Bruce Campbell in 'The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.'
In our post-Yellowstone world, many of the best Western shows out there have been long-forgotten in favor of the Taylor Sheridan brand of the American West . Although certain classics like Gunsmoke and Bonanza will never fully fall to the wayside, many of the other TV Westerns of the day weren't so lucky.
If you're looking for a show that has been off the beaten path for a while, you've come to the right place. For Western shows that have largely been left in the dust, here are the ventures into the Old West that you won't want to miss out on. Between action/adventure shows, family comedies, and more traditional frontier fodder, these picks include a little something for everyone. So, without further ado, saddle up, because we're taking a ride back in time. 'The Young Riders' Based on the historical Pony Express, The Young Riders was a fictional take on the famed mail carriers that first pushed Josh Brolin and Stephen Baldwin as"Wild Bill" James Hickok and"Buffalo Bill" Cody, respectively. Joining them were a handful of other riders, and together the group tackled all the injustices of the Old West prior to the American Civil War. It's a great time that is made better by enjoyable characters who keep you invested until the very end. Seemingly inspired by the success of Young Guns , The Young Riders pulled in younger demographics as it aimed to make the Western cool again. For the most part, it remained consistent throughout its three-season run, ending quite satisfactory. The beauty, of course, is that this is one of the best Western programs out there that's available to stream free of charge. 'How the West Was Won' After James Arness was forced off the air with the cancellation of Gunsmoke, he returned to the Old West as Zebulon Macahan in the television adaptation of How the West Was Won. The series followed the Macahan family as they escaped the horrors of the Civil War to travel west and begin a new life for themselves, only leading to more hardship and heartbreak along the way. And yet, despite all of those challenges, it's a hard one to turn off. After a made-for-TV movie to kick it off, How the West Was Won enjoyed three seasons of hour-and-a-half-long frontier dramas. Each installment was like a standalone film, with serialized hints of the Macahans' exploits as they ventured further westward. Though not a game-changing Western that forever changed the genre, the series is quite enjoyable, and certainly worth the binge. Don't believe us? Watch this William Shatner episode for proof! 'Death Valley Days' Despite running for 20 seasons across two decades, Death Valley Days is often overlooked when it comes to classic Western TV. It's a shame too, because for an impressive 452 episodes, this anthology program uncovered many of the long-forgotten tales of the Old West, with each new installment recounting a new tale of American history. It was both educational and engaging, which is likely partly why it was on the air for so long. It's just a shame that many have forgotten about it since. Another classic anthology series that few remember, Death Valley Days was one of the greats. Boasting several hosts over the years, including Ronald Reagan , the show often challenged our perceptions of the wild frontier by revealing the true stories of those who settled it. Of course, it also gave Clint Eastwood his first on-screen television credit, so that's a pretty big deal in itself. 'The Magnificent Seven' You may think you know the classic story of The Magnificent Seven, and if you've seen the original 1960 film , then you probably do. But that's only the beginning of the story, at least if this CBS series proves anything. A television remake of the original concept, The Magnificent Seven unites seven gunslingers to protect a small town from a band of outlaws — and instead of riding into the sunset, they stick around for a while to keep the peace. The ensemble cast includes heavy hitters like Michael Biehn, Eric Close, Laurie Holden, and Ron Perlman, with each episode generally focusing on a new member of the title Seven. With two seasons and 22 episodes total, the network Western takes its time to really develop each member of the group. The results rival anything you might expect from a series trying to ride off the success of one of the genre's greatest theatrical installments.Show Do You Belong In? Yellowstone · Landman · Tulsa King · Mayor of Kingstown Four worlds. All of them brutal, complicated, and built on power, loyalty, and the price of survival. Taylor Sheridan doesn't write heroes — he writes people who do what they have to do and live with the cost. Ten questions will reveal which one of his worlds you were made for. 🤠Yellowstone 🛢️Landman 👑Tulsa King ⚖️Mayor of Kingstown FIND YOUR WORLD → QUESTION 1 / 10POWER 01 Where does your power come from? In Sheridan's world, everyone has leverage. The question is what kind. ALand, legacy, and a name that's been feared and respected for generations. BKnowing the deal better than anyone else in the room — and being willing to walk away first. CReputation. I've earned it the hard way, and everyone in the room knows it. DBeing the only person both sides will talk to. That makes me indispensable — and dangerous. NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 2 / 10LOYALTY 02 Who do you put first, no matter what? Loyalty in Sheridan's universe is always absolute — and always costly. AFamily — blood or chosen. The ranch, the name, the people who carry it with me. BThe company — or whoever's signing the cheques. Loyalty follows the contract. CMy crew. The men who stood with me when it counted — I don't abandon them for anything. DMy community — even when my community is a powder keg and I'm the only thing stopping it from blowing. NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 3 / 10CONFLICT 03 Someone crosses a line. How do you respond? Every Sheridan protagonist has a line. What matters is what happens after it's crossed. AQuietly, decisively, and in a way that sends a message to everyone watching. BI outmanoeuvre them legally, financially, and politically before they even know I've moved. CDirectly. Old school. You cross me, you hear about it to your face — and then you deal with the consequences. DI absorb it, calculate the fallout, and find the move that keeps the whole system from collapsing. NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 4 / 10SETTING 04 Where do you feel most in your element? Sheridan's worlds are as much about place as they are about people. AWide open land — mountains, sky, silence. Somewhere you can see trouble coming from a mile away. BThe oil fields of West Texas — brutal, lucrative, and indifferent to whoever happens to be standing on top of them. CA mid-size city where the rules haven't quite caught up yet — fertile ground for someone with vision and nerve. DA rust-belt town built around a prison — where everyone's life is shaped by what's inside those walls. NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 5 / 10MORALITY 05 How do you feel about operating in the grey? Nobody in a Sheridan show has clean hands. The question is how they carry the dirt. AI do what has to be done to protect what's mine. I'll answer for it eventually — but not today. BGrey is just business. The line moves depending on what's at stake, and I move with it. CI have a code — it's not the law's code, but it's mine, and I don't break it. DI've made peace with it. Keeping the peace requires compromises most people don't have the stomach for. NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 6 / 10AMBITION 06 What are you actually fighting to hold onto? Every Sheridan character is fighting a war. The real question is what they're defending. AA way of life that the modern world is doing everything it can to erase. BMy position — and the leverage that comes with being the person everyone needs to close a deal. CRelevance. I've been away, I've been written off — and I'm proving that was a mistake. DWhatever fragile order I've managed to build — because without it, everything burns. NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 7 / 10LEADERSHIP 07 How do you lead? Authority in Sheridan's world is never given — it's established, maintained, and constantly tested. ABy example and force of will. People follow me because they believe in what I'm protecting — and because they know what happens if they don't. BThrough negotiation and leverage. I don't need people to like me — I need them to need me. CBy being the smartest, most experienced person in the room and making sure everyone quietly knows it. DBy being the calm centre of a situation that would spiral without me — and accepting that nobody thanks you for it. NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 8 / 10OUTSIDERS 08 Someone new arrives and tries to change how things work. Your reaction? Every Sheridan show has an outsider disrupting an established order. Sometimes that outsider is you. AThey'll learn. Or they won't. Either way, the land was here before them and it'll be here after. BI figure out what they want, what they're worth, and whether they're an asset or a problem — fast. CI was the outsider once. I give them a chance — one — to show they understand respect. DNew players destabilise everything I've built. I assess the threat and manage it before it manages me. NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 9 / 10COST 09 What has your position cost you? Nobody gets to where these characters are without paying for it. The bill is always personal. AMy family's peace — maybe their innocence. The ranch demands everything, and I've let it take too much. BRelationships, time, any version of a normal life. The job eats everything that isn't nailed down. CYears. Decades in some cases. Time I can't get back — but I'm not done yet. DMy conscience, mostly. And the ability to ever fully trust anyone on either side of the wall. NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 10 / 10LEGACY 10 When it's over, what do you want people to say? Sheridan's characters all know the ending is coming. The question is what they leave behind. AThat I held the line. That the land is still ours and everything I did was worth it. BThat I was the best at what I did and that no deal ever got closed without me at the table. CThat I built something real, somewhere nobody expected it, and I did it on my own terms. DThat I kept the peace when nobody else could — and that the town is still standing because of it. REVEAL MY SHOW → Sheridan Has Spoken You Belong In… The show that claimed the most of your answers is the world you were built for. If two tied, both are shown — you're complicated enough to straddle two Sheridan universes. 🤠 Yellowstone 🛢️ Landman 👑 Tulsa King ⚖️ Mayor of Kingstown YELLOWSTONE You are a Dutton — or you might as well be. You understand that some things are worth protecting at any cost, and that the modern world's indifference to history, to land, to legacy, is not something you're willing to accept quietly. You lead from the front, you carry your family's weight without complaint, and when someone threatens what's yours, you don't escalate — you finish it. You're not cruel. But you are absolute. In Yellowstone's world, that combination of ferocity and loyalty doesn't make you a villain. It makes you the only thing standing between everything that matters and everyone who wants to take it. LANDMAN You thrive in the chaos of high-stakes negotiation, where the money is enormous, the margins are thin, and the wrong word in the wrong room can cost everyone everything. You're a fixer — the person called when a situation is already on fire and needs someone with the nerve to walk into it. West Texas oil country rewards exactly what you are: sharp, adaptable, unsentimental, and absolutely clear-eyed about what people want and what they'll do to get it. You're not naive enough to think this world is fair. You're smart enough to be the one deciding who it's fair to. TULSA KING You are a Dwight Manfredi — someone who has served their time, paid their dues, and arrived somewhere unexpected with nothing but their reputation and their wits. You adapt without losing yourself. You build loyalty through respect rather than fear, though you're not above reminding people that the two aren't mutually exclusive. Tulsa King is for people who are still standing when everyone assumed they'd be finished — who find, in an unfamiliar place, that they're more capable than the world gave them credit for. You don't need a throne. You build one, wherever you happen to land. MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN You carry the weight of a system that is broken by design, and you do it anyway — because someone has to, and because you're the only one positioned to do it without the whole thing collapsing. Mike McLusky's world is for people who are comfortable operating where there are no good options, only less catastrophic ones. You speak every language: law enforcement, criminal, political, human. That fluency makes you invaluable and it makes you a target. You've made your peace with both. Mayor of Kingstown belongs to people who understand that keeping the peace is not the same as being at peace — and who do the job regardless. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 'The Loner' After his work on The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling decided to move away from science fiction in favor of a careful examination of the Old West. The result was The Loner, a Lloyd Bridges-centric series that followed ex-Union officer William Colton as he traveled throughout the open range, dealing with more mature and adult drama than was popular with most Western programs at the time . Although it only lasted 26 episodes, Serling knew how to make the genre shine. Bridges played the wandering gunslinger with ease, emphasizing how one man can truly make a difference when faced with the injustices and brutality of the world. One of the genre's most criminally underrated shows, The Loner is a remarkable piece of television that, sadly, just didn't make the cut at the time. But revisiting the series now will prove a real treat, especially if you're looking for something of such high caliber as The Twilight Zone . 'Harts of the West' A more comedic take on the American West, Harts of the West is the only Western-based series on this list set closer to present day, technically making it a neo-Western. When Beau Bridges' Dave Hart has a life-threatening heart attack and a midlife crisis, he moves his family out of the Chicagoland area to the middle-of-nowhere Nevada, buys a run-down ranch, and fulfills his life-long dream of living like a cowboy. Yeah, it sounds like a wild premise , but this one-season dramedy absolutely delivers. Alongside local cowboy Jake , the Hart family fixes up their homestead and gets involved with the eclectic group that populates the town of Sholo. No doubt, this short-lived CBS gem is both funnier and more heartfelt than you'd expect, perfect for fans of Little House on the Prairie. And, for those hardcore Western fans out there, you'll appreciate that Dave and Allison named their three children after Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, and John"Duke" Wayne himself. 'Hec Ramsey' After several years headlining the six-season Have Gun — Will Travel, longtime TV star Richard Boone returned to the Old West in his later years for Hec Ramsey. With episodes ranging from 90 minutes to two hours in length, the Oklahoma-based program followed the title investigator as he solved crimes in the early 20th century using budding scientific techniques and technologies. Think of it as a cross between Gunsmoke and CSI. Subscribe to the newsletter for hidden Western gems Hungry for more forgotten Westerns and smart recommendations? Subscribe to the newsletter for curated deep dives into overlooked TV series, character spotlights, streaming availability notes, and related genre picks that expand your watchlist. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. A solid two-season Western worth the binge, Hec Ramsey combined modern procedural investigative techniques with a traditional period setting. In many respects, Boone considered Hec to be a sort of continuation of his Paladin character from Have Gun, though there were no real connections between the shows. Still, it's hard to say no to such a memorable Western star; just be warned, you'll wish this 10-episode series ran a bit longer. 'The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.' Admittedly, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. isn't your traditional shoot-'em-up Western adventure. More of a"Weird Western," the series follows Bruce Campbell as the titular hero who is seeking justice for his father's murder, only to be thrown into a sci-fi-inspired adventure. No, there are no space aliens or robots, but time travel and rockets are certainly factors. If you already love Bruce Campbell, then this is one adventure you can't pass up on — even if it's not his usual flavor of horror or action/adventure. With its steampunk-themed Western style, Brisco County, Jr. was unlike any other horse opera out there, always pushing the boundaries of what the period could pull off. And yet, it remains a cult favorite for the few who followed it thoroughly. Like Follow Followed The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. TV-14 Adventure Action Comedy Release Date 1993 - 1994-00-00 Cast See All
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