Before the days of Yellowstone and Justified, there were classic shows like Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, and Maverick that established the genre’s popularity on television. Western shows were originally geared towards younger audiences, but with the explosion of television in the late 1940s, Westerns quickly became an essential genre on the small screen for adult series creating groundbreaking shows including Wagon Train and The Virginian.
Thanks to syndication, most of these classic Western series can still be enjoyed today and continue to be popular among fans. According to the fine folks on Reddit, some shows like Wanted Dead or Alive, starring Steve McQueen, and the iconic series Bonanza, still hold up today as solid Western series.
10 ‘Have Gun-Will Travel’ (1957-1963)
Richard Boone stars as the white knight, Paladin, who lives a double life in San Francisco as a sophisticated businessman and a skilled gun-for-hire. While the mercenary charges a hefty fee for his wealthy clients, he requires no payment from those who are too poor to afford his services but are in desperate need of his help.
Redditor We-Don’t-Rent-Pigs ranks Have Gun-Will Travel as one of their all-time favorite old-school Western series that they still enjoy watching reruns of today. Along with starring in the series, Boone also directed 28 episodes, and many of the writers went on to achieve major success, including Mission: Impossible creator Bruce Geller and Star Trekcreator Gene Roddenberry. Have Gun-Will Travel was also one of the first Western television shows to spawn a successful radio show.
9 ‘The Rifleman’ (1958 – 1963)
Shortly after the death of his wife, Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors), a Civil War veteran and rancher, with his young son, Mark (Johnny Crawford), move from Oklahoma to a small town in New Mexico for a fresh start. As McCain raises Mark as a single father, he protects them and their new home from dangerous outlaws and ruthless desperadoes.
The Rifleman was the first show to portray a child raised by a single parent and featured an array of notable guest stars, including Agnes Moorehead, Lee Van Cleef, and Dennis Hopper. Compared to other Western series, The Rifleman was one of few that adults and children could enjoy together and instilled the importance of family values and second chances that remain relevant today, and it’s a show many users in the thread recommended.
8 ‘Maverick’ (1957-1962)
Bret (James Garner), Bart (Jack Kelly), Beau (Roger Moore), and Brent (Robert Colbert) Maverick are a sharp-dressed group of brothers who would rather earn a living by gambling than mess up their fancy clothes by working a legitimate job. While the Maverick boys never go out looking for trouble, they’re never afraid to face off with it and defend others who are unable to protect themselves.
Maverick is a comedy Western series starring Garner as the charming Bret Maverick, who makes his living off high stake poker games and tournaments: two users in the thread recommended this show with other series. Garner reprised his role with Kelly in a made-for-television movie in 1978, The New Maverick, and the 1981 series Bret Maverick. In 1994, Garner starred alongside Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster in the series’ film adaptation by the same name as the sly Marshal Zane Cooper.
7 ‘Bonanza’ (1959-1973)
Wealthy rancher Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) lives on a thousand-acre property known as the Ponderosa in Nevada near Lake Tahoe with his three sons; Adam (Pernell Roberts), Hoss (Dan Blocker), and Little Joe (Michael Landon). As the widowed patriarch tries to raise his sons the best he can, they face moral dilemmas as they forge their way in the unpredictable Wild West.
NBC’s longest-running Western series, Bonanza, is a classic mentioned by several Reddit users, including Redditor Automatic-Beach-5552, who still watches the show on a regular basis. Viewers also credit the series for its range of intense drama to lighthearted comedy to addressing social issues, such as racism, from a compassionate perspective that was rarely seen on American television at the time.
6 ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ (1958-1961)
Steve McQueen stars as Civil War veteran and bounty hunter Josh Randall, who travels throughout the American West searching for wanted outlaws. While his bread and butter are catching dangerous fugitives, Randall also spends his time helping others with domestic and social issues without charging them a dime. The show was recommended by the user Diseman81.
McQueen introduced his now-signature style of cool in the Western series, Wanted Dead or Alive, which ended up being the actor’s breakout role. Audiences are drawn to Josh Randall’s honorable desire for justice over fortune. While the series only ran for three seasons, it made McQueen one of the first television stars to become a major and successful film star.
5 ‘Wagon Train’ (1957-1965)
Wagon Train was a uniquely formatted Western that follows Ward Bond as wagon master Major Seth Adams, who leads a large wagon train from Missouri to California. Throughout the journey, Adams and his scouts get to know the passengers and others who they happen to meet along the way.
Redditor Keltik credits Wagon Train as a generally well-done series that’s recognized for its guest appearances by well-established film stars such as Bette Davis, Ronald Reagan, and Joseph Cotten. As a favor to Bond, legendary director John Ford directed a segment of the show in 1960, including various members of Ford’s Stock Company, including iconic Western star John Wayne.
4 ‘Cheyenne’ (1955-1963)
The ruggedly handsome Clint Walker stars in the first hour-long Western series, Cheyenne, as Cheyenne Bodie, a lone cowboy, and vigilante orphaned as a child and raised by American Indians. Bodie travels through the American West and takes on different jobs and adventures in various towns while delivering his own form of Frontier justice.
Reddit user, Theblackswapper1, ranks Cheyenne at the top of their list, calling it a real gem of a Western series. Before the show, Walker had little to no acting experience, but his large physical stature and chiseled good looks earned him an audition that landed him the lead. The series premiered within weeks of Gunsmoke and was a breakout hit that set the standards of the television Western.
3 ‘The Virginian’ (1962 – 1971)
In Wyoming territory, a mysterious man known only as The Virginian (James Drury) works his friends, Trampas (Doug McClure) and Steve (Gary Clark), as the foreman of Shiloh Ranch, where he tries to keep a low profile and lead a simple life. Despite his best efforts and intentions, he soon has to enforce law and order in the small town of Medicine Bow.
The NBC Western, The Virginian, was popular among both male and female viewers, and according to user ashjones, the show’s writing and Drury’s dreamy performance still hold up today. The series was loosely based on the 1902 Western novel, The Virginian: Horseman of the Plains by Owen Wilson, which had previously been adapted into several films by the same name.
2 ‘Rawhide’ (1959-1965)
Eric Fleming stars in the Western series, Rawhide as trail boss Gil Favor, leading a cattle drive from San Antonio, Texas, to Sedalia, Kansas. Along the way, Favor and his men are faced with a series of challenges and must work together if they hope to reach their final destination alive.
Rawhide is widely known for its iconic theme song and being the pivotal role of future Western star and Oscar-winning director Clint Eastwood. Redditor Resident_Extreme366, thinks no one can go wrong with Rawhide these days, and with an all-star line-up of guest appearances including Barbara Stanwyck, Dean Martin, and Peter Lorre, it’s easy to see why it’s a safe bet of a Western series.
1 ‘Gunsmoke’ (1955-1975)
The 1955 series, Gunsmoke, is a staple in Western television, starring James Arness as U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, who tries to maintain law and order in Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. With the help of a saloon owner, Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake), and friend, Doc Adams (Milburn Stone), Dillon protects the town from being overrun by outlaws and gunslingers.
Gunsmoke was originally a popular radio program from 1952 and is the longest-running Western series in history with 20 seasons. The show started with half-hour episodes, which Redditor Keltik says are some of the best straight Western segments they’d ever seen, before moving into full-hour episodes in 1962. Several Reddit users mention Gunsmoke as a top-notch Western series with much to be admired.
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