5 Must-watch Western Miniseries That You Can Finish In One Day

Showtime

There have been quite a few incredible Western television series and miniseries produced over the years (drawing from an even older tradition of Western movies and radio plays), but some of the best Western TV shows require a pretty large time investment. Series with multiple seasons, especially from the era of 26-episode seasons (or more!), can take a while to get through. Thankfully, however, there are also some brilliant Western miniseries that you can watch in just a single day.

For starters, there's the 1989 Western miniseries "Lonesome Dove," which remains an all-timer when it comes to Western TV shows in general. Thankfully, over the years since then, we've gotten even more excellent additions to the Western miniseries canon. So, with that in mind, here are five of the best from the past few decades, all of which are guaranteed to help transport you into the anarchy of the Old West for a day or less. 

Chris Large/The History Channel

There are a few actors whose presence in a Western automatically draws audiences, and Kevin Costner is one of the greats. Indeed, before he joined Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western juggernaut "Yellowstone," Costner first hit TV screens in the 2012 miniseries "Hatfields & McCoys." Costner stars as "Devil Anse" Hatfield, the patriarch of the Hatfield family, who are at war with the rival McCoy clan, led by Randall McCoy (Bill Paxton). The real-life feud between the Hatfields and McCoys is legendary, as the two groups battled one another along the Kentucky-West Virginia border for nearly 30 years, and the miniseries is just as intense and expansive.

"Hatfields & McCoys" itself is shockingly good, which is a genuine surprise given that it was directed by Costner's "Waterworld" helmsman Kevin Reynolds and produced by The History Channel. Though the miniseries is a little grim and shows that violence and revenge only begets more violence, it's a fascinating true Western tale with an absolutely phenomenal cast. (In fact, Costner even took home an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries, TV Movie, or Special!) "Hatfields & McCoys" is perfect for fans of "Yellowstone," and better yet, it's only three episodes long, and you can watch it in an afternoon. 

Paramount+

Speaking of "Yellowstone": The Taylor Sheridan neo-Western series has birthed a number of spin-offs, including the excellent prequel miniseries "1883" (which premiered in 2021). Chronologically first in the "Yellowstone" franchise, the show picks up on the heels of the Civil War — as indicated by its title — and follows the Dutton family as they make the journey west from Texas to settle in the Montana land that will eventually become the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.

"1883" doesn't require any knowledge of "Yellowstone" to enjoy, and it's an impressive bit of television in its own right, which definitely makes things easier for folks who haven't watched its parent series. It's also a darker tale with some great performances, especially from Western giant Sam Elliott as a Pinkerton and relative newcomer Isabel May, who plays the young Elsa Dutton and is the reason "1883" even works, bringing some hope to this very bleak tale. As Elsa and her parents (played by real-life couple and country music stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw) travel across the frontier, they encounter violence and horror, but it only steels their resolve to make a home for themselves somewhere. "1883" shows what it took for the Duttons to survive and start their ranch, and it makes the whole franchise richer for it. 

Diego Lopez Calvin/Prime Video

Most of the shows on this list are technically revisionist Westerns, the sub-genre that challenges stereotypical ideas about the "wild West" and the tropes of classical Westerns, but 2022's "The English" probably takes things the furthest. Emily Blunt stars as the titular English, Lady Cornelia Locke, who travels to the American West looking for revenge. She ultimately teams up with Sergeant Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), a Pawnee ex-cavalry scout with his own traumatic crosses to bear. The two start falling for one another, but Cornelia has a deadly secret that keeps them apart. 

Emily Blunt is truly phenomenal and gives a career-defining performance as Lady Cornelia, who is significantly more morally complicated than your average leading woman. "The English" is pretty darn bleak and extremely violent, but it nevertheless provides a rather accurate look at what it was like trying to survive on the American frontier. Thankfully, as gruesome as the show can be, it's also absolutely gorgeously shot. After all, the breathtaking beauty of the untouched landscape is part of what drove people to try and claim a piece of it for themselves, and the best Westerns all have some stunning shots of vistas. "The English" similarly reminds us that the land and its people were better off before anyone landed on its eastern shores, and it's a harsh reality. 

Netflix

While "1883" and "The English" each provide us with one woman's perspective on the American West, the 2017 Netflix miniseries "Godless" does something pretty unique for the genre and gives us a whole bunch of female perspectives. "Godless" was written, directed, and created by Scott Frank, and it follows young outlaw Roy Goode ("Sinners" star Jack O'Connell) on the run from his brutal boss, Frank Griffin (Jeff Daniels). He ends up in La Belle, New Mexico, a town that is populated almost entirely by women in the wake of a mining accident. Together, the women of La Belle join him in a stand against Griffin and his wicked ways. 

"Godless" is truly epic in scale despite mostly focusing on one small town, from its nightmarish opening sequence where Marshal John Cook (Sam Waterston) comes upon a Colorado town devastated by Griffin and his crew to the finale's climactic last stand. Meanwhile, the series' ensemble cast is phenomenal, but it's Michelle Dockery as rancher Alice Fletcher who really steals the show. Brutal but brilliant from beginning to end, there's a reason why "Godless" is considered not just one of the best Western miniseries of all time but also one of the best miniseries of all time, period. 

Kevin Lynch/Showtime

2020's "The Good Lord Bird" takes a slightly different approach to the Western, telling the true story of Civil War-era abolitionist John Brown (Ethan Hawke) through the eyes of the fictional Onion (Joshua Caleb Johnson), a runaway enslaved boy who joins Brown's crew. Based on the novel of the same name by James McBride, "The Good Lord Bird" mixes the misery of staying accurate to the period with some wildly irreverent humor, making for a truly unique watch. There's a reason why "The Good Lord Bird" has a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, but unfortunately, it went under-the-radar (possibly because it aired on the premium channel Showtime, which fewer people have than, say, HBO). 

In addition to Hawke and Johnson's stellar performances, there are some truly skilled actors in minor roles, including the always-great Daveed Diggs as civil rights leader Frederick Douglass, Wyatt Russell as Confederate general J.E.B. Stuart, and Orlando Jones as the formerly enslaved Haywood Shepherd. There are even bit parts played by Maya Hawke, Killer Mike, and Keith David, giving this Western a well-rounded, fiercely talented, and truly unusual cast. It's a shame that "The Good Lord Bird" hasn't gotten more mainstream attention; it's the kind of Western that makes history much more approachable.