NEW YORK (OSV News) – A sweeping overview of the gradual expansion of the United States over the course of several decades is provided by the eight-part documentary "Kevin Costner's The West." Three roughly hour-long episodes of the series are currently streaming on the History Channel's website.

Future episodes will premiere Mondays, 9-10 p.m. EDT, through June 30.

Presented as part of "History Honors 250," a multiplatform content initiative leading up to next year's semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence, the retrospective brings the long struggle for dominance over vast territories into focus through a patchwork of storytelling and reenactments. Costner serves as the primary narrator.

Among the numerous historians providing commentary is Pulitzer Prize-winner Doris Kearns Goodwin, who also executive produced the show. Other participants include Rice University history professor and presidential biographer Douglas Brinkley and Yale University's Ned Blackhawk, a member of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone.Catholic seats of higher learning are represented by Yohuru Williams of Minnesota's University of St. Thomas and Edward T. O'Donnell from the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. Rounding out the far-flung geography are H. W. Brands of the University of Texas at Austin and Cameron Shriver of Ohio's Miami University.

Costner sets himself the task of seeking out the truth underlying the long-enduring myths of the Old West. The result is a production that's both visually stunning and intellectually engaging.

The saga begins in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War as Americans of European ancestry began to expand their area of settlement beyond one of its previous boundaries, the Ohio River. This leads to a strategy-driven conflict with a group of Native Americans led by Chief Little Turtle.

The force opposing these indigenous warriors was headed by an equally memorable personality, Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne. Other significant historical figures profiled include fur trapper John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and kidnapping victim Cynthia Ann Parker.

Assimilated into the Comanche after her abduction, Parker married a chief and her son Quanah would go on to be a high-profile leader of his tribe. The program charts Quanah Parker's uneasy relationship with the U.S. government, which saw his stance toward the authorities shift from forceful resistance to reluctant cooperation.

The greed unleashed by the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century is laid bare. And viewers are introduced to the Pacific-coast Robin Hood of that period, Joaquin Murrieta.

Although he was apparently executed for banditry in 1853, Murrieta has lived on in legend. As a result, separating truth from fiction where his biography -- or even his bare existence -- is concerned is a complex matter.

It's precisely in the working through of such involved questions that Costner's guidance is most effective. By turns laconic, authoritative and compassionate, his recounting of events imbues the audience with an understanding that we must ultimately resign ourselves to the fact that our insights into the past will always be imperfect -- and thus always subject to revision.

The role of the Catholic Church in the development of the Golden State is presented in a mostly negative light. But this seems to stem more from expediency than malice since the script is at pains to move forward at a fast pace, given the expansive nature of the material it aims to cover, and therefore fails to delve deeply into the nuances of any given situation.

A more glaring problem is the program's consistent focus on conflict and turmoil. Hopeful stories, uplifting incidents and a celebration of those who played the role of peacemaker amid the tumult are conspicuously absent. While the drive to the west was certainly a source of strife and friction, it cannot have been entirely devoid of inspirational moments or potential heroes.

Its frank treatment of the violence that marked the migration of European Americans from the Alleghenies to the shores of the Pacific makes "Kevin Costner's The West" inappropriate viewing for kids. Teens and adults, by contrast, will likely both profit from and enjoy this deep dive into one of the most gripping eras in American history.- - -Garan Santicola is a guest reviewer for OSV News