Forget Yellowstone: 10 Best Classic Western TV Shows to Watch on Prime Video

10. Cheyenne (1955–1963)

Oh, Cheyenne! If we were to name every “first-ever” this TV show became back in the day, we’d sit here all day.

But it’s better to spend this time on the road with Cheyenne Bodie — the nomadic gunslinger who’s always on the road, looking for jobs that pay, villains that are asking for it, and women that are oh so charming.

9. The Wild Wild West (1965–1969)

Everyone and their grandmother loves spy shows. But how about espionage in the Wild Wild West? Enter James West and Artemus Gordon, two secret service agents working for the Old West government to foil many a villain’s plans to undermine that part of the US. There’s a lot of West in the previous sentence, but give it a west.

8. Wagon Train (1957–1965)

If your friends don’t believe that Westerns largely influenced sci-fi, show them Wagon Train. Following a notoriously large — believe it or not — wagon train, this series takes us on a long adventure across the United States, featuring countless adventures and guest stars and whatnot. Star Trek would later follow in its footsteps.

7. The Big Valley (1965–1969)

The Wild West didn’t only have tough men; it had many tough women, too. One of the wealthiest ranch-owning families in California, the Barkleys went into turmoil after the family’s patriarch died and his heirs, legitimate and not, began making circles around his legacy. But thankfully, a matriarch emerged and decided to take control.

6. Maverick (1957–1962)

Ultimately, you don’t need a quick draw to be a great Western protagonist; you might not even need a gun at all. Maverick follows a dynamic duo of young men who became professional poker players during the days when everyone still referred to them as gamblers. Always on the move, they seek out high stakes and big fish.

5. Have Gun – Will Travel (1957–1963)

How can you be a ridiculously expensive gun for hire and still consider yourself a high-morale man? The recipe for moral superiority is rather simple: you charge an ungodly amount of money from wealthy people who want to hire you — but serve the poor folks for free. That’s how you become a gunslinging legend, too, like our hero.

4. Rawhide (1959–1965)

Few people pay attention to that, but cowboys were effectively folks who did cattle drives and took care of their or others’ animals. That’s exactly what the Rawhide protagonist and his team do: they need to drive 3000 cows and bulls for a thousand miles and then some, and there are bound to be countless adventures on their way!

3. The Rifleman (1958–1963)

What’s something you definitely don’t picture when you think of a Western protagonist? A widowed single father with a little son he takes care of on his own. But that turned out to be a surprisingly great (and somewhat revolutionary) choice for The Rifleman, the iconic TV show about an ex-Union soldier raising his son.

2. Bonanza (1959–1973)

As unexpected as they come, here’s another one with a widowed single father. The difference is that in Bonanza, the father has three sons, and they’re all grown-up. Together, the four men deal with their daily business, care for their ranch, and protect their lands from those pesky outsiders always sniffing around trying to get them.

1. Gunsmoke (1955–1975)

What we take for granted in our cities, small Western towns had to work hard for. First and foremost, protection, of course: with bandits out and about and dangers lurking in the prairie, someone had to protect the good townsfolk and ensure peace and order. Someone like the brave and selfless Marshal Matt Dillon, for example.