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.
Back in the Fifties, the Western was a very popular and ubiquitous genre on television. For Halloween, kids dressed up like Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger or Zorro. A hugely popular show of its time and still regarded as one of the top Westerns in history was 'Gunsmoke'.
The end of the decade saw two series that starred actors who would go on to much greater things. One of the stars of 'The Alaskans' was a young Roger Moore, who later became famous as Bond, James Bond. The cast of 'Rawhide' included Clint Eastwood, who would become the hero of many a classic Western film before taking on his most iconic role, that of Dirty Harry.
Some of the great shows of the Fifties ran throughout the Sixties and into the Seventies too. 'Gunsmoke' was one. Another was 'Bonanza', which starred a young Michael Landon. The Sixties also saw the creation of new hit shows, including 'The High Chaparral' and 'The Big Valley'. The latter's cast included some actors who went on to become big names in the Seventies and Eighties, such as Lee Majors, Linda Evans and Barbara Stanwyck.
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.
Female characters started featuring more strongly too. While 'Little House on the Prairie' was supposed to be a vehicle for Michael Landon after his time on 'Bonanza', its real star was Melissa Gilbert, who played young Laura Ingalls. Jane Seymour took things a step further in the Nineties when she played a female doctor in 'Dr Quinn: Medicine Woman'.
The Western has been finding renewed popularity since the arrival of the twenty-first century. While most of these more recent shows can't really be called classics yet, one that made history was 'Firefly', created by Josh Whedon. 'Firefly' was the first real space Western, which combined everything that people love about traditional Westerns with a futuristic, outer-space setting. It has a cult following and its fans, who call themselves Browncoats, are as loyal as Trekkies are to 'Star Trek'.
You'll be able to stream many of the most popular Westerns online. Some sites will charge a small membership fee while others are free of charge. All you need to do is find a show you'd like to see, cook up some cowboy beans and enjoy a great night in.
Back in the Fifties, the Western was a very popular and ubiquitous genre on television. For Halloween, kids dressed up like Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger or Zorro. A hugely popular show of its time and still regarded as one of the top Westerns in history was 'Gunsmoke'.
The end of the decade saw two series that starred actors who would go on to much greater things. One of the stars of 'The Alaskans' was a young Roger Moore, who later became famous as Bond, James Bond. The cast of 'Rawhide' included Clint Eastwood, who would become the hero of many a classic Western film before taking on his most iconic role, that of Dirty Harry.
Some of the great shows of the Fifties ran throughout the Sixties and into the Seventies too. 'Gunsmoke' was one. Another was 'Bonanza', which starred a young Michael Landon. The Sixties also saw the creation of new hit shows, including 'The High Chaparral' and 'The Big Valley'. The latter's cast included some actors who went on to become big names in the Seventies and Eighties, such as Lee Majors, Linda Evans and Barbara Stanwyck.
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.
Female characters started featuring more strongly too. While 'Little House on the Prairie' was supposed to be a vehicle for Michael Landon after his time on 'Bonanza', its real star was Melissa Gilbert, who played young Laura Ingalls. Jane Seymour took things a step further in the Nineties when she played a female doctor in 'Dr Quinn: Medicine Woman'.
The Western has been finding renewed popularity since the arrival of the twenty-first century. While most of these more recent shows can't really be called classics yet, one that made history was 'Firefly', created by Josh Whedon. 'Firefly' was the first real space Western, which combined everything that people love about traditional Westerns with a futuristic, outer-space setting. It has a cult following and its fans, who call themselves Browncoats, are as loyal as Trekkies are to 'Star Trek'.
You'll be able to stream many of the most popular Westerns online. Some sites will charge a small membership fee while others are free of charge. All you need to do is find a show you'd like to see, cook up some cowboy beans and enjoy a great night in.
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