The popularity of the Western genre has surged in recent years, with the best neo-Western TV shows reminding viewers of the sense of fun and danger that classic Western series carried, while updating the outdated tropes and caricatures that belong in history’s trash can. That said, there are many old-school Western TV shows that still hold up today, and although modern-day Westerns can be inventive and compelling, they rarely carry the same nostalgia as the older shows.
The greatest long-running classic Western TV shows of all time have gone on to inspire some of the groundbreaking neo-Westerns that have changed the genre. That said, while some, like Rawhide and Gunsmoke, have gone down in history, others have not. Whether due to overshadowing by more successful TV shows, plot or character faults, or simply being ahead of their time, these classic Western TV shows have been unfairly forgotten.
Cheyenne
Many modern TV drama episodes last for about an hour, but when Cheyenne was released in 1955, this was a revolutionary approach, with previous Westerns telling simpler stories that could be resolved quickly. Cheyenne‘s episodes lasted for an hour each, allowing plenty of time to develop more nuance, from the main character, Cheyenne Bodie (Clint Walker) to the various allies and antagonists he encounters.
As a character, Cheyenne was ahead of his time. Raised by the Cheyenne Native American tribe after the death of his parents, not only does he have a much more positive attitude to these characters, but he is shown to be kind and softer spoken than the other leading cowboys of the age. The series follows a typical classic Western plot with a gunslinger who takes on various jobs while dispatching justice, but it could easily be rebooted today with minimal changes.
The Westerner
Dave Blassingame has a skillset that makes him an asset in a fight, no matter how hard he tries to avoid one. The Westerner follows his journey through the frontier as he drifts from place to place, trying to save money with the goal of building his own ranch. However, things are rarely that simple, and Blassingame regularly finds himself in gunfights and brawls, with the show resembling the modern-day Reacher series in spirit.
Blassingame’s dog, Brown, is played by Spike, who is best known for playing Old Yeller in the movie of the same name.
Despite only airing for one season made up of 13 episodes, The Westerner is a forgotten Western that should be revered as a classic. Placed in the same slot as enormously successful TV shows like The Flintstones, The Westerner never got the ratings it needed to survive, and with its comparatively gritty subject matter and situations that depended more on survival skills than morality, it is an underrated forerunner to modern Westerns like Justified.
Have Gun – Will Travel
Before Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name, the most iconic Western anti-hero was Paladin (Richard Boone) in Have Gun – Will Travel. Paladin was a walking contradiction, combining the rough and ready cowboy archetype with the manners and skill range of a gentleman. While this type of character is a staple of modern TV shows and movies, from Lupin to James Bond, it was not only relatively unusual in the 1950s but unheard-of in a classic Western.
Paladin is highly educated and trained in martial arts, and proficient in chess, sword fighting, several languages, and poker, in addition to more typical “cowboy” skills like shooting. The show lasted for six seasons and remains a classic Western that outshines modern series, but even after being nominated for three Emmy Awards and influencing other Western TV series, Have Gun – Will Travel remains extremely underrated.
The Wild Wild West
Not to be confused with Will Smith’s movie flop, The Wild Wild West TV series served as its inspiration, pioneering the steampunk genre onscreen. As the Golden Age of Westerns was fading, with the spy genre taking hold, The Wild Wild West blended the two, with creator Michael Garrison describing the show as “James Bond on horseback.” Secret Service agents James West and Artemus Gordon solve crimes in a steampunk reimagining of the American Old West.
The series was well known for its daring stunts and brutality, but this led to its downfall, as it was eventually a victim of a concentrated effort to reduce violence onscreen in the wake of the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy. Many of the fight sequences would be considered tame by today’s standards, and with a 100% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, The Wild Wild West would be the perfect candidate for a reboot, bringing it out from the shadow of Will Smith’s movie.
Maverick
Maverick instantly stands out from other Western TV shows for its comparative lack of typical tropes like shootouts, frontier justice, and rugged cowboys. Instead, the Maverick brothers would prefer to win money playing cards than to run outlaws out of town on horseback, with Bart Maverick even remarking, “my brother Bret can outdraw me any day of the week, and he’s known as the Second Slowest Gun in the West.”
The role of Beau Maverick was originally offered to Sean Connery, who turned it down before playing James Bond, later being succeeded by Moore.
This self-deprecating humor and focus on a different kind of character instantly set Maverick apart, and though each brother had their own way of doing things, Bret Maverick’s charm and wit made him one of the most iconic antiheroes in a Western TV show. The show was also an early glimpse into Roger Moore’s star power, as he joined the series as Beau Maverick, the English “white sheep” of the family a decade before playing James Bond.
Wanted: Dead Or Alive
Steve McQueen’s early Western TV role in the series Wanted: Dead or Alive cemented him as Hollywood’s “king of cool,” with the show launching his acting career. McQueen plays bounty hunter Josh Randall in all 94 episodes, and the character’s surprisingly calm demeanor and good nature helped to shape later “lone wolf” Western TV heroes. The show lasted for three seasons, but despite featuring one of Hollywood’s greatest stars, it never got the longevity enjoyed by other great TV Westerns.
Wanted: Dead or Alive had an impressive lineup of guest stars, including the spaghetti Western star Lee van Cleef, horror icon Lon Chaney Jr., and Star Trek‘s DeForest Kelley. Even so, the show was more popular with audiences than critics, and was canceled after its timeslot was changed, putting it in competition with popular sitcoms. The series has largely been forgotten, which is an unfair fate given the way it influenced McQueen’s career trajectory.
The Big Valley
With its female protagonist, social commentary, and extremely quotable lines, The Big Valley was always ahead of its time, often feeling like a precursor to Yellowstone, which is widely credited with sparking the neo-Western revival. Barbara Stanwyck plays Victoria Barkley, the formidable matriarch of a wealthy ranch-owning family. Women in classic Westerns were often relegated to fragile roles, but Stanwyck’s refusal to downplay her character’s grit and strength makes The Big Valley a pioneer for the genre.
While many TV shows are canceled before their time, The Big Valley is a rare Western TV show with a perfect ending, which was as thrilling and unexpected as many of the previous episodes, which saw Victoria in various dangerous situations. Just as she appears certain to die, rescue comes in the form of a genius plan and a shooting feat to rival the best classic Westerns of the age.
The Loner
Rod Serling might be better known for The Twilight Zone, but a year after it was canceled, he created one of the best forgotten classic Western TV shows of all time. The Loner follows the quest of William Colton, a former cavalry captain venturing to the West in search of a new life. Each episode could be watched as a standalone story that featured a new person Colton met along the way, and while the series had the tone and aesthetic of a classic Western, it could not find its target audience in time.
The series was too adult for younger viewers used to more cartoonish action, but not gritty enough for audiences disillusioned with the popular farfetched Westerns and looking for a more serious show. If The Loner was made today in the era of streaming, it would likely have found greater success, but back in the mid-1960s, it lasted just one season.