Western shows have been around pretty much since TV was invented, and although the genre has fallen out of vogue on the big screen, they’re currently enjoying something of a golden age on television.
The latest Western to grace our screens is the Netflix miniseries "American Primeval," which premiered Jan. 9. Set in the Utah Territory during the 1850s, the gritty drama is a far cry from the romanticized frontier tales we’ve seen in the past, "American Primeval" stars Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin, and explores the often violent conflict between white settlers — predominantly Mormon — and the indigenous people they’re committed to displacing.
TG's Alix Blackburn already considers "American Primeval" one of her favorite shows of the year. After you finish watching it, you might crave more Western dramas. Here are five shows like "American Primeval" to stream now.
'Deadwood'
Set in a booming mining town in the Dakota Territory during the late 1800s, "Deadwood" is pretty much the gold standard when it comes to Western TV series of the modern era. Somehow, its cast is able to make the petty squabbles of the town’s leading citizens seem like Shakespeare, creating high drama in its finest form.
A great deal of the credit goes to the showrunner David Milch, whose assembly of writers craft some of the best prose seen on television, as well as the actors bringing to life both fictional characters and those based on real-life historical figures. Although "Deadwood" received nearly universal critical acclaim, the show was canceled by HBO after just three seasons, and it never received the awards attention it deserved. The good news is that in 2019, the cast reunited for "Deadwood: The Movie" to tie up all the loose threads left by its premature cancellation and give the show the send-off it deserved.
► Watch on Max
'Godless'
Under normal circumstances, the Western is dominated by men and masculinity. This is not the case, however, in "Godless." Set in a 19th-century New Mexican town that is largely made up of women after a recent mining accident claimed the lives of the majority of their male population, the show takes on an entirely different atmosphere without the overbearing presence of cloddish cowboys.
With this in mind, "Godless" offers a contrasting vision of what we normally expect from the Old West and gives stars Michelle Dockery and Merritt Wever the opportunity to shine. Released back in 2017, "Godless" was nominated for an impressive 12 Emmys, ultimately winning for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Jeff Daniels), Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Wever), and Best Original Main Title Theme Song.
► Watch on Netflix
'Billy the Kid'
Billy the Kid is one of the most iconic figures of the Old West, partly because of his legendary status as an outlaw, and partly because he was shot and killed when he was just 21 years old. There have been plenty of films and television series that delve into his life’s story, but "Billy the Kid" from MGM Plus is one of the most interesting.
The show stars Tom Blyth, who broke out as a young Coriolanus Snow in "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes," and he brings a confident presence and steely sense of resolve that befits the character, despite his youth. Although the show only ran for two short seasons, it does justice to the popular Wild West figure and is worth a watch — especially since you can burn through all 16 episodes fairly quickly.
► Watch on MGM Plus
'The Son'
Irish actor Pierce Brosnan might not be the obvious choice to star in a television series about a Texas oil empire, but that doesn’t mean he’s not the right choice. In "The Son," Brosnan plays Eli McCullough, a man with a complicated upbringing (as a child, he was taken captive by a group of Comanches while the rest of his family was killed) who has made his living through the three main exports of Texas: cattle, oil and frontier violence.
Each episode of the show jumps between Eli’s childhood among the Comanche in the 1840s (the younger version of the character is played by Jacob Lofland), and the present-day of 1915, where he’s an illustrious figure in the community with major Daniel Plainview from "There Will Be Blood" vibes. Although "The Son" is not without its flaws, the central performances are everything you could hope for in a Western drama.
► Watch on AMC Plus
'Justified'
Having Timothy Olyphant in your Western-themed television series isn’t a requirement, per se, but it definitely helps. Unlike "Deadwood," the modern-day "Justified" doesn’t actually take place in the Old West, but it has similarly rugged themes of law and order — and of course, it stars Olyphant as Raylan Givens, a U.S. Marshal who isn’t exactly the most by-the-book officer in all of Kentucky.
Together, he and co-star Walton Goggins make "Justified" must-watch television, as the lawman and the criminal square off against one another (and eventually find themselves in a "Heat"-style quasi-friendship). "Justified" was so popular that it ran for six seasons and a sequel miniseries, and earned eight Emmy nominations, with Margo Martindale winning for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and Sam Elliott winning for Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
► Watch on Hulu
