Published Oct 18, 2026, 11:39 PM EDT
Remus is a writer, editor, journalist, and author with an eye for detail and an extremely active imagination. He is an enthusiast of everything to do with the graphic medium, whether it’s Western comics and their adaptations or manga and anime. Remus is also the author of the sci-fantasy novel Once Upon a Time in Hyperspace and several works of short fiction in the mystery, comedy, and horror genres.
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Westerns have been a fixture on the small screen since the earliest years of television, though they’ve waxed and waned in popularity over the years. With the arrival of Yellowstone, the genre received a 21st-century revival that has spawned numerous shows spanning the drama, comedy, crime, and thriller subgenres, many of which have proven both popular and impactful. Collectively, these shows have proven that Western television is here to stay.
However, though the genre has exploded into new directions over the decades, there are only a few Western shows that can truly be called masterpieces. These are the shows that engage, entertain, and sometimes even educate the audience in every single installment, earning critical and audience acclaim as they do it. From TV classics to underrated gems, here’s our handpicked selection of Western shows where every episode is a masterpiece.
A highly underrated Western miniseries starring Emily Blunt, The English follows Lady Cornelia Locke, an Englishwoman who travels to the American West seeking revenge for her son’s death. In the process, she meets Sergeant Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), a Pawnee Nation member on his way to claim his dues, and discovers a shared history. Written and directed by Hugo Blick, the series also stars Ciarán Hinds, Toby Jones, Rafe Spall, and more as key characters.
The English is unlike most shows in the genre, modern or classic, and surpasses the expected standards of Western TV. The revisionist Western drama is unusually artistic, with highly appealing, stylized cinematography, even if the show’s deliberate pacing can be a drag at times. The English was a blink-and-miss show at the time of its release, but despite its minimal cultural impact, the series was a critical favorite, earning praise for the powerhouse performances by Blunt and Spencer, as well as the impressive visuals.
Taylor Sheridan’s follow-up to his mega-hit neo-Western Yellowstone, 1883 is the first spin-off series of the franchise and the first of many prequels. The show explores the Dutton family’s legacy 125 years before the events of Yellowstone. Set in the titular year in a post-Civil War America, 1883 follows the lives of James and Margaret Dutton, who leave the impoverished Southern life for a prosperous future in the fertile plains of Montana, and establish what would later become the Yellowstone Ranch. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill portray the Dutton couple, with Sam Elliott, Isabel May, and LaMonica Garrett as other main characters.
When it premiered in 2021, *1883 *surpassed the success of its parent show and broke several records, earning acclaim for its standout performances and big-screen aesthetic. Though often heavy-handed in its narrative style, it compensates with its epic scale and unrelenting bleakness, depicting the struggles of its time period with great realism. Gritty and grounded, *1883 *is often ranked among the finest Western dramas of the 21st century and is easily one of Taylor Sheridan’s best shows.
An HBO landmark and an iconic Western drama created by David Milch, Deadwood centers on the years before and after the annexation of the titular area by the Dakota Territories in the 1870s. The series follows the town’s history from a lawless gold mining camp to a planned township, exploring the power struggles between a ruthless saloon owner, Al Swearengen, and the town’s new, incorruptible sheriff, Seth Bullock. Ian McShane and Timothy Olyphant star as Al and Seth respectively, with Brad Dourif, Kim Dickens, Robin Weigert, and Anna Gunn portraying other real-life people of that era.
*Deadwood *is a highly engaging Western drama with high-tension storylines exploring politics, society, and law within the frontier context. While it was not as massive a blockbuster as other Western shows of its time, Deadwood set new standards for the genre and is now considered an early 21st-century gem of Western television that still holds up today. Backed by great performances by Olyphant and McShane, *Deadwood *is one of the finest modern Western shows, successfully swapping classic tropes with character and narrative depth in every chapter.
Four icons and four completely different ways of walking into trouble. This is the one you would have been out there, why it fits, and what it would have cost you.
You have never explained yourself and you have never needed to, because people work out fairly quickly that you are the most capable person in the room without you ever having to mention it.
You are the funniest person in most rooms and the most loyal person in all of them, and you would be genuinely insulted if somebody suggested those two things were in any tension.
You never wanted this job, and you took it anyway because the alternative was standing there watching somebody less careful do it badly, which is the most Western reason there has ever been.
Nobody has ever successfully talked you out of something you had already decided was right, and a long line of grown adults has found that out the hard way.
A major Western TV drama that made Timothy Olyphant a household name and cemented his status as a television icon, Justified is Graham Yost’s series adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s stories featuring the protagonist Raylan Givens, most notably the short story “Fire in the Hole.” Olyphant plays the U.S. Marshal, infamous for his brash nature, dry wit, and questionable methods of enforcing the law, and the show sees him kicked out of Miami and transferred to his hometown in Kentucky, which he thought he escaped for good.
*Justified *started as a Western procedural but quickly turned into a sharp, slick crime drama, and eventually became an explosive genre hit. The show mostly anchors itself on Olyphant’s epic anti-hero, whose Old West swagger blended with smooth southern charm and modern ruggedness draws fans episode after episode. With sharp dialogue, folksy humor, and well-paced story arcs, *Justified *is a captivating contemporary Western drama that outshines most genre hits of our time.
Developed by John Covey and Hunt Baldwin, Longmire is a neo-Western crime drama adaptation of Craig Johnson’s series of mystery novels featuring the titular character. A troubled county sheriff in Wyoming, Walt Longmire solves strange crimes with the help of his daughter, his long-time friend, and trusted deputies. Robert Taylor plays the titular central character, with Cassidy Freeman, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, and **Bailey Chase **as other main characters.
Longmire is a fascinating modern Western show with an interesting hero, tightly-woven mysteries, and a rugged backdrop. During its run, the show was a huge success, garnering popularity and critical acclaim season after season to become A&E’s highest-rated original scripted drama series of all time. Nowadays, it’s sadly become another forgotten Western TV show, but Longmire remains one of the best modern productions in the genre and is praiseworthy for finding the right balance between a conventional Western narrative and contemporary sensibilities.
A critically acclaimed Western drama miniseries set in the late 1800s, Godless follows a young outlaw named Roy Goode (Jack O’Connell), who betrays his gang and escapes to a small New Mexico mining town populated mostly by women, where he seeks refuge with an outcast widow, Alice Fletcher (Michelle Dockery). When Roy’s former gang finds him and threatens the town, Alice and the rest of the townsfolk band together to fight them off. Scoot McNairy, Merritt Wever, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Tantoo Cardinal, and more appear in key roles.
Created by Scott Frank and produced by Steven Soderbergh, *Godless *is a remarkably made miniseries that challenges traditional Western TV tropes and rivals many in the genre with its production values. Featuring a stellar cast, magnetic performances, sweeping visuals, and self-contained storytelling, every chapter of this Western is a thrill. With its high-drama, high-stakes Old West action, and refreshing setting, *Godless *ranks among the finest Westerns of our time.
Directed by Simon Wincer, Lonesome Dove is an ’80s TV classic and a legendary Western show adapted from the 1985 novel by Larry McMurtry, and the first entry in the titular series of shows. Set in the late 1870s, the story revolves around two aging Texas Rangers — the free-spirited Augustus “Gus” McCrae and the strict and stoic Woodrow F. Call — who embark on an epic and arduous cattle drive from the titular Texas border town to the lush plains of Montana. Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones play the central duo, with Danny Glover, Diane Lane, and Anjelica Huston as other notable characters.
During its run, *Lonesome Dove *became a landmark series that completely redefined Western television and revived the genre, which had largely faded at the time. A deeply profound and emotionally resonant frontier saga, every step of Call and Gus’s epic journey leads to interesting turns of events. Lonesome Dove was a favorite with both fans and critics, winning seven Emmy Awards, and is still considered one of the finest Western dramas ever seen on the small screen.
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