The 15 Longest-Running Western TV Shows Of All Time

Summary

• Longest-running Western series often had episode counts in hundreds, showcasing the genre’s popularity on both small screen and theaters.
• Many iconic Western series featured notable names like Clint Eastwood and Ronald Reagan, shaping the television landscape of the 1950s and 1960s.
• Series like Gunsmoke and Death Valley Days stood out with over 600 episodes, illustrating the enduring impact of Western storytelling on TV.

During the heyday of the genre, Westerns were just as popular on the small screen as they were in theaters, as every week, viewers tuned in for the adventures of bandits, cowboys, and outlaws. With episode counts going well into the hundreds, it was astounding how many popular Western series were on the air through the 1950s and 1960s. When tracking the longest-running Western series of all time, it’s important to take episode count as the primary factor, as even though some shows ran for just a few seasons, they still clocked up an impressive backlog of episodes.

The longest-running Western series’ of all time were vast and varied, with many being produced just as color TV started taking hold as they evolved and adapted to move with the times. Some of these series featured incredibly notable names within the Western genre, such as Clint Eastwood or even figures who would be essential historical figures, like action-turned-president Ronald Reagan. These Western series were grand in scope regarding episode count but also incredibly influential on the television landscape in general.

15 The Cisco Kid (1950 – 1956)

156 Episodes in 6 Seasons

The Cisco Kid was a fictional Western character first created back in 1907 and had a long-running television show joined by his trusty sidekick, Leo Carrillo. As desperados wanted for unspecified crimes, the poor viewed the two outlaws as Robin Hood-like figures as they helped the downtrodden in their half-hour adventures. The Cisco Kid was notable for having 156 episodes but also as one of the first television series to be filmed in color (via Broughton), although most viewers did not notice as color TV did not become prominent until the 1960s.

14 Lawman (1958 – 1962)

156 Episodes in 4 Seasons

The ABC Western series Lawman starred John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop and Peter Brown as Deputy Marshal Johnny McKay as officers in Laramie, Wyoming, during the late 1800s. Full of classic Western adventures, notable guest stars, and with exceedingly high quality considering its vast output, Lawman was one of the best Western series of the late 1950s and early 1960s. One clue to it being of another time was that its main sponsor, the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and its stars consistently endorsed smoking Camel cigarettes (via Mad Men Art.)

13 The Adventures Of Rin Tin Tin (1954 – 1959)

164 Episodes in 5 Seasons

The children’s Western The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin starred Lee Aaker as Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid, who was raised by US Cavalry soldiers at Fort Apache. With the assistance of his trusty German shepherd, Rin Tin Tin, Rusty helped the soldiers establish order throughout the Wild West. With plenty of action as well as moral lessons at the core of each episode, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin sought to teach young viewers the difference between right and wrong.

12 Daniel Boone (1964 – 1970)

165 Episodes in 5 Seasons

The action-adventure show Daniel Boone starred Fress Parker as the titular frontiersman as he conducted surveys and expeditions around Boonesborough. Through this, Boone encountered Native Americans, both hostile and friendly, before, during, and after the Revolutionary War. With plenty of guest stars, Daniel Boone ran for 165 episodes and featured the likes of country singer Jimmy Dean, NFL star Rosey Grier, and Patricia Blair as Boone’s wife, Rebecca. Daniel Boone was based on a real-life frontiersman whose exploits turned him into an American folk hero.

11 The Rifleman (1958 – 1963)

168 Episodes in 5 Seasons

The Rifleman followed the antics of Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain through black-and-white half-hour adventures. A groundbreaking series that depicted a single father raising his son, throughout its five seasons, The Rifleman addressed alcoholism, lone parenting, and the Confederacy. The Rifleman was a popular, family-friendly Western that could be enjoyed by all audiences as it sought to teach kids lessons while also delving into more serious themes and issues from time to time.

10 Tales Of Welles Fargo (1957 – 1962)

201 Episodes in 6 Seasons

The Tales of Welles Fargo was a significant Western series produced right as color was starting to become dominant, and rather than fall behind the times, the series switched to color for the sixth and final season. The series starred Dale Robertson as Jim Hardie, an agent who splits his time between chasing bad guys and running his own ranch. With countless guest stars appearing as real Western figures, such as Jesse James, John Wesley Harding, and Butch Cassidy, Tales of Welles Fargo was one of the most popular series on TV when it was running.

9 Rawhide (1959 – 1966)

217 Episodes in 8 Seasons

Rawhide was a notable series in the history of the Western genre, as it starred Clint Eastwood before he became a major star following Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy. Set in the 1860s, Rawhide portrayed the challenges faced by the drovers of a cattle drive as they found themselves mixed in different strangers’ everyday affairs. A hugely popular series, it marked one of Eastwood’s earliest successes and signaled him as a Western icon for decades to come as he effectively transitioned into feature films, including Spaghetti Westerns and major Hollywood productions.

8 The Lone Ranger (1949 – 1957)

221 Episodes in 5 Seasons

The Lone Ranger and his Native American companion, Tonto, first appeared as radio characters in the 1930s and later transitioned to this popular television series. With 221 adventures over nine years, audiences could not get enough of The Lone Ranger as it dominated television throughout the 1950s and was a consistent hit. Sadly, the character’s enduring success was not as assured as an attempt to revive The Lone Ranger as a feature film with Johnny Depp as Tonto was one of the biggest box office bombs of all time, meaning it’s unlikely to be revived again any time soon.

7 Have Gun – Will Travel (1957 – 1963)

225 Episodes in 6 Seasons

The appropriately titled Western Have Gun – Will Travel told the story of a gentleman investigator traveling the Old West as a gunfighter for hire. With Richard Boone in the lead role of Paladin, Have Gun – Will Travel followed an anti-hero who offered his services for free to the poor in need of help. Have Gun – Will Travel was a significant success and even spawned its own radio spin-off, with rumors of a feature film adaptation swirling around for years, first with John Travolta in the lead role (via EW) and, at one point, with Enimem as the star (via CBR.)

6 The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp (1955 – 1961)

229 Episodes in 6 Seasons

The life of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp has been depicted countless times across the Western genre, as his exploits with the notorious Doc Holliday always made for an exciting premise. The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp was no different and starred Hugh O’Brian in 229 half-hour adventures in just six years. Unlike most family-friend programming of the time, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp was produced with adult viewers in mind (via Collider) and was a definitive entry in O’Brian’s career.

5 The Virginian (1962 – 1971)

249 Episode in 9 Seasons

With a whopping almost 250 episodes, The Virginian was an NBC series originally starring James Drury that stood as television’s first 90-minute Western. Drury played the title character, who was foreman of the Shiloh Ranch, but left after four seasons and was replaced by John Dehner, Charles Bickford, John McIntire, and Stewart Granger, all playing various main characters over the years. Loosely based on the 1902 Western Owen Wister novel The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains, after its run, The Virginian continued with the short-lived spinoff series Laredo.

4 Wagon Train (1957 – 1965)

284 Episodes in 8 Seasons

Wagon Train was a popular Western series that first aired on NBC before moving to ABC for its final three seasons. Set on a large wagon train traveling through the American frontier from Missouri to California, Wagon Train’s unique concept allowed for many guest stars to appear over its astounding 284 episodes as travelers or residents in the settlements that they encountered along the way. Wagon Train was a significant inspiration for the sci-fi series Star Trek, which had been pitched as “Wagon Train to the stars” (via CBR.)

3 Bonanza (1959 – 1973)

431 Episodes in 14 Seasons

Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, Bonanza was NBC’s longest-running Western and one of the longest-running live-action television series ever produced. Bonanza followed the wealthy Cartwright family during the 1860s and depicted the weekly adventures of the patriarch Ben and his family running their Nevada ranch and helping the local community. Even after so many episodes, it seemed audiences couldn’t get enough of Bonanza as it returned for several television movies in the late 1980s and early 1990s and even a prequel series called Ponderosa in 2001.

2 Death Valley Days (1952 – 1970)

452 Episodes in 18 Seasons

Not only was Death Valley Days notable as the second longest-running Western series ever made, but it was also hosted by the future President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, from 1964 to 1966. The premise of this anthology series was to present true accounts of the American Old West, and was Reagan’s final work as an actor before he retired to run for governor of California. With stories based on fact, Death Valley Days was a significant piece of history that cataloged otherwise untold stories of the American frontier.

1 Gunsmoke (1955 – 1975)

635 Episodes in 20 Seasons

With a mind-bogglingly huge number of episodes, Gunsmoke was the longest-running Western series of all time, having 635 episodes over its 20-season run. As the second Western series written for adults, after The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke followed Marshal Matt Dillon as he attempted to keep the peace in the problem-prone Wild West town of Dodge City. Having previously run as a radio show with 480 episodes, Gunsmoke’s longevity was astounding. It was the longest-running live-action show until its record was broken with the 21st-season premiere of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2019.

Sources: Producers on Producing by Irv Broughton, Mad Men Art, EW, CBR, Collider, CBR