The 25 best Western TV shows of all time, based on data—and 'Gunsmoke' is only #12

The 25 best Western TV shows of all time

If there's a genre of television that is associated with being iconically American, the Western would be the top contender. Visions of saloon doors swinging open as a spur-spangled stranger stands in the frame. Tumbleweeds toss along the road behind him. The ominous sound of over-plucked guitar strings and the stressed-out neigh of restless horses act as the soundtrack in the background. Guns glisten and shine in the holster as they catch the eye of the audience. It's quintessential Americana, and it makes for good television.

Westerns, which typically take place in the latter half of the 19th century, focus on the fantasy of the Old West. Scenes harken to a time of outlaw renegades and vigilante justice—all while conveniently leaving out the genocide and colonization that took place to create the "Old West." The fantasy-based genre started around the 1930s and skyrocketed in popularity through the 1960s. From these films and TV shows were born icons of the Western, like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Gary Cooper, among others.

Westerns were the most popular TV genre throughout the 1950s and '60s, with classics like "Gunsmoke," "The Lone Ranger," and "Cheyenne." While Westerns faded from the spotlight during most of the '70s, '80s, and '90s, the genre was resurrected at the turn of the 21st century with shows like "Deadwood," "Longmire," and "Yellowstone."

Though "Yellowstone" ended in December 2024, it has had a major effect on TV Westerns, including spinoffs like "1883" and "1923." The franchise continues to expand—the most recent installments, "Y: Marshals" and "The Madison," both premiered in early 2026, with "Dutton Ranch" debuting in May 2026. And Taylor Sheridan is no longer the only name in the game. Netflix debuted a number of Western series in 2025, including "American Primeval," "Ransom Canyon," and "The Abandons."

These shows and more deliver the kind of gunslinging action that has long kept Western fans captivated. But which are the greatest ever made? Stacker compiled data from IMDb on all Western TV series and ranked them according to IMDb user scores, ties broken by votes. The series had to have at least 500 IMDb user votes to qualify. Whether you're a gunslinging Western aficionado or just cutting your teeth, there are plenty of television Westerns to choose from.

#25. Laramie

- IMDb user rating: 7.7

- On air: 1959-1963

Set in 1870s Wyoming, "Laramie" was the story of Slim Sherman and his brother, who work to save their family ranch after their father dies. The two main stars of Laramie were John Smith and Robert Fuller, but the show's many guest stars were prominent figures in Hollywood Westerns.

#24. The Young Riders

- IMDb user rating: 7.7

- On air: 1989-1992

This series followed the adventures of the young, handsome group of Pony Express riders based in the Nebraska Territory in the years before the Civil War. It was the first time a traditional Western had been on TV in a decade. Its first season received decidedly low ratings, but the show made a comeback after moving to a new time slot in its second season.

#23. The Lone Ranger

- IMDb user rating: 7.7

- On air: 1949-1957

Marked by his mask and trusty steed, Silver, the Lone Ranger was a former Texas Ranger who battled the bad guys in the Old West. "The Lone Ranger" got its start in radio back in 1933. It came to television in 1949 and starred Clayton Moore. The series was ABC's first big hit of the early 1950s.

#22. Sky King

- IMDb user rating: 7.8

- On air: 1951-1962

With most Westerns painting the picture of a dusty trail on horseback, "Sky King" flew in with a different perspective on the expansive frontier. The show started as a radio program in 1946 and followed Arizona rancher and pilot Schuyler "Sky" King as he flew through the air with the greatest of ease—all while hunting down criminals and rescuing lost travelers around town. The plots often revolved around death-defying stunts and near-death situations that the ranchers had to escape. The radio show was on air until 1954, simulcasting along with the television series for the first few seasons.

#21. The Rebel

- IMDb user rating: 7.8

- On air: 1959-1961

The "Rebel" was a short-lived series about Johnny Yuma, a Confederate army veteran haunted by memories of the Civil War and all the horrible violence he carried out while fighting on the wrong side of history. The show was a departure for the production company, as they typically worked solely on game shows. Starring Nick Adams as Yuma, the plotline followed the veteran's search for an inner peace he didn't know how to find. He wandered the West, mostly alone, writing about his adventures and fighting perceived injustices—a moral penance for the injustices he carried out.

#20. Tales of Wells Fargo

- IMDb user rating: 7.9

- On air: 1957-1962

Based on the biography of Wells Fargo detective Fred J. Dodge, the story followed special agent Jim Hardie, "the left-handed gun," who helped save stagecoaches from outlaws and other violence. The actor Dale Robertson did all his own stunts. He was also right-handed.

#19. Rawhide

- IMDb user rating: 7.9

- On air: 1959-1965

The premise of "Rawhide" followed the adventures of drovers along the rough and challenging cattle drives of the 1860s. Each episode involved the drovers encountering people along the way and typically involved solving their problems or rescuing them from trouble. It was in "Rawhide" that an American icon was born. The TV series debuted in 1959 and was the first Western to give Clint Eastwood his big break.

#18. Peacemakers

- IMDb user rating: 8

- On air: 2003

Set in Silver City, Colorado, Deputy Marshal Jared Stone and private detective Larimer Finch were on the right side of the law during the early beginnings of forensic science. It was a USA Network show starring Tom Berenger and Peter O'Meara, described by Alessandra Stanley in the New York Times as "a cozy, old-fashioned detective show in the vein of 'Columbo' or 'Murder, She Wrote,' set amid the dirt streets and swinging saloon doors of 'Bonanza or 'Gunsmoke.'" It only ran for one season.

#17. Cheyenne

- IMDb user rating: 8

- On air: 1955-1963

"Cheyenne," which debuted in 1955, made its mark on the Western scene by being the first hour-long drama to run for more than one season. It told the story of Cheyenne Bodie, a kind-hearted cowboy wandering the West in the years following the American Civil War. It inspired many spinoffs and crossovers and won the 1957 Golden Globe Award for Television Achievement.

#16. Wanted: Dead or Alive

- IMDb user rating: 8

- On air: 1958-1961

"Wanted Dead or Alive" was a Western series from the late 1950s that starred Steve McQueen as Josh Randall, a Civil War veteran-turned-bounty hunter who roamed the dusty roads of the Wild West looking for outlaws to turn in. This show was Steve McQueen's big break. It also gave early screen time to Michael Landon, who skyrocketed to superstar status when he eventually moved on to "Bonanza."

#15. Maverick

- IMDb user rating: 8

- On air: 1957-1962

Bret and Bart Maverick were a couple of brothers with eyes for style and hearts for gambling. The series followed the two migrating from town to town in the Wild West as they pursued the next good time. Unlike other Westerns, the Maverick brothers didn't adhere to strict macho stereotypes. An obituary for Jack Kelly, who played Bart Maverick, noted that the Maverick brothers weren't the "quickdraw" personalities typical of Western heroes. They showed fear in the face of danger and even ran from it.

#14. Lawman

- IMDb user rating: 8.1

- On air: 1958-1962

Set in Laramie, Wyoming, during the second half of the 19th century, "Lawman" was about Marshal Dan Troop, his deputy Johnny McKay, and an orphan. Peter Brown, who played Deputy McKay, was so popular on the program he became a fixture on TV Westerns. He went on to hold guest star roles in "Cheyenne," "Maverick," and "The Virginian."

#13. The Wild Wild West

- IMDb user rating: 8.1

- On air: 1965-1969

Before the Secret Service, there was James West and Artemus Gordon, a gunslinger and inventor. The characters in the show "The Wild Wild West" served under Ulysses S. Grant to keep the peace and thwart evil in the rough-and-tumble American West. Because of the series' spy nature, equipped with disguises and gadgets, critics have likened it to the James Bond of the West, as noted by Neil Genzlinger in the New York Times obituary of Robert Conrad, who played Jim West.

#12. Gunsmoke

- IMDb user rating: 8.1

- On air: 1955-1975

Based on a long-running radio program, "Gunsmoke" was one of the longest-running television Westerns, running for 20 seasons. It followed Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness), who set out to protect Dodge City, Kansas, from outlaws.

#11. How the West Was Won

- IMDb user rating: 8.2

- On air: 1976-1979

Actor James Arness made his name in "Gunsmoke," but later starred as Zeb Macahan in "How the West Was Won." The plot follows Macahan after the start of the Civil War, caring for his brother's children as they make their way west. It was an expanded version of the film of the same name, which premiered in 1963 to a lackluster review from The New York Times.

#10. Zorro

- IMDb user rating: 8.2

- On air: 1957-1959

The handsome patrician Don Diego de la Vega, from the Spanish California era, has a secret: it's his alter ego, the masked swordsman, Zorro. Teamed up with his butler, Bernardo, the two protected their fellow citizens from the Spanish in 19th-century Mexico. The show starred Guy Williams, who was born Armand Catalano. His father was an avid fencer who helped him prepare for the role, according to his obituary in The New York Times.

#9. The Rifleman

- IMDb user rating: 8.3

- On air: 1958-1963

Rancher Lucas McCain lived in the New Mexico territory in the 1880s with his son Mark. The half-hour show followed his trials and tribulations, raising his son in hostile territory while battling desperados. The original series, created by Sam Peckinpah, ran on ABC from 1958 to 1963. In 2011, Cynthia Littleton wrote in Variety that a remake was coming back to CBS, but it never came to fruition.

#8. The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

- IMDb user rating: 8.3

- On air: 1993-1994

Harvard-educated Brisco County (a man, not a place) decides he's finished practicing law and makes a dramatic switch to bounty hunting. "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." tells his story with his sidekick, Lord Bowler, and horse, Comet, as they hunt down his father's killer. Variety writer Todd Everett likened it to an Indiana Jones of the West, which isn't all that surprising, seeing as it was the brainchild of Indy writer-producers Jeffrey Boam and Carlton Cuse.

#7. Longmire

- IMDb user rating: 8.3

- On air: 2012-2017

Craig Johnson's mystery novels about Walt Longmire came to life in this A&E (and later Netflix) Western crime drama. After Longmire, the sheriff of Absaroka County in Wyoming, faces the death of his wife, his daughter and deputy help him slowly put his life back together. A&E canceled the series after three seasons, but a small-yet-vocal following caused a stir, and Netflix picked it up.

#6. Hell on Wheels

- IMDb user rating: 8.3

- On air: 2011-2016

In this series, Cullen Bohannon is a Civil War veteran who witnesses the death of his wife at the hands of Union soldiers. Scarred by this memory, he seeks revenge and stumbles into Hell on Wheels, a lawless town associated with the construction of the Union Pacific railroad. In the Hollywood Reporter, Elizabeth Snead wrote that the show accurately depicted the "true-to-life greed, corruption, deception, and life-and-death struggles" surrounding the construction of the transcontinental railroad.

#5. Have Gun - Will Travel

- IMDb user rating: 8.4

- On air: 1957-1963

This CBS Western told the story of Paladin, a West Point graduate who turns into a gun for hire. The series aired in 1957; in 2012, writer David Mamet said he was planning a reboot. A deal was made with CBS, but the reboot never came to fruition.

#4. 1923

- IMDb user rating: 8.4

- On air: 2022-2023

If you are looking for a star-studded Western series with modern telling and epic cinematography, look no further than the Paramount Plus original series "1923." The prequel to "Yellowstone" stars Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and a cavalcade of acclaimed actors. The show focuses on the Hutton family as they struggle through problems brought on by the rise of Western expansion.

#3. Justified

- IMDb user rating: 8.6

- On air: 2010-2015

Based on a short story by Elmore Leonard, "Justified" tells the story of one U.S. marshal using his own Wild West style of justice in Harlan, Kentucky. His unique brand got him into hot water with his higher-ups, as well as the criminals he put away. The chemistry of the show's leads, Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins, was the stuff of legend. Goggins' character was supposed to die in the first season, but creator Graham Yost changed his plans after seeing the actor's performance play out.

#2. Deadwood

- IMDb user rating: 8.6

- On air: 2004-2006

Set in a mining town following the Civil War, "Deadwood" was a picture of lawlessness coming to life. The series followed a debauchery-fueled town home to fortune hunters and outlaws, all built on land taken from the Sioux Tribe. "Deadwood" had a remarkable cult following, but was canceled after just two seasons. Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone wrote that it "seemed destined to be remembered as television's great unfinished masterpiece" until a movie was released in 2019. The film took was set a decade after the TV show ended.

#1. Yellowstone

- IMDb user rating: 8.7

- On air: 2018-2024

Modern-day cowboy Kevin Costner leads this drama series, following a sixth-generation rancher, John Dutton. He's working in a world of corruption and shifting alliances, which always puts his ranch at risk. The series takes place during the emergence of Yellowstone National Park, America's first national park, and was a huge ratings winner for the Paramount Network.

Additional writing by Jaimie Etkin and Cu Fleshman. Copy edited by Kristen Wegrzyn.