Classic cinematic Westerns will likely always be the cornerstone of the genre, but they aren’t everything it has to often. Great small-screen Westerns too often go underappreciated, overshadowed as they are by the exploits of John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and other iconic big-screen stars.
The best Western movies of Hollywood’s Golden Age actually precipitated a period of small-screen dominance for the genre from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. For anyone who enjoys the films of John Ford, Howard Hawks, and Sergio Leone, among others, some of the Western TV shows from this period are essential viewing.
Meanwhile, there are other must-watch series in the genre that arrived on the small screen much later than the final years of classic Hollywood filmmaking. Many of the best Western TV shows of all time have been produced in the 21st century.
Nevertheless, for those transitioning from the genre’s feature-length classics to TV series in the same vein, shows taking place in a contemporary setting dramatically different from the Old West don’t make much sense as a starting point. The likes of Justified, Longmire, and Yellowstone are great watches, but will likely be harder to get into than the series listed below.
10 How the West Was Won
1976–1979
The first project Gunsmoke’s James Arness worked on after his greatest TV role came to an end, How the West Was Won is a loose adaptation of the anthology movie of the same, about the American frontier around the time of the American Civil War. Arness is well cast as a mountain dweller who reunites with his family in Virginia.
This framing conceit allows his character Zeb Mahacan to bring them out West with him, through Indian territories, as well as the tumult of the Civil War. This rugged production blends action-adventure with family drama in the manner of a sweeping big-screen epic, serving as the perfect bridge to small-screen Westerns for film fanatics.
9 Have Gun – Will Travel
1957–1963
Have Gun – Will Travel tells the story of Paladin, arguably the single-most iconic character of classic TV Westerns. The mustachioed anti-hero with a steely-eyed glare played by Richard Boone wants to avoid violence in theory, but is under no illusion as to when he needs to use it.
Paladin isn’t your regular whisky-sipping gunslinger in an Old West saloon, though. He’s a sharply-dressed intellectual who’s also an exceptional martial artist. His Boston background and mysterious moniker only add to the enigmatic aura that surrounds him, although there’s nothing ambiguous about his unrivalled sharpshooting abilities.
8 Dark Winds
2022–Present
Dark Winds has been another major streaming success for George R.R. Martin, as the Game of Thrones originator executive-produces this period crime drama set on Navajo land in Four Corners. It’s a gritty depiction of how order was maintained on tribal territory during a period of social tension in the Southwestern United States, during the 1970s.
Although this show is set in relatively modern times, its visual style, soundtrack, and dialogue fit right into the oeuvre of classic spaghetti Westerns. What’s more, the panoramic backdrop for pretty much every outdoor scene with the kind of expansive approach that feels as though it’s directly inspired by the cinematography of John Ford movies at their best.
7 Wagon Train
1957–1965
One of the great classic Western shows, Wagon Train is another journey across the American frontier out West, featuring some of the genre’s biggest actors at the time. Frequent John Wayne collaborator Ward Bond heads the cast as wagon master Major Seth Adams, while the likes of Lee Marvin and Bette Davis guest-star in specific episodes.
Even Wayne himself has a secret cameo in Wagon Train, in a brief scene that sees him play General William T. Sherman, a role he later reprised for the movie How the West Was Won. Wayne’s old friend Bond died during shooting for season 4 of the show, but it continued successfully for a further four seasons.
6 Hell On Wheels
2011–2016
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds star Anson Mount got his big break in Hell on Wheels, an unflinching depiction of how the Union Pacific Railroad was built. This underrepresented chapter of American history is embellished for dramatic effect here, but it’s generally faithful to the torturous reality endured by the Chinese laborers who built the railroad.
At the center of its story are Mount’s character, foreman Cullen Bohannon, and investor Thomas “Doc” Durant, both of whom seem far from heroic for much of the series. The series gives a balanced, morally complex, and darkly entertaining perspective on the lives of those following the railroad across the Western United States to the Pacific Ocean.
5 Rawhide
1959–1965
Rawhide gave Clint Eastwood his first Western role of any real note, laying the foundations for his landmark performances as the Man with No Name in Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy. Eastwood plays hot-tempered cattle drive ramrod Rowdy Yates, but it’s trail boss Gil Favor, played by Eric Fleming, who fronts the show for most of its run.
While the series is now most famous for its theme song, which was famously covered by the Blues Brothers in their first feature film, it’s a gripping work of television in its own right. Rawhide pulls no punches in its portrayal of the hardy drovers who originated the image of heroic cowboys conquering the American West.
4 Godless
2017
While it’s probably passed most fans of the genre by, Godless is a strong contender for Netflix’s best Western show. The story of an outlaw who comes across a town in the Old West populated almost exclusively by women after a mining accident, this is a rare example of the Western genre giving female characters their due.
Featuring some of the best shootout scenes in any Western series of the 21st century, Godless invokes the spirit of classic movies in the genre while putting its own spin on the tropes we expect to see. It’s also a seven-episode miniseries, which is bingeable within a single day for those who get hooked into its plot.
3 Lonesome Dove
1989
Lonesome Dove is the best Western John Wayne never starred in, as one of the Duke’s final decisions as an actor was to turn down a role in this groundbreaking miniseries, almost a decade before it got made. This powerful depiction of a band of Texas Rangers is elevated by stunning performances from Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall.
It’s the most cinematic TV Western ever made, with flawless visuals complementing its authentic, supremely acted dialogue. Western miniseries don’t get any better than this one.
2 Deadwood
2004–2006
The best period Western show of the 21st century, Deadwood is chock-full of masterpiece episodes, thanks primarily to its compelling characterizations of real-life figures from the titular goldrush town in South Dakota. Ian McShane’s Al Swearengen and Gerald McRaney’s George Hearst, in particular, are brilliantly rendered characters.
But at the heart of the series is the heroic U.S. Marshal Seth Bullock, who’s brought to life by Timothy Olyphant in a career-best performance. Bullock has a short fuse, but profound courage to go with it, as he navigates his way through the corrupt and nefarious activities of Swearengen, Hearst, and the Pinkertons to maintain order in Deadwood.
1 Gunsmoke
1955–1975
Gunsmoke isn’t just the longest-running Western TV show in history. It’s the best all-round depiction of life in a Western town ever brought to the screen. James Arness’ protagonist Matt Dillon is surely the greatest central hero of TV Westerns, who can just about do it all.