Our age of streaming is used to the serialized, bingeable format that nearly every show offers these days, but that wasn’t always the norm. For most of its lifespan, television has been a long-term commitment where audiences would have to wait a week (and then months) between installments, extending the drama and giving the story time to breathe. Western TV shows typically fall into that old-school method of storytelling, though there are some that feel almost as if they were made for the more modern streaming-style world.
We’ve put together a group of Western dramas based on either their serialized or anthology-like nature or their high bingeability that make them perfect for this modern age. While most of these are modern shows made within the last 30-something years, they all harken back (in one way or another) to the old American West, to a time long passed. So if you’re ready for a historical venture into the unknown or a Western-flavored triumph of 21st century proportions, look no further than these shows that feel as if they were made for streaming.
1
‘Hell on Wheels’ (2011–2016)
It wasn’t until the 2010s that the streaming craze really took off, with platforms producing their own original content to rival what audiences were used to on cable. So, Hell on Wheels predated House of Cards by a few years, reminding audiences that AMC still had what it takes to tell a riveting, serialized historical drama in record time. Set on the Great Plains, this show is one of the most notable Western programs in the last decade — perfect for fans of streaming shows like 1923.
Telling the story of ex-Confederate Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) alongside the growing Transcontinental Railroad, the five-season drama mixes genuine history with fictional accounts to craft something quite impressive. A highly bingeable series, Hell on Wheels could easily have been a streaming show if made today. Now that it’s over, it’s certainly one worth diving back into.
2
‘The Son’ (2017–2019)
After Hell on Wheels wrapped up, AMC wasn’t done with the Western quite yet. Premiering a whole year before Yellowstone, the network’s adaptation of The Son by Philipp Meyer is a powerful two-season horse opera that grips the viewer with each new installment. Hitting many of the same beats that fans loved when binging Yellowstone (but arguably done better), this is one not to miss.
The series follows Texan cattle baron and family patriarch Eli McCullough in both the “present day” of 1915 and the past of the 1850s. Played as an old man by Pierce Brosnan in a career-defining role and Landman star Jacob Lofland in the past, The Son details both the wild frontier of the 19th century and the industrial age of the 20th — even flashing forward into the 1980s in the second season. Brosnan is at his best (and most frightening) here, offering a performance certainly worthy of the feature-level programs offered on streaming.
3
‘Deadwood’ (2004–2006)
When it comes to prestige Western television, Deadwood really pioneered the concept. Streaming outlets may offer plenty of great horse operas worthy of that high-quality label, but it was HBO that first made that happen. Set in the titular South Dakota mining town, Deadwood expertly blends historical characters and events with a fictionalized narrative that almost requires a binge to fully appreciate.
Like many streaming programs today, Deadwood is full of cursing and violence, but that’s what the Old West could be like at times. With expert performances from Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Jim Beaver, and the rest of the impressive ensemble, this three-season drama has been hailed as one of television’s greatest for a reason. It even produced a feature-length movie finale for those who wished it went on longer.
4
‘The Magnificent Seven’ (1998–2000)
A resurgence of interest in the Western spiraled throughout the 1990s after several successful films led the charge, leading to more Western TV shows than audiences had seen since the ’60s. One such program was The Magnificent Seven, a television remake of the original 1960 film that took its time to explore the members of the title Seven in an episodic format that highlighted each gunslinger. With Michael Biehn leading the charge as Chris Larabee, he proved that he could headline the genre as well as anyone.
With a great cast and a highly bingeable two seasons, The Magnificent Seven built upon the foundation of the original film (remade in the extended two-part pilot) and gave new life to the title heroes. With the feel of classic Western television but with a more modern network television aesthetic, the series would’ve been perfect in today’s streaming landscape. It’s also just a great time that ended too soon.
5
‘Into the West’ (2005)
A Steven Spielberg-produced miniseries event, Into the West played in six two-hour episodes that deserve to be revisited again on streaming. Following the dual narratives of the Wheeler family as they pioneered the American West and the Lakota people as they react to the changes around them, the miniseries is an engaging pivot from usual Western fare that examines nearly the entire century. Armed with a who’s-who list of cast members, this TNT production could easily have been spit into several films.
With a visual quality that was impressive for the day and a plot that echoes many of the same ideas found in its streaming contemporaries (the 1883 miniseries comes to mind), Into the West is an underrated triumph that chronicles what it took to settle and civilize the wild frontier. Limited event television at its finest, Into the West embodies many of the same visual, technical, and thematic qualities that make so many streaming shows stand out as crowning achievements today. Although only six episodes, it boasts a nine-hour runtime.
6
‘How the West Was Won’ (1976–1979)
Similar to Into the West in some ways, How the West Was Won was an attempt by ABC to breathe new life into the Western film of the same name by expanding on the Macahan family as they venture into the West. Beginning with The Macahans television film, the series expanded into a three-part miniseries before eventually spawning two more seasons. Utilizing an engaging mix of episodic storytelling with occasional serialized threads, this is another program that would’ve done well on streaming.
Starring Gunsmoke legend James Arness as Zeb Macahan and Bruce Boxleitner as his nephew Luke, How the West Was Won consists of three seasons total, with each of the program’s 28 episodes running at 90 minutes a piece. In today’s streaming world where some episodes of Stranger Things run for two-hours, How the West Was Won would have thrived with an almost unlimited runtime. It’s loads of fun too, chronicling the Macahans’ story from the Civil War into the 1870s.
7
‘Dead Man’s Gun’ (1997–1999)
Anthology programs like The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror do well on streaming platforms due to the weird, strange, and one-and-done nature of the stories these shows tell. If that’s something that tickles your fancy, then Showtime’s often forgotten Dead Man’s Gun is the next bingeable Western for you. Taking inspiration from Winchester ’73, the series follows a cursed gun that changes hands every episode, leading to the unfortunate demise of whoever uses the titular firearm.
By the end of the two-season anthology, the whole thing is wrapped up in a series finale that reveals the truth about the title gun, but even without that episode, Dead Man’s Gun is a show that would’ve done wonders on streaming, especially if each season had been split in two. Narrated by Kris Kristofferson, the show featured an impressive list of guest stars that would make even The Twilight Zone blush. Just another reason why this show would’ve thrived in the streaming world.
8
‘Longmire’ (2012–2017)
Okay, this one is a bit of a cheat for two reasons. Firstly, Longmire is not a traditional Western, but a neo-Western that feels like a spiritual successor to many of the classic lawman-based horse operas of yesteryear. But the biggest reason this is a bit of a cheat is that although Longmire originally aired on A&E, the series was cancelled by the network and later revived on Netflix for its final three seasons. So, in some sense, this is actually a streaming show, though it didn’t start out as one — perhaps if it had, it would’ve lasted longer.
Following the adventures of rural Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor), Longmire was a great addition to the canon of the modern West that took the initial material from the Craig Johnson novels and elevated it for the screen. The brilliant mix of episodic mysteries and long-term serialized plots made the transition from A&E to Netflix feel seamless. It’s no wonder the streamer was so willing to pick up A&E’s top-rated program, which continues to draw fans in after all this time.
9
‘Have Gun — Will Travel’ (1957–1963)
Although Gunsmoke has proven to be a streaming hit, most classic Western programs don’t feel as if they’re built for streaming. The slower, more episodic pace of many horse operas sets them apart from many of the stories told on streaming platforms. However, after The Mandalorian proved that one-and-done Western-inspired plots are perfect for the streaming world, there’s no denying that Have Gun — Will Travel would’ve succeeded in this format as well.
With six seasons under Paladin’s (Richard Boone) gunbelt with episodes running at 25 minutes a piece, Have Gun — Will Travel is the perfect show for a quick binge. As Paladin travels around the western United States, he finds himself often using his wit (rather than his gun) to solve conflicts across the frontier. Of course, he’s no stranger to a gunfight either, making him one of the best TV gunslingers out there.
10
‘Lonesome Dove’ (1989)
In the wake of Robert Duvall‘s passing, there is no better (nor more bingeable) Western miniseries out there than Lonesome Dove. Based on the exceptional novel by Larry McMurtry, the four-part television epic (billed by many as an extended film) follows ex-Texas Rangers Gus McCrae (Duvall) and Woodrow F. Call (Tommy Lee Jones) as they drive cattle from Texas to Montana. It’s a powerful tale of love, loss, friendship, violence, and just about everything else that makes up the American dream.
Lonesome Dove did impressive numbers on CBS back when it aired in 1989, even spawning a continuation series with some returning cast members. But on streaming, Lonesome Dove certainly would have soared. As the perfect tribute for Western fans, this six-hour epic is a masterclass in genre filmmaking that touches on everything that makes the novel (and the West itself) so fascinating, with performances of a lifetime from Duvall and Jones that give it a distinct flavor.
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