The five best Western dramas to stream after 1923 including haunting true story

Westerns are having a moment following the success of Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone universe. Until recently Western fans were relegated to late night TV reruns of old John Wayne or Clint Eastwood classics but in recent years the genre has come back into favour. What were previously considered tired tropes - cowboy bar fights, cattle drives and train robberies - have been given a new lease of life.

A list actors such as Kevin Costner and Harrison Ford have been clamouring to work on the new generation of Western shows. The 21st century versions are distinctly stylish and sexy while maintaining the frontier justice ethos. Yellowstone spin off 1923, which stars the aforementioned Harrison Ford alongside Helen Mirren, recently wrapped on Paramount+ after two seasons with an explosive and brutal finale while the OG show came to an end this year after five seasons.



But don't panic if you are in need of a Western fix following those endings as there are plenty of other shows to stream. One of the newest additions to the list of Western dramas this Josh Duhamel and Mika Kelly starring series only landed on Netflix on April 17 but has proved a huge hit with viewers. While this has been labeled a western romance in some quarters it still has plenty of the grit that punctuates decent western dramas.

It follows three ranching dynasties locked in a fight for control of the land which is pretty standard Western fare. Rancher Staten Kirkland (Duhamel), is on a quest for vengeance after a heartbreaking loss. His love interest and only hope comes in the form of Quinn O’Grady (Kelly), a longtime family friend and owner of the local dancehall.

This has proved a huge hit with viewers and shot to number two on the Netflix chart on release only beaten by Black Mirror . Technically part of the Yellowstone universe, although nothing to do with the Duttons, this western drama is based on a real life story of an enslaved man who turned US marshal. It begins in Arkansas in 1862, in the midst of the American civil war, where Bass (played by David Oyelowo) is playing a high stakes card game with his master George Reeves (Shea Whigham).

On offer is his freedom and as a result of the game he is forced to flee and suffers years of upheaval. A decade or so later a US marshal, Sherrill Lynn (Dennis Quaid), offers him a job helping to track down Native American outlaws, which he is forced to take for his family’s sake. This is where the story really begins to take off and the drama showcases Bass extraordinary life.

With grit, drama, shootouts and plenty of western landscapes this is more hard hitting than most shows in the genre but definitely worth your time. An oldie but a goodie this was one of the shows that helped kickstart the Western resurgence. First broadcast on HBO in 2004 it boasts three seasons and a movie all available on Prime Video .

This is a proper old-school full-on Western set in a mining camp in South Dakota in 1876. It features a large ensemble cast headed by Timothy Olyphant as a sharpshooting marshal and Ian McShane as the bullying and sadistic owner of the town’s saloon, brothel and hotel. This blends fact and fiction with many historical western legends appearing as characters, including Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.

During its run it won eight Emmy Awards from 28 nominations, and a Golden Globe. It may be two decades old but it is as fresh as ever. This 10-part series re-imagined the story told in the 1966 film of the same name new Western series.

Starring Matthias Schoenaerts and Noomi Rapace it is set in the Old West of the 1860s–1870s. Django (played by Schoenaerts) is in search of his daughter Sarah who he believes survived an attack that murdered the rest of his family. However when he finds her it is not the happy reunion he anticipated as she is set to wed a man he doesn't approve of.

The family story helps ground this and elevate it to more than a standard western and the excellent cast really bring the story to life. Another story which is based on a real life tale this was adapted from Adriana Negreiros' book Maria Bonita: Sex, Violence and Women in Cangaço. Featuring a female lead, which is something of an anomaly for Western dramas, this tells the story of Maria de Déa the first woman in the Cangaço (nomadic bandits).

In a rarity for the time she rides with a group of outlaws and makes her voice heard. However she also has to deal with the realities of womanhood when she falls pregnant and is forced to hand over her baby to be raised by someone else, which shapes everything else she does. Far grittier and more mature than some of its promos suggest this is gripping from the off.

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