5 Western TV Shows To Watch After Deadwood For More Frontier Drama

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Okay, so I just finished Deadwood – and even caught the movie follow-up – and now I’m craving another Western with that same gritty, complex feel. It’s tough because, honestly, Deadwood is probably the best Western ever made for television, and easily one of the greatest shows, period. But if you’re like me and need something to fill that void, here are five shows I think you should check out.

The HBO series Deadwood, which first aired in March 2004, tells the story of how the town of Deadwood, South Dakota, transformed from a small, remote camp into a thriving city during the 1870s. The show primarily follows the lives of two central figures: the rough but surprisingly principled Al Swearengen (played by Ian McShane) and the honest lawman Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant).

Deadwood realistically portrays the American West, showing both the exciting opportunities and the harsh realities – including violence and hardship – that drew people there. While nothing quite matches Deadwood, these other Westerns offer similar experiences.

Godless (2017)

Godless is a Netflix miniseries about Roy Goode, an outlaw played by Jack O’Connell, who is escaping his old boss, Frank Griffon (Jeff Daniels). He arrives in La Belle, New Mexico, a small Western town mostly populated by women, after a mining accident killed most of the male residents.

When Frank arrives for Roy, the women of La Belle immediately band together to protect themselves. Similar to shows like Deadwood, Godless centers around defending a community against dangerous outsiders who want to take control. The series is visually stunning, and it’s unusual for a Western to be driven primarily by female characters.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves (2023)

Originally planned as a story within Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone world, Lawmen: Bass Reeves became its own standalone series, separate from 1883 and 1923. The show stars David Oyelowo as Bass Reeves, a historical Deputy U.S. Marshall who worked in Indian Territory during the 1800s.

Bass Reeves, as a Black man arresting primarily white criminals, encounters more resistance than his fellow marshals – not just from the outlaws he pursues, but also from some of his colleagues. The show is generally a deliberate, step-by-step investigation, but the moments of action are exciting and make the slower pace worthwhile.

Hell On Wheels (2011-2016)

Both Hell on Wheels and Deadwood take place around the same time in history, and you might even recognize some of the same people appearing in both shows. Hell on Wheels is a five-season AMC series that centers on Cullen Bohannon, played by Anson Mount, a former Confederate colonel who is seeking revenge after his wife and son were killed during the Civil War.

I recently dove into the series Hell on Wheels, and it really grabbed me. It follows a man driven by revenge who unexpectedly gets caught up in the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. What starts as a personal mission quickly turns into something more as he finds a new life and rises through the ranks to become a foreman. It’s a fascinating, large-scale story with a surprisingly gritty side, and it shines a light on a part of American history I hadn’t really seen explored before.

Westworld (2016-2022)

While later seasons lean heavily into science fiction, Westworld shares enough with the Western genre to be a great follow-up to Deadwood. It’s fun to think about what Deadwood would be like if everything within it turned out to be an illusion.

Like HBO’s acclaimed series Deadwood, Westworld offers a high level of quality. Based on the 1973 film by Michael Crichton, the show takes place in the near future, where incredibly realistic androids populate a Wild West-themed park where guests can do as they please.

Lonesome Dove (1989)

Even though it first aired over thirty years ago, the Western miniseries Lonesome Dove remains powerful and relatable. The show boasts a fantastic cast – including Diane Lane, Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, and Danny Glover – who all portray residents of Lonesome Dove, a Texas town on the border in the 1870s.

The series and the show share a similar historical period and location. Both feature a wide range of characters and jump between their stories, creating a broad depiction of Western life instead of focusing on a single event. It’s beautifully made, intelligent, and probably had a significant impact on Deadwood.

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2025-12-14 20:59