7 Western Shows That Are Better Than 'Yellowstone'
In June 2018, a neo-Western premiered on the Paramount Network that would revitalize the genre. That show was called Yellowstone, created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, snagging the iconic Kevin Costner to lead a talented, stellar cast. The series takes place in Montana and follows John Dutton (Costner) as he and his family, the overly ambitious Jamie (Wes Bentley) and the smart, loose cannon Beth (Kelly Reilly) try to defend their ranch from those trying to poach it away from them — from the Indian reservation that wants to transform the Yellowstone-Dutton Ranch back to its pristine, original form, to a global conglomerate that wants to transform the land into a modern paradise for tourists. While trying to fight off those who want their land, the Duttons have to contend with their own family issues.
We didn’t know it at the time, but what we turned into on June 20, 2018, was a show that would bend the rules of the traditional Western. Yellowstone wasn’t your typical, family-friendly Western show. This series was gritty, violent, and filled to the brim with drama and treachery at every turn. Yellowstone is, by far, one of the best neo-Westerns of all-time, one that you can binge-watch over-and-over without ever getting bored with it. While the show has etched its name in pop culture history, there are Western shows out there that, for all intents and purposes, are just as good, or better, than Yellowstone. So, if you’re on your 50th viewing, and are now trying to search out for something better, here are the Westerns that are definitely better than Yellowstone.
‘Bonanza’ (1959–1973)
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Image via NBC</figure>
In the 1950s, Western shows were just gaining popularity, and one show that many viewers tuned into week-after-week was Bonanza. The NBC show, which premiered in 1959, is one of the longest-running Western shows of all time, and watching just one episode of this legendary series, you’ll quickly see why it had so much staying power.
Set in the 1860s, Bonanza follows the Cartwright family, a wealthy clan who lives in Virginia City, Nevada during the Gold Rush era. That little gold nugget of information is important, because the show is basically centered on mining, especially silver ore, which was under the town of Virginia City and was discovered in 1859. Bonanza has all the Western tropes that one would love, and its opening theme is iconic in TV history. Notable for being one of TV Guide’s 50 Greatest Shows of All Time, Bonanza is certainly one of the best Westerns ever.
‘The Lone Ranger’ (1949–1957)
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Image via ABC</figure>
When you think about how the Western genre on television came to be, you have to trace its roots back to The Lone Ranger, which brought popularity to Western TV shows and was ABC’s first bonafide ratings hit. Starting out as a popular radio series, The Lone Ranger made the jump to television in 1949, and saying it was an instant hit is a drastic understatement.
The Lone Ranger follows a group of Texas Rangers who get ambushed, and all are nearly killed, except one, who is known as “The Lone Ranger” (John Hart for 52 episodes, Clayton Moore for 169 episodes), and teams up with Tonto (Jay Silverheels), a Native American who saved and nursed The Lone Ranger back to health. Much like Bonanza, The Lone Ranger helped popularize Westerns on TV, which was just coming into the mainstream. The episodes are exciting, and the characters are iconic. Unlike Yellowstone, The Lone Ranger is more friendly for families, which makes it a better watch for TV viewers who want to introduce Westerns to the little ones.
‘Justified’ (2010–2015)
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Image via FX</figure>
Before Yellowstone became the vanguard of the neo-Western, you could make an argument that FX’s Justified was the show that popularized the sub-genre. Based on the novel Fire in the Hole by Elmore Leonard, Justified is a unique throwback to the Westerns of old, but with a more modern twist that contemporary Western fans would come to expect, especially after watching Yellowstone.
The series follows Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), a Deputy U.S. Marshal who does his work the way Marshals did in the 1800s. This way of investigating makes him a frequent target for criminals, especially Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins), a career criminal known for robbing banks. Just by reading that, you get the sense of what Justified is. Having an old-school Western show set in the modern age was a bold move for the show creators and runners to make, but it was one that paid off thanks to the awesome acting and intriguing storylines. If it wasn’t for Yellowstone, we would be talking about Justified being the vanguard of neo-Westerns, without question.
‘Little House on the Prairie’ (1974–1983)
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Image via NBC</figure>
When you think of Westerns, most people think of gunfights in the middle of town, and law enforcement officers trying to hunt down criminal bank robbers. While most of the best Westerns have these tropes, not all in the genre has to be action-packed, gun-fighting bonanzas. Take Little House on the Prairie, for example, the famed NBC Western that went the historical drama route to its claim to fame.
Based on Laura Ingalls Wider‘s Little House on the Prairie novel, the series follows the Ingalls family, who move to Walnut Grove, Minnesota in the 1840s, and most of the show revolves around their lives, which is told through the lens of Charles (Michael Landon) and Caroline’s (Karen Grassle) middle daughter, Laura (Melissa Gilbert), and her maturation from child to adulthood. Little House on the Prairie is well-known for its story of “strength through family,” with the Ingalls and other Walnut Grove townsfolks finding a way to make it through the strength of family and community. This is completely separate from what Yellowstone represents, which saw family as more of a hindrance than anything else. If you’re looking for a Western drama that is more family-focused, Little House on the Prairie is definitely your show.
The show that claimed the most of your answers is the world you were built for. If two tied, both are shown — you’re complicated enough to straddle two Sheridan universes.
You are a Dutton — or you might as well be. You understand that some things are worth protecting at any cost, and that the modern world’s indifference to history, to land, to legacy, is not something you’re willing to accept quietly. You lead from the front, you carry your family’s weight without complaint, and when someone threatens what’s yours, you don’t escalate — you finish it. You’re not cruel. But you are absolute. In Yellowstone’s world, that combination of ferocity and loyalty doesn’t make you a villain. It makes you the only thing standing between everything that matters and everyone who wants to take it.
You thrive in the chaos of high-stakes negotiation, where the money is enormous, the margins are thin, and the wrong word in the wrong room can cost everyone everything. You’re a fixer — the person called when a situation is already on fire and needs someone with the nerve to walk into it. West Texas oil country rewards exactly what you are: sharp, adaptable, unsentimental, and absolutely clear-eyed about what people want and what they’ll do to get it. You’re not naive enough to think this world is fair. You’re smart enough to be the one deciding who it’s fair to.
You are a Dwight Manfredi — someone who has served their time, paid their dues, and arrived somewhere unexpected with nothing but their reputation and their wits. You adapt without losing yourself. You build loyalty through respect rather than fear, though you’re not above reminding people that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Tulsa King is for people who are still standing when everyone assumed they’d be finished — who find, in an unfamiliar place, that they’re more capable than the world gave them credit for. You don’t need a throne. You build one, wherever you happen to land.
You carry the weight of a system that is broken by design, and you do it anyway — because someone has to, and because you’re the only one positioned to do it without the whole thing collapsing. Mike McLusky’s world is for people who are comfortable operating where there are no good options, only less catastrophic ones. You speak every language: law enforcement, criminal, political, human. That fluency makes you invaluable and it makes you a target. You’ve made your peace with both. Mayor of Kingstown belongs to people who understand that keeping the peace is not the same as being at peace — and who do the job regardless.
‘Maverick’ (1957–1962)
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Image via ABC</figure>
By the late 1950s, Westerns were the staple on television, especially for ABC, which already had a massive Western hit on their hands with The Lone Ranger. However, with that series coming to an end in 1957, they needed another Western to fill its timeslot and continue its ratings’ dominance. Enter Maverick, a Western comedy created by Roy Huggins which is just as iconic as the series it replaced.
More comedy-focused than The Lone Ranger, Maverick follows Bert Maverick (James Garner), a poker-playing rounder who is always on the lookout for games with high stakes. Most of the storylines within Maverick center on Maverick’s high-stakes poker-playing, and this is where the comedy is born. Maverick wasn’t always about poker, however. Make no mistake, this was a Western in the 1950s, so you know there were villains that were able gunslingers as well. Maverick is a truly exciting Western series, one that we hope today’s Hollywood will not touch and remake. It’s that timeless.
‘1883’ (2021–2022)
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Image via Paramount+
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Image via Paramount+ -
Image via Paramount+ -
Image via Paramount+
With Yellowstone being a massive hit, there was little doubt that the show was going to spawn a franchise. The first show to spin-off from its parent series was 1883, created by Taylor Sheridan, and, if one gives it a chance, would see that it actually exceeds its parent show in both story and tone.
1883 is a prequel that follows the Dutton family at the end of the Civil War. As they pack up and leave Tennessee, they begin to head west, eventually settling in Montana and putting up stakes in the land that would later become the massive Yellowstone-Dutton Ranch. Filmed as a miniseries, 1883 is a great look at how the Dutton family came to be and the struggles they endured to make a home and living for themselves in those tough times. By ditching the heightened drama and toxic vitriol of Yellowstone, 1883 is a more traditional Western drama that follows the rules, not aims to break them. So, for fans of old-school Westerns who were turned off by Yellowstone‘s breakneck drama, 1883 is a show that’s more your speed.
‘Gunsmoke’ (1955–1975)
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Image via CBS</figure>
We’ve listed some truly iconic Western shows that are certainly better than Yellowstone. However, we have yet to discuss the show that outclasses them all, especially Yellowstone, and that show is Gunsmoke. Starting out as a radio series, like other Westerns at the time, Gunsmoke made the jump to TV in 1955, thanks to CBS. No one at CBS, however, would have guessed that Gunsmoke would be a staple of the network for 20 years.
Set in Dodge City, Kansas after the Civil War, Gunsmoke follows U.S. Marshal Matt Dillion (James Arness), who protects the citizens of Dodge City from criminals. When one talks about traditional Westerns, Gunsmoke is the show that is often brought up as an example of how to do it right, and exciting. You’ll get it all here, from drama to exhilarating gun-fights, all packed in a single episode. With its strong Western tone, and great plotlines, there is no question Gunsmoke is certainly better than Yellowstone.
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