Son?
The Son follows two concurrent time periods. One timeline depicts the kidnapping and indoctrination of young Eli McCullough by the Comanche in 1849. The second timeline occurs 60 years later, focusing on the adult Eli as he struggles to maintain his family cattle empire during the South Texas Bandit Wars.
Is the 2022 movie The Son related to the 2017 series?
The 2022 movie The Son is a separate production from the 2017 television series The Son. While both share the same title, the television series is a multigenerational epic based on Philipp Meyer’s novel, whereas the 2022 film is a distinct project with different source material.
What is the primary conflict in the later timeline of The Son?
In the later timeline of The Son, which takes place 60 years after Eli McCullough’s initial kidnapping, the primary conflict involves the adult Eli struggling to maintain his family’s cattle empire. This period is defined by the turbulent Bandit Wars occurring throughout South Texas.