The Yellowstone spin-off, 1883, has made a name for itself as the kind of brutal, breathtakingly beautiful western that has mostly faded away from the small screen. When television first took the entertainment world by storm during the 1950s, western TV shows were just a click away on every channel. By the '60s, gunslingers, criminal ranch owners, and cowboys were voraciously consumed by the masses. Taking place in the old wild west amidst mountain ranges, wild horses charging across rivers, and shoot-outs, the western was a form of escapism that offered exhilarating possibilities. Whether it be Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, or The Virginian, audiences would wait in anticipation every week for the night to come where they could be transported into a wildly different world for an hour.
The television western began to fade in the '80s as cop procedurals began taking over, with gritty officers and dirty criminals prowling police stations on series like Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, and Cagney and Lacey. Viewers were hungry for an ugly piece of reality where horses and the vast landscapes of Montana were traded in for stolen cars speeding through the city streets with no honorable men or women around. While the cop procedural is still alive and well, there have been several fantastic westerns that have slipped in through the cracks over the years.
Thanks to 1883, there’s been a renewed interest in the western genre. As the Taylor Sheridan drama tells a grueling story detailing the Dutton family's journey across the Oregon Trail amongst an unforgiving wilderness, the series gets to the basics of human survival and the core of good versus evil. Starring Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Sam Elliott, the hit western show is a Paramount+ exclusive with a complete 10-episode first season currently on the streaming service. And if 1883 has re-sparked your thirst for cowboys and southern drawls, then you should definitely watch these modern-made epic westerns that recall when battles were fought amongst the dust and dingy saloons. Saddle up your horses, and let's hit the trail!
Deadwood
Deadwood stole critics' hearts when it debuted in 2004 on HBO. An unsentimental look back at how the west really was, it’s a rare gem of a western that debuted at a time when the genre had all but disappeared. Set in the gold-mining camp of Deadwood, South Dakota, during the 1870s, people from all over America flock to the coveted spot with dreams of fortune and happiness. The series is loosely based upon actual events that occurred in Deadwood, following how it transformed from a camp into a town with laws and morals.
Amongst those that arrive at the camp is Seth Bullock, a former sheriff from Montana seeking new opportunities, portrayed by Timothy Olyphant. Olyphant is right at home sporting cowboy hats while upholding the law, and after the series cancellation he went on to star in the critically acclaimed neo-western show, Justified. Featuring a large ensemble cast rich with colorful crooks and real-life historical figures, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Robin Weigert, John Hawkes, Keith Carradine, Jim Beaver, and W. Earl Brown all co-star. Despite its cancellation after three seasons, Deadwood won several Emmy Awards and is often regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time. Over a decade later, it was finally able to go out on its own terms with the HBO original film, Deadwood: The Movie, which premiered in 2019.
The Son
Pierce Brosnan transforms into the hardened tycoon Eli McCullough, a man chained to his past in The Son, the Fox series based upon the Phillip Meyers novel of the same name. After witnessing his entire family being murdered by Comanches, 13-year-old Eli is kidnaped and taken as their prisoner where he slowly comes into his own while learning lessons from Toshoway (Zahn McCarnon), a Comanche tribal chief. Flash-forward to 1915 in South Texas, and a middle-aged Eli finds himself wishing for a simpler time when there was open land to roam and things were handled with fists, not boring lunches at fancy restaurants. With dreams of becoming an oil tycoon after purchasing an oil rig for his ranch while attempting to lead his sons in the right direction, Eli finds himself all alone in a now-extinct wild west. The series jumps between the two time periods in each episode and examines the complex relationship between fathers and sons, in addition to the toxic masculinity that grows amongst the McCullough family. As Eli and his sons blossom into a criminal-leaning family exacting what they see as justice amongst the town and its members, The Son asks if they have a right to do so.
Hatfields & McCoys
Hatfields & McCoys tells a legendary tale of mythic proportions as it details the historic feud between the Hatfield and McCoy families starting in the 1860s and continuing into the 1870s. A History Channel original, the three-part limited series contains three, two-hour-long episodes depicting how a minor clash rose to an engulfing fire that couldn’t be put out. Kevin Costner stars as “Devil Anse" Hatfield opposite Bill Paxton as Randall McCoy, and they find themselves at odds when their various brothers, sons, and daughters become entangled in shootings, brawls, and forbidden love affairs. Referred to by journalists at the time as the Hatfield-McCoy War, the families suffer many casualties as both sides refuse to concede, even when it becomes unclear what they're fighting for anymore. Never shying away from brutality, the series takes on a gritty, dark tone and there’s nothing romantic or admirable about the tragedies that fall upon both families during the ferocious feud.
Westworld
While the HBO series has transformed into a whole new beast since it first began airing in 2016, the first season of Westworld is, for the most part, a good old-fashioned western with some robots sprinkled into the mix. Based upon the Australian science-fiction film of the same name from 1973, Westworld is set within an expansive amusement park that’s modeled after the old wild west as it was during the 1800s. Wealthy visitors come to stay for a week or two to escape modern woes by partying at wild saloons and killing androids dressed up as cowboys with no ramifications.
Of course, this idyllic scenario doesn’t last, and soon the androids, referred to as hosts, begin to think for themselves and put the visitors at the park in mortal danger. In short, when you play God, you better be prepared for the consequences. Evan Rachel Wood stars as the oldest robot in the park, Dolores, and night after night she’s subjected to the same horrific fate until she wakes up and decides she wants to be in control of her own future. Thandie Newton co-stars as the host Madam Maeve Millay, and once she too begins remembering things she’s not supposed to, she takes fate into her own hands. The series also features Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, James Marsden, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, and Aaron Paul in supporting roles as the question of what makes us human takes center stage.
Lonesome Dove (1989)
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Much like 1883, Lonesome Dove is an epic odyssey, this one following the rocky journey of several retired Texas Rangers herding cattle from Texas to Montana. Based upon the beloved western classic novel of the same name written by Larry McMurtry, the miniseries aired over four nights on CBS in 1989. Featuring a cast of Hollywood legends with several Academy Awards between them, the series drew in millions of viewers and garnered critical acclaim for its performances and loyal adaptation of the source material. Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones star as two of the retired Texas Rangers who decide to leave behind their cherished town of Lonesome Dove for something new in Montana. Going through many trials and tribulations along the way thanks to mother nature, Lonesome Dove also features Danny Glover, Angelica Huston, Diane Lane, Robert Ulrich, Chris Cooper, and Steve Buscemi.
Hell on Wheels
Hell on Wheels revels in its dark story of rage and revenge. Anson Mount stars as Cullen Bohannon, a man on a warpath after his wife is murdered. Former soldier for the Confederacy during the Civil War, Bohannon finds himself working as a foreman for Union Pacific as it builds the First Transcontinental Railroad, while he simultaneously hunts down the men responsible for his wife’s death. The series follows the various men and women who live in mobile camps alongside the tracks as they all play a part in the railroad's construction, as everything from laborers to prostitutes to performers. Co-starring Common, Colm Meaney, Dominque McElligott, and Christopher Heyerdahl, Hell on Wheels highlights all the blood, sweat, and tears that were shed across the treacherous wild west while creating the groundbreaking Transcontinental Railroad.
Godless
Godless is an extraordinary western set against a beautiful backdrop of tortured cowboys and vast, lonesome landscapes. After a coal mining accident wipes out most of the men in the small New Mexico town of La Belle, the women take over all the business affairs and embrace their newfound freedom in the process. But La Belle soon finds itself in danger when the mysterious outsider Roy Goode (Jack O’Connell) stumbles into town and seeks shelter from Alice Fletcher (Michelle Dockery), a fellow outsider and widower who runs a ranch on the outskirts of town. Unbeknownst to everyone, the terrible outlaw Frank Griffin (Jeff Daniels) has been tracking Goode alongside his crew of killers and thieves, and he won’t stop killing till he finds him.
As the inevitable showdown between Goode and Griffin closes in as the series progresses, Godless tells a tale as old as time while also reinvigorating the genre with its rejection of gender roles and expectations. Daniels gives a career-best performance while also creating one of television’s most complex and terrifying villains in the deranged Frank Griffin. Written and created by Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit), Godless is an unforgettable western that never settles for anything less than gut-wrenching action and heartbreaking drama.
Frontier
If you’ve grown tired of noble steeds and honorable men fighting for what’s just, try Frontier. Set during the 1700s and following various fur trappers in the Canadian wilderness, tensions run high as several groups fight for control over the new terrain, with death and carnage becoming a daily occurrence. As the Hudson Bay Company continues to hold its power over most of the North American Fur Trade, the half-Irish, half-Cree fur trapper Declan Harp (Jason Momoa) fights back against the British with brutal force. Momoa eats up his role as a violent, impassioned outlaw setting out on a path towards power, and he finds himself in plenty of bloody battles along the way. Alun Armstrong co-stars as the greedy Lord Benton, a wealthy British man who travels to Canada to stop Harp in his quest for control over the fur trade. It’s kill or be killed in Frontier, and while there’s not a cowboy in sight, there’s plenty of outlaws and villains to go around amongst the snowy terrain.