The Terminal List: Dark Wolf doubles down on brotherhood, betrayal, and boots-on-the-ground tradecraft. Below, we map where the series was filmed. We break down the latest episode moves. We tally early reviews and flag where the franchise could head next. All this is pulled from the same-week coverage and fresh interviews.
Filming Locations: A Globe-Trotting Prequel with Real-World Stand-Ins
The production split time between Southern California and Central/Eastern Europe. Santa Clarita stood in for stateside sequences, Budapest as a major hub, and Zadar, Croatia, doubling for Mosul, Iraq. That international footprint mirrors the show’s cross-border missions.
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Episode Check-Ins: “What’s Past Is Prologue” to Trust on The Line
Episode 3 — “What’s Past Is Prologue” (September 4, 2025): Jed Haverford’s pitch lures Ben Edwards and Raife Hastings into a shadow team. It sets an “audition” that turns into a bruising club-level op. This rhythm hints at bigger CIA entanglements.
Episode 4 — “Trust Goes Both Ways” (September 4, 2025): A convoy ambush ripping through central Munich collides with a Zurich flashback. There is also a Mossad complication (Eliza Perash), and Tehran fallout around Ish. This is capped by a stinging rebuke: “You are forgetting everything you learned in the teams.” The thread running through it: a uranium-enrichment MacGuffin that keeps dragging the squad into deeper water.
What Taylor Kitsch Says the Show Is Really About
Taylor Kitsch frames Dark Wolf as a story about brotherhood and authenticity — speaking as a “pro-soldier” actor who trained with real-life Navy SEALs and spends his off-time tracking wolves on his Montana ranch.
Critics’ Table: Mixed Fire from Early Reviews
Richard Roeper’s review dubs the prequel “Fills In (But Doesn’t Fire) Blanks.” He locks in on the show’s “Bro Code” ethos and a brisk run through Geneva, Zurich, Tehran, Tel Aviv, and Munich. He credits the brawny set pieces. However, he notes the geopolitics can tangle the pacing (Roger Ebert, August 27, 2025).
On the flip side, one industry trade calls the prequel “all macho posturing and American aggression.” They read the series as more of the franchise’s muscular brand. It is not a reinvention (Variety, August 27, 2025).
Franchise Watch: How Far Can This Universe Run?
Showrunner David DiGilio has been talking about the Terminal List universe’s future — from collaborating with Taylor Kitsch and Chris Pratt to where the prequel architecture leaves room for new story corridors.
As for the immediate horizon, Kitsch himself is game to keep going: “If you think this is dark, wait till season 2.” He teased this in a recent round-up looking ahead to renewal prospects (Esquire, September 2, 2025).
If you like The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, queue these next
For more Navy SEAL ground truth in a long-running package, SEAL Team delivers seven seasons of mission-level drama anchored by David Boreanaz. Want a broader binge plan? A new list of kindred picks shouts out titles like The Bureau and Strike Back for their spy-ops rigor and kinetic fieldcraft.
Travel Notes from The Frame: Plan Your Own “Dark Wolf” Tour
Budapest’s classical streets, Zadar’s waterfront stonework doubling for Mosul, and SoCal’s Santa Clarita corridors supply the series’ shifting backdrop. Fans chasing The Terminal List: Dark Wolf locales can stitch a route across those cities. They can stand where the show staged convoy chaos, nightclub stings, and CIA shell games. This was first detailed by Travel Noire.
The bottom line: The Terminal List: Dark Wolf sharpens the franchise’s edge — muscular action, bruised bonds, and intel plays — while critics split on how fresh the blade feels. If the team sticks the landing, there’s fuel for more missions — and Kitsch sounds ready to lead the next one.
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