I found this series quite intriguing. To be honest, I watched for the first time because, well, I like looking at Lynda Carter (so, sue me). Turned out to be surprisingly appealing. (I've never read the book, nor seen the Daniel Day-Lewis movie.) Some of what I found interesting...
One: How many TV series are set during the Seven Years War (aka the French & Indian War)? I can't think of any. Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett were both set 20-30 years later.
Two: An attempt was clearly made to not portray Natives in that stereotypical manner so common previously. Not always successfully, perhaps, but the Indians were referred to by their own national names, Delaware, Huron, etc. The clearly racist British tended to call them "savages", but that's in keeping, historically. Chingachgook was portrayed by actual Omaha Rodney A. Grant, and most of the Delaware and Huron characters appear to have been played by actual Native Americans. (Hey, baby steps.)
Three: It was portrayed a little too prettily, especially Lee Horsley, who was just way too pretty, particularly his hair. But, y'know, TV.
Four: I can't quite nail down where this was set. I could find no reference to a "Ft. Bennington" from that period. There is, of course, Ft. Benning, but that's in Georgia (and much later). There was a "Bennington campaign" as part of the Revolution, but, again, that was 20+ years later. From references to Saratoga and Albany, I'm surmising that it's the upper Hudson Valley, where, to the surprise of many downstaters like myself, the Hudson is very fordable. Maybe somewhat to the West and South of the Lake George area, but East of the Adirondacks.
Five: I find myself somewhat baffled by the characters of Peevey and McKinney. The characters appear to behave like adolescents, but the actors were in their mid-20s at the time. If the characters were that old, why aren't they in the militia, or conscripted by Capt. Shields? If they're actually teenagers, where are their parents? If orphans, where do they live? Where were they six or seven years earlier, when they would have been in single digits? Enquiring minds want to know.
Six: I wish the image quality were better. The focus seems a bit soft. No one would have noticed pre-HD, but...
Seven: Hawkeye is presented as sort of a "white savior", protector of Natives and colonists alike. Again, 1994 TV. Some slack may be justified.
Eight: Many of the episodes deal with modern philosophical issues, particularly regarding ethics, war, and racism.
There was only one season (22 episodes). I suspect that it didn't succeed because it was a little too philosophical; this was the era, recall, of Hercules and Xena. There's not nearly as much action (read: blood) in Hawkeye. I also feel Chingachgook was under-utilized.
One odd thing, I've noticed a number of actors whom I recognized from SG-1, which was 5-6 years later. Indeed, Gavin Sanford (Capt. Shields) was a semi-regular (he played a Tok'ra). Not difficult to imagine, but notable nonetheless.
As of this writing, it's available on Tubi and CoziTV. A couple of episodes each weekend might be a comfortable frequency.
