5 Best Western Miniseries Of All Time, Ranked

When we think of Westerns, it's easy to think of the best Western movies of all time, which include titles like "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." Outside the movies, the mind easily goes to long-running cowboy shows such as "Rawhide," the classic Western TV series that made Clint Eastwood want to start directing. However, there's a third delivery vehicle of Western goodness that's often overlooked: The miniseries.

This leg of the Western genre can be lost in the mix compared to bigger, more culturally-visible movies and longer-running, multi-season shows. Despite this, the limited-episode format can often be the ideal way to spin a Western yarn that's longer and more elaborate than any movie, yet keeps things intense and doesn't risk encountering lulls like longer shows might end up doing. 

This "all killer, no filler" approach makes some of these shorter-form vehicles absolute must-watch experiences. With that in mind, if you're in the market for a great Western miniseries, here are five of the absolute best ones.   

Jack O'Connell has been having a pretty decent villain run as of late, thanks to his roles as the vampiric Remmick in Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" and the gang leader Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal in Nia DaCosta's "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple." On Scott Frank's 2017 Netflix miniseries "Godless," O'Connell has a very different role: A repentant outlaw who's running from his former life. 

Sadly for O'Connell's Roy Goode, that former life is very much after him, courtesy of monstrous gang leader Frank Griffin (Jeff Daniels) and his men. Fate leads to the inevitable clash between the pair in a desolate town where the majority of male residents have died in a mining accident. However, the women who remain, and the handful of law enforcement officers still standing, aren't about to let the impending gang of criminals intimidate them.

"Godless" is absolutely full of quality actors who help drive home its relentless tension. Apart from O'Connell and Daniels, folks like Scoot McNairy, Michelle Dockery, Merritt Wever, Sam Waterston, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster give their all in the series that relishes in remixing classic Western tropes in new ways. As such, it was no shock when "Godless" established itself as an award season darling. It was nominated for no fewer than 12 Primetime Emmys, taking home three — including the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie award for Daniels and the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie one for Wever.

Cast: Jack O'Connell, Michelle Dockery, Scoot McNairy
Creator: Scott Frank
Number of episodes: 7
Where to watch: Netflix

"The Good Lord Bird" made its way onto Looper's ranking of best modern TV Westerns as a rare miniseries representative of the genre. This is a testament to the quality of the seven-episode series from 2020, which centers around the complex real-life figure of John Brown (Ethan Hawke). Without going into spoilers, "The Good Lord Bird" depicts the big beats of Brown's dramatic path as an anti-slavery abolitionist through the eyes of a young boy known as Onion (Joshua Caleb Johnson). 

Hawke's Golden Globe-nominated turn as Brown is supported by an array of extraordinary actors from Daveed Diggs to Wyatt Russell, and the miniseries has a stellar Tomatometer score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. Time will tell just how high the Showtime series will rise in the pantheon of Old West drama greatness, but "The Good Lord Bird" has certainly already proved that it belongs in any discussion of the best Western miniseries of all time. 

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Beau Knapp
Creators: Ethan Hawke, Mark Richard 
Number of episodes: 7
Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

"Into the West" (2005) is a six-episode limited series that was executive produced by none other than Steven Spielberg, and its cast is just about as stacked as the legendary filmmaker's involvement implies. From Rachael Lee Cook to Josh Brolin, the show is chock full of familiar faces. 

"Into the West" is essentially the story of America's eventful and often bloody 19th century. The series doesn't shy away from the darkest moments of the Manifest Destiny era, the Civil War, or the Gold Rush. These sprawling and often terrifying events are witnessed by the key viewpoint characters — Loved by the Buffalo (Joseph M. Marshall III) and Jacob Wheeler (Matthew Settle), whose fates are intertwined when the latter falls for the former's sister, Thunder Heart Woman (Tonantzin Carmelo). 

A two-time Emmy winner, "Into the West" is an ambitious and sprawling look into American history , and its vast scope makes it a worthy inclusion on this list. The series is both ruthless and romantic — dramatized and vision-driven, yet rooted in reality.  

Cast: Joseph M. Marshall, Irene Bedard, Gil Birmingham
Creator: Steven Spielberg
Number of episodes: 6
Where to watch: Kanopy, Prime Video

Four episodes. Seven Primetime Emmys and two Golden Globes. Two retired Texas Ranger legends embarking on a legendary cattle drive run. Those are the makings of the 1989 epic Western adventure "Lonesome Dove," which is effectively a quartet of films that combine to tell a continuous story. 

"Lonesome Dove" is an adaptation of Larry McMurtry's sprawling, Pulizer Prize-winning book of the same name. Befitting its character-driven story, the CBS adaptation features a gigantic all-star cast that has aged like fine wine. Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones portray Texas Ranger captains Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call, with names like Danny Glover, Diane Lane, and Anjelica Huston rounding out the starring roles. The many colorful characters Gus and Call encounter during their adventures are portrayed by the likes of Chris Cooper, Steve Buscemi, and Margo Martindale.   

The end result of this cocktail of a generous runtime, great source material, and an all-timer of a cast is nothing short of magical. "Lonesome Dove" has withstood the test of time, and the 98% Tomatometer rating for this series on Rotten Tomatoes is a testament to its quality. 

Cast: Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover
Creators: Simon Wincer, William D. Wittliff
Number of episodes: 4
Where to watch: Prime Video

"How the West Was Won" has been labeled as a miniseries, but in actuality, it's a perfect storm that combines all three formats of live-action Western. Its 1976 pilot episode, which still bore the title "The Macahans," was effectively a 119-minute movie that starred James Arness and Bruce Boxleitner. In 1977, a miniseries of three movie-length episodes followed, continuing the Macahan family's struggle to survive. After this, "How the West Was Won" morphed into a regular series that ran for two seasons.  

The fun thing about "How the West Was Won" is that all of these approaches work like a dream. Whether the series is masquerading as a movie, acting as a miniseries, or delivering full seasons, it remains inherently watchable. While an argument could be made that "Lonesome Dove" is an objectively better show, "Gunsmoke" star James Arness was arguably the greatest small screen star the Western genre ever saw, and it's only fair that his rougher turn as mountain man Zeb Macahan dominates this list — especially since "How the West Was Won" so adeptly marries the Western miniseries concept with the movie and TV show formats.

Cast: James Arness, Bruce Boxleitner, Kathryn Holcomb
Creator: Bernard McEveety
Number of episodes: 29
Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV