“Westerns captured that American myth, keeping it going and keeping it alive.” – Actor Adam West.

In 1959 alone, 30 different Westerns graced the television listings. Actors and directors who are still icons today were made household names — think Clint Eastwood, James Garner, and John Wayne. 

The popularity of these old Western shows captured the American character during a period of post-World War II prosperity.

These episodic tales usually featured a tough loner who faced the world on their own terms. They starred lawmen or do-gooders who were compelled to enforce their own code of justice, sometimes with the help of a faithful sidekick or a damsel (a showgirl or settler) in distress.

Some westerns perpetuated the stereotype of the noble Native American both as prairie sage and savage villain. At the same time, others broke new grounds featuring independent women on the frontier and Mexican and Native Americans as part of our Great American Melting Pot.

In the following article, we’ll look at 5 of the best Westerns on TV.

1. Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke was popular before it was broadcast on television. This western was a radio show before it was shot for television. It featured the imposing, rough-hewn actor James Arnes as U.S. Marshall Matt Dillon.

The indelible ensemble Gunsmoke cast gave the show a wealth of plotlines to pursue. That’s probably what makes it one of the longest-running TV shows in history. The program ran from 1955 to 1975, a 20-year run! 

2. Bonanza

One of the 1960s best westerns, Bonanza, was less about strong men tackling lawlessness in the West than about the tough family dynamics of a father raising three sons without their mother. Nevertheless, Lorne Greene’s portrayal of paramour Ben Cartwright is recognizable even today. 

Bonanza also launched the long television career of Michael Landon. He was an actor, writer, and director of the show. Later, Landon would have another hit in Little House on the Prarie. 

3. Rawhide

Set four years after the Civil War, Rawhide told the stories of cattle drivers making their way in the Old West. The show tackled everything from racism, to drug addiction, to the supernatural during its more than 7 years on CBS. For these reasons, it’s considered one of the best 60s western tv shows.

Rawhide also launched the career of Clint Eastwood. He actually wore his Rawhide character Rowdy Yates’s boots when he starred and directed his Oscar-winning film Unforgiven.  

Oh, and you can’t forget that theme song: “Keep them doggies rollin’ Rawhide!”  

4. The Big Valley

This show broke feminist barriers as Barbara Stanwyck’s matriarch fights to keep her sons and daughters in line on the frontier. The Big Valley is set on a ranch in Stockton, California, and helped launch the careers of television stalwarts Linda Evans (Dynasty) and Lee Majors (The Six Million Dollar Man).

5. The Wild Wild West

One of the most unique westerns, The Wild Wild West stood alone as a cross between the popular James Bond movies of the 1960s and the ratings-winning Westerns on television.

The series’ two main characters — James West, the tough guy everyman, and Artemus Gordon, the con-man, gadget maker — traveled the west in a custom train car as Secret Service agents. Gordon and West fight international spies along the way and foil outlandish plots to ruin America. 

The show cashed in on Cold War hysteria and the western ideal every week in 45 minutes bursts. 

Old Western Shows Not Forgotten

By the 1970s, with the downward trend in America’s economic fortunes,  television audiences moved away from old western shows and on to gritty urban crime dramas.

But the great American Western lives on. Their legacy is felt in the DNA of the superhero characters and cable-channel dramas airing today.

Did you find this article interesting? Search this website for more on classic television and entertainment.