Many older people will say that they don't make television the way they used to. If you love the combination of action, adventure and history, this is true in a way. These days you can choose from legal dramas, cop shows, comedies and many other genres but there aren't that many shows that use the old Wild West as setting anymore. If you need a change, it might be time to try watching classic TV Westerns online.
The heyday of the television Western was the Fifties. This was the era of 'Gunsmoke', one of the greatest series in the genre's history. This decade also gave the world popular heroes such as Roy Rogers and two of the most famous masked crusaders, the Lone Ranger and Zorro.
Famous names in Hollywood were cast in shows that were to become classics. For instance, James Garner was the hero of 'Maverick'. Other shows starred relative unknowns who later became huge stars. 'The Alaskans', for instance, had a young Roger Moore in a lead role and Moore later became famous for playing James Bond. 'Rawhide' starred a young actor named Clint Eastwood, who would go on to become of of history's ultimate movie cowboys.
The trend for great Western television series continued in the Sixties. The longest-running series in the genre was 'Bonanza', which started in the late Fifties, ran throughout the Sixties and into the early Seventies. 'The High Chaparral' was another hit and 'The Big Valley' boasted a cast that included Barbara Stanwyck, Linda Evans and Lee Majors of 'The Six Million Dollar Man' fame.
By the Seventies, attitudes changed and there wasn't much call for the very male-oriented traditional Western anymore. 'How the West Was Won' was an acclaimed miniseries but the long-running shows of the previous two decades came to an end. The focus was now on family, for instance in 'Little House on the Prairie', or they moved away from violence and towards more gentle values, with heroes like the animal-loving Grizzly Adams. There were also shows that used a modern setting instead of the old Wild West.
The Western genre tends to be very male-oriented and women normally have small, supporting roles. There were two notable exceptions, though. In the Seventies, 'Little House on the Prairie', with 'Bonanza' star Michael Landon, made a household name of the young Melissa Gilbert, who played the main character. Former Bond girl Jane Seymour played a strong female role model in 'Dr Quinn: Medicine Woman' in the Nineties.
While the Western has become more popular again in recent decades, the one that became an instant cult classic had a serious twist. 'Firefly' combined two popular genres to become a 'space Western'. It features outlaws, horses and the taming of wild territories but those new lands are on different planets. 'Firefly' generated a very loyal fan base known as Browncoats and is a favorite of Sheldon Cooper of hugely popular sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory'.
Most TV Westerns are available for streaming online. There are many sites that offer these shows for viewing and some even focus exclusively on the genre. For a wonderful night in, find your favorite show, cook a pot of cowboy beans, sit back and relive the past.
The heyday of the television Western was the Fifties. This was the era of 'Gunsmoke', one of the greatest series in the genre's history. This decade also gave the world popular heroes such as Roy Rogers and two of the most famous masked crusaders, the Lone Ranger and Zorro.
Famous names in Hollywood were cast in shows that were to become classics. For instance, James Garner was the hero of 'Maverick'. Other shows starred relative unknowns who later became huge stars. 'The Alaskans', for instance, had a young Roger Moore in a lead role and Moore later became famous for playing James Bond. 'Rawhide' starred a young actor named Clint Eastwood, who would go on to become of of history's ultimate movie cowboys.
The trend for great Western television series continued in the Sixties. The longest-running series in the genre was 'Bonanza', which started in the late Fifties, ran throughout the Sixties and into the early Seventies. 'The High Chaparral' was another hit and 'The Big Valley' boasted a cast that included Barbara Stanwyck, Linda Evans and Lee Majors of 'The Six Million Dollar Man' fame.
By the Seventies, attitudes changed and there wasn't much call for the very male-oriented traditional Western anymore. 'How the West Was Won' was an acclaimed miniseries but the long-running shows of the previous two decades came to an end. The focus was now on family, for instance in 'Little House on the Prairie', or they moved away from violence and towards more gentle values, with heroes like the animal-loving Grizzly Adams. There were also shows that used a modern setting instead of the old Wild West.
The Western genre tends to be very male-oriented and women normally have small, supporting roles. There were two notable exceptions, though. In the Seventies, 'Little House on the Prairie', with 'Bonanza' star Michael Landon, made a household name of the young Melissa Gilbert, who played the main character. Former Bond girl Jane Seymour played a strong female role model in 'Dr Quinn: Medicine Woman' in the Nineties.
While the Western has become more popular again in recent decades, the one that became an instant cult classic had a serious twist. 'Firefly' combined two popular genres to become a 'space Western'. It features outlaws, horses and the taming of wild territories but those new lands are on different planets. 'Firefly' generated a very loyal fan base known as Browncoats and is a favorite of Sheldon Cooper of hugely popular sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory'.
Most TV Westerns are available for streaming online. There are many sites that offer these shows for viewing and some even focus exclusively on the genre. For a wonderful night in, find your favorite show, cook a pot of cowboy beans, sit back and relive the past.