POLL: Favorite TV Western?

Life magazine, 1958:



TV Guide, 1957:

 

Kung Fu, a different kind of TV "Western".

 

Wagon Train
Wells Fargo
Rawhide
High Chaparral

 

The Wild Wild West and The Rifleman are a couple of favorites, but I only watched of few of theses shows so I can't say whether others would be more appealing to me.

 

Gunsmoke and The Big Valley least favourite.
Saying that, spoiled for choice with sixties TV shows.

 

Rango (with Tim Conway).

 

Deadwood

 

TV Western? What's that?

 

Yes, but joking.

I'm perfectly aware that there is an entire generation that experienced TV westerns growing up.

 

To be honest, I ca barely remember most of these and the majority would have been repeats even at the time. When I've seen some of the lately, they've either come across as cheesy (Bonanza) or not as good as I remember (High Chaparral - down to the cornball acting of Leif Erikson and Cameron Mitchell). I watched the whole run of Smith and Jones and flet the show took a huge dive when Duel killed himself. Davis was a charisma-free zone and you begin to realise how much of the success was down to Duel and Murphy (though the change of location for the final series certainly looked good). I remember the Virginian morphing into Men from Shiloh, but not in a good way. Hondo, anybody? The execrable Legend of Custer with a pre-Lancer Wayne Maunder? What show did the Rangers from Laredo turn up in?

How about Hec Ramsey, Cade's County?

I will, of course, vote for Maverick...

 

Maverick " Ocean 11 with a Stetson.

Liked it myself, mind.

 

You know Maverick's older than Ocean's 11?

 

What no "How the West was Won" or "Rawhide"??

 

Rifleman. A few yrs back I re-watched the series and enjoyed it very much. Was a huge fan as a kid and remember what a drastic, radical change it was when 'Branded' came out! And yeah, modern cowboy TV begins and ends with Lonesome Dove and Deadwood!

 

I just finished watching Deadwood on HBO On Demand. I never saw it when it was current. Ian McShane was amazing! I hope he won an Emmy or two for his role.

 

Deadwood only gets better with repeated viewings!

 

What about F Troop?


I chose The Rifleman as I do remember watching that one.

 

I voted for Maverick.

I was hoping to find The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. in the poll.

 

Of those listed, I voted for Rifleman, but I was sort of devoted to Lawman as a kid back in the late 1950s......

 

The Virginian. 90 minute episodes. Each epsiode was almost like a movie.

 

Wild, Wild West was like a Western Avengers! Weird plots, surrealism, gadgets, best looking women after Burke's Law!

Rawhide's episode titles were like "Incident at ...", "Incident of the ...." Trading in on the popularity of The Ox-Bow Incident. A literary nod. Greatest theme song ever IMO! Blues Brothers irony does not diminish it in any way for me.

Cimarron Strip? Didn't play very long but they were like movies too.

 

Wild Wild West is the only one of those I watched regularly, which must mean it’s my favorite. I think it was more for the James Bond than the western aspect, though.

 

I knew I'd forget a biggie. Sorry Rawhide fans. And it's a fave of mine too.

 

Since I'm currently watching the series "The Westerner", that's my favorite.

 

My first impulse was Maverick, because it has many great episodes, but The Rifleman was more consistent at a high level throughout, and Maverick fluctuated with the cast changes.