There was a time when Westerns ruled the box office, and movies like Unforgiven, Tombstone, and 3:10 to Yuma rode in one after another with guns blazing. But as the silver screen shifted toward superheroes and sci-fi, the Western genre quietly retreated into the shadows. Its big moment came again from television, wearing a cowboy hat with a Dutton family crest.
In 2018, Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone arrived onto screens and changed everything. With its sprawling Montana landscapes, morally conflicted characters, and Shakespearean family drama, it proved that Westerns were evolving. Sheridan molded the genre for the streaming age and suddenly, the small screen became the new frontier.
Since Yellowstone, we have seen a surge of Western TV shows that are bold, beautiful, and brutal. Some are inclined to historical realism, others flirt with sci-fi or noir, but they all carry the spirit and soul of the genre. Without further ado, here are the best TV Westerns since Yellowstone changed the game.
10
‘That Dirty Black Bag’ (2022)
That Dirty Black Bag is set against the sun-scorched backdrop of Greenvale. It unfolds as a brutal eight-day standoff between two men whose lives are shaped by violence. Sheriff Arthur McCoy, a former outlaw turned lawman with a shaky moral compass, finds himself entangled with Red Bill, a bounty hunter infamous for decapitating his targets and storing their heads in a dirty black bag.
Western With a Darker and More Mythic Edge
Dominic Cooper and Douglas Booth lead the series, while Niv Sultan and Aidan Gillen appear in supporting turns as Eve Hoover, a brother owner with her own scars, and Butler, a cannibalistic farmer, respectively. It’s an unpolished series complete with dusty landscapes and grimy characters, but the Leone-style grit adds a modern nihilism that feels right at home. Pacing builds slowly, but by the fourth episode, it hits a fever pitch of tension and dread.
9
‘Dark Winds’ (2022)
Set in the 1970s in the Four Corners region, Dark Winds follows Navajo Tribal Police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee as they investigate a series of crimes that turn into something deeper than expected. It starts as a double murder but spirals into a web of spiritual reckoning, FBI interference, and tribal tensions. Bernadette Manuelito, a sergeant, navigates both personal and professional challenges.
Most Authentic Portrayal of Indigenous Life on TV
Adapted from the acclaimed Leaphorn & Chee book series by Tony Hillerman, this one offers a nuanced perspective on the Western genre. One that is deeply rooted in the indigenous experience. Across three seasons, it builds a rich tapestry of mystery, identity, and justice. There are also crime procedural beats that balance off well with the supernatural undertones. With executive producers like Robert Redford and George R.R. Martin, the show has pedigree, but it’s the commanding performances of the cast that anchor everything.
8
‘Outer Range’ (2022)
Royal Abbott is a Wyoming rancher trying to protect his land and his family from encroaching threats, both human and cosmic. When a massive and mysterious black void appears on his property, it sets off a chain of events. Autumn, a drifter with cryptic intentions, camps out near the void, while the rival Tillerson family schemes to claim the Abbott land.
Makes Wyoming Wilderness Feel Otherworldly
Anchored by a powerhouse performance from Jack Brolin and Imogen Poots, Outer Range is a captivating and original addition to the Western TV canon. It is moody, cerebral, and occasionally bonkers, but always grounded in its Western elements like land disputes, rodeos, horseback chases, and a sheriff (Tamara Podemski) who’s more than capable. Its willingness to get weird with long takes and eerie silences is quite crazy too.
7
‘Billy the Kid’ (2022)
Michael Hirst’s Billy the Kid rebuilds the legend from the ground up. Beginning with Henry McCarty’s Irish immigrant roots, it follows his transformation into the infamous outlaw named Billy the Kid. Season 1 is all about his early years — the poverty, the drifting, and the first taste of violence. By the second season, the Lincoln County War takes center stage, with Billy caught between rival factions and his bond with Jesse Evans affecting him in unexpected ways.
Folk Hero Reimagined With Grit
There is a quiet confidence to Billy the Kid that sets it apart. Through its richly detailed storytelling and exceptional performances, it offers a fresh perspective on one of the most iconic figures in Western lore. The Alberta-shot landscapes feel vast and unforgiving, and the direction, especially in Season 2, is so tense and lived-in. The gunfights are sharp as ever, but fans have stuck around for moral ambiguity and slow-burn storytelling.
6
‘The English’ (2022)
Set in 1890, The English opens with Lady Cornelia Locke arriving in the American West armed with grief and a pistol. She is hunting the man she believes is responsible for her son’s death, but her journey gets mixed up with Eli Whipp, a Pawnee ex-cavalry scout seeking land promised to him for his military service. Together, they deal with betrayal, bloodshed, and buried truths, all while encountering Mennonite massacres and corrupt ranchers.
A Poetic Take on the Western
Written and directed by the acclaimed Hugo Blick, this is a Western doused in melancholy and dust. Brooding and lyrical, it often lets the silence and shadows do the talking. At the heart of the series is the captivating relationship between Emily Blunt’s aristocratic Englishwoman and Chaske Spencer’s world-weary Pawnee scout, who matches her beat for beat. Critics called it one of the most visually arresting Westerns in years, and rightfully so.
5
‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ (2023)
The Paramount+ series, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, introduces us to one of the most overlooked figures in frontier history. David Oyelowo plays the role of a former slave turned U.S. Marshal who arrested over 3,000 criminals without ever being wounded. As Reeves navigates a lawless landscape while balancing duty and family, the series familiarizes us with post-Civil War Arkansas and Indian Territory.
One of Genre’s Most Vital Entries
The eight-episode arc of the Western TV show blends real-life cases with dramatized confrontations, including tense standoffs with outlaw gangs and courtroom showdowns with Judge Isaac Parker. Oyelowo’s performance is commanding throughout, with the supporting cast adding texture without stealing the spotlight. While it’s not part of the Yellowstone universe, it carries the same weight of legacy and land.
4
‘American Primeval’ (2025)
The Utah Territory becomes the unforgiving backdrop of American Primeval, a Western miniseries set in 1857 that captures a volatile moment in American history — the Utah War — through the eyes of Isaac Reed, a mountain man raised by the Shoshone and haunted by personal loss. We also follow Sara Holloway, a fugitive mother traveling with her disabled son, Devin, as they find a safe haven in Crooks Springs.
Myth Meets Blood and Dust
The six-part Netflix miniseries does not hold back on brutality and weaves together a tale of survival with an unvarnished lens. There is a visceral honesty here, and a level of production values that rivals the grandest of Western films, making American Primeval a genuinely ambitious, muddy, and unrelenting entry since Yellowstone redefined the genre’s modern edge. Kudos to Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin for their layered performances.
3
‘1923’ (2022)
With 1923, Taylor Sheridan expands the Dutton saga and delivers a sweeping tale of legacy and upheaval. Set during a time of Prohibition, drought, and the early rumblings of the Great Depression, it follows Jacob Dutton and Cara Dutton as they navigate the challenges of preserving their Montana ranch against external threats. Meanwhile, Spencer Dutton, a haunted WWI veteran, journeys from Africa to America with Alexandra, his fiery companion.
Continuation of the Dutton Legacy
With two seasons and a cast that includes Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Brandon Sklenar, Timothy Dalton and Jerome Flynn, this sequel to the wildly popular Yellowstone builds upon the rich lore of the Duttons by introducing a new era of characters and conflicts that seamlessly intertwine with the pre-established narrative. The Western elements are classic: cattle wars, frontier justice, and family honor, but they’re refracted through a modern lens, which makes it all the more raw and emotional.
2
‘Landman’ (2024)
Inspired by Christian Wallace’s podcast, titled Boomtown, Landman takes place in the oil-soaked boomtowns of West Texas, trading horses for rigs but keeping the Western spirit alive. Billy Bob Thornton stars as Tommy Norris, a petroleum landman navigating corporate ambition, fractured family dynamics, and the volatile world of fossil fuel fortunes.
Modern Cowboys and Frontier Roots
Diving into the lives of roughnecks, billionaires, and lawyers, all entangled in a landscape that reshapes climate and geopolitics, this one may be set in 2024, but its soul is pure Western. Taylor Sheridan’s signature blend of masculinity and moral complexity is on full display, and Thornton nails the role of a man who is charming but worn-out. With a second season already greenlit, the show is a must-watch for fans of contemporary Westerns.
1
‘1883’ (2021)
The first of the many prequels to Sheridan’s Yellowstone, 1883 follows James Dutton, his wife Margaret, and their daughter Elsa as they join a wagon train heading west from Texas. Led by Shea Brennan, a grief-stricken Pinkerton agent, and his partner Thomas, the group faces river crossings, bandits, disease, and heartbreak as they march toward Montana, with Elsa’s coming-of-age arc anchoring the story.
Personal and Epic in Scope
1883 is the kind of Western that feels like a memory. It is aching, beautiful, and brutal, and it paints a vivid portrait of a country in flux. Sheridan’s writing is poetic and the performances of Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Isabel May, Sam Elliot, and LaMonica Garrett are uniformly strong. In the span of just ten episodes, it tells a complete and devastating story about sacrifice.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
