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10 Best Modern Western Shows to Watch Instead of Walker, Picked by Reddit

10 Best Modern Western Shows to Watch Instead of Walker, Picked by Reddit
Image credit: The CW, HBO, FX, Netflix, AMC, USA Network, Discovery, History, Fox

Only the best of the genre that will take you back in time.

Despite negotiations for a fifth season of Walker, the limited budget became an insurmountable obstacle to filming the next season, even though the series is one of the most popular projects on the network.

The CW has officially canceled Walker, the release of the fourth season of which is now in full swing and the final episode of the project will be released on June 26.

If you still need a dose of quality western in your life, then at least one of these ten projects will definitely appeal to you.

1. Deadwood, 2004-2006

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The year is 1876, the Gold Rush continues to sweep the country. It has reached South Dakota, and Deadwood has grown from a prospector's camp to a town. Adventurers and easy money seekers flocked to the town.

Former Marshal Seth Bullock arrived in Deadwood to open a trading post with his business partner. At the same time, Bullock plans to make the town a more respectable place to live.

Deadwood is perhaps the most important western series of the 21st century. This show is full of witty dialogue, violence, profanity and the harsh truth of life. The stories of the main characters are collected from real events in the lives of American entrepreneurs of South Dakota in those years.

2. Justified, 2010-2015

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Marshal Raylan Givens used to work in Miami, but then he shot and killed a tough crime boss and management decided to transfer him to another department in Kentucky. In his hometown, the lawyer meets his father, childhood friends and even his ex-wife, whom he still loves.

The main stars of the TV western are Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins. Justified ran for 6 seasons on FX, captivating viewers with its charismatic characters. In 2023, the spin-off Justified: City Primeval was released, continuing the story of Givens.

3. Godless, 2017

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The town of La Belle, New Mexico, is populated entirely by women. One day their husbands went into the mine and never returned. The leader of the most terrible gang in the Wild West is after his adopted son and accomplice, who stole all the loot from the last case. The young man decides to hide in La Belle.

The Netflix original miniseries was produced by Steven Soderbergh. Godless features excellent dialogue, and outstanding performances from Jeff Daniels, Jack O'Connell and Michelle Dockery.

4. Hell on Wheels, 2011-2016

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The year is 1865, and the Civil War has just ended. In Nebraska, the people of a village with the exotic name of Hell on Wheels are busy building a transcontinental railroad that will connect the central states with the California coast.

Cullen Bohannon, a former Confederate soldier, has come here. He is looking for the murderers of his wife and young son.

This Western was one of AMC's top hits for five years. Lively and controversial characters, coupled with excellent cinematography and finely selected country music, can keep you glued to the screen for a long time.

5. Longmire, 2012-2017

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Walt Longmire is the sheriff of a Wyoming county. His new assistant is Vic, a former homicide detective in Philadelphia.

On the prairies of the Wild West, the crime rate should be much lower than in an overpopulated metropolis, but there is an Indian reservation nearby, and the natives settle disputes the old-fashioned way, reluctant to turn to the authorities for help.

In each episode, the main characters solve a case, faithfully following the laws of police procedural. The lead actor, Robert Taylor, admitted that he created the image of Longmire with an eye on the classic westerns of Clint Eastwood and Indiana Jones.

6. Damnation, 2017-2018

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Times of the Great Depression. The economic crisis has affected the entire country, and the government is barely able to contain public discontent. A mysterious preacher, Seth Davenport, arrives in a small town in the Wild West.

He is less interested in religion than in the local industrial magnate. The preacher organizes worker protests at the rich man's factory, filling people with revolutionary ideas and quoting Marx. The industrialist hires a special person to stop the saboteur preacher.

7. Klondike, 2014

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The time of the last gold rush in the late 19th century, two friends dream of getting rich quickly, so they leave New York for Dawson, Canada. With debts to pay back in New York, the young men are in no hurry to return.

Klondike is based on Charlotte Gray's novel Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich in the Klondike. It stars actor Richard Madden (aka Robb Stark), and his character is based on a real person who went to the Yukon River at the end of the last century hoping to strike it rich.

8. Hatfields & McCoys, 2012

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The story is set at the end of the Civil War. Two neighbors, Anderson Hatfield and Randall McCoy, have returned to their families. One of them fought for the South, the other for the North, and this was the reason for many years of enmity.

For several decades, the Hatfields and McCoys, who lived on opposite sides of the river on the West Virginia-Kentucky border, killed each other. According to official records, 10 people died and an equal number were injured as a result of their feud.

No History Channel project has ever been nominated for more awards. In 2012, Hatfields & McCoys received 16 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Series.

9. The Son, 2017-2019

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In 1849, Comanche Indians captured a young boy named Eli and killed the rest of his family. The child was raised according to the traditions and practices of the native people and soon became one of the tribe’s leaders. Later, the adult young man returned to old life.

Oil was discovered on his land, and he founded a company that would become a leader in the industry. In 1915, an elderly Eli prepares to celebrate his birthday with his son, Pete, while facing off against cattle rustlers and oil rig robbers of the Wild West.

The Son is a large-scale epic about three generations of a Texas family, and the role of the patriarch went to Pierce Brosnan, who rarely appears on the small screen.

10. Deputy, 2020

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In Los Angeles, a sheriff dies of a heart attack. Under a 170-year-old law, the longest-serving assistant in the department must serve as acting officer until the next election. This time it is fifth-generation lawman Bill Hollister. Hollister gets right to work, and the chases and shoot-outs begin.

The FOX series stars Stephen Dorff known to many viewers from the third season of True Detective, and the first two episodes were directed by David Ayer, director of The Beekeeper.