The midday sun is nearly blinding as a sheriff and an outlaw face off on a dusty street, their hands hovering over their holsters, one heartbeat away from a draw that could mean life or death. Onlookers watch with bated breath… including the millions watching the action from their living room sofas.
Yes, Western series have been television standbys for decades, and over the decades, they’ve gone from stereotypical cop-and-robber tales to more nuanced, inclusive stories of frontier-set conflicts between good and evil. And nowadays, it’s not just the white man who gets to wear the proverbial white hat!
Accounting for narrative force, cultural impact, and plain old shootout action, here are our picks for the best TV westerns of all time.
