Television series set in the American Civil War or Post-Civil War?
May 17, 2021 4:53 PM
I am quite fond of western setting films, but do not know much about western television series set in the American Civil War or Post Civil War.
I have seen Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, The Big Valley, and Little House on the Prarie (which, are all a bit corny but nostalgic and well done at times). I am most familiar with Eastwood westerns, the original Magnificent Seven with Yul Brenner and Steve McQueen, and some John Wayne, but I would love to watch more television westerns.
Are there other worthy western shows you would highly recommend? Whether it is modern or from the 20th century I am not picky as long as it is well done. And it does not necessarily have to revolve around family themes.
Dr. Quinn was interesting because it showed a strong female western character as well as Barbra Stanwyck in The Big Valley - but open to all kinds of themes, characters, and story plotlines.
I have seen Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, The Big Valley, and Little House on the Prarie (which, are all a bit corny but nostalgic and well done at times). I am most familiar with Eastwood westerns, the original Magnificent Seven with Yul Brenner and Steve McQueen, and some John Wayne, but I would love to watch more television westerns.
Are there other worthy western shows you would highly recommend? Whether it is modern or from the 20th century I am not picky as long as it is well done. And it does not necessarily have to revolve around family themes.
Dr. Quinn was interesting because it showed a strong female western character as well as Barbra Stanwyck in The Big Valley - but open to all kinds of themes, characters, and story plotlines.
The Rifleman was set in the 1890s, and was quite bizarre for the time in which it was shown. Widowed dad, trying to show his son how to be a good person. It lasted five seasons against Gunsmoke.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 5:25 PM on May 17, 2021
posted by halfbuckaroo at 5:25 PM on May 17, 2021
I liked Brisco County, an unfortunately short lived Western that might or might not appeal to you: It had strong SF elements and a quirky sense of humor.
I thought the movie version of Maverick (Mel Gibson/Jodie Foster) was perfectly entertaining lite fare. Have Gun, Will Travel is a 1950s classic; relatively smart for the time and IMO more of historical interest but it might be worth sampling some episodes.
Have you already seen the miniseries Lonesome Dove? I know it only from the very good book but the TV event was well received back in the day. Heavier than my other recs.
posted by mark k at 5:28 PM on May 17, 2021
I thought the movie version of Maverick (Mel Gibson/Jodie Foster) was perfectly entertaining lite fare. Have Gun, Will Travel is a 1950s classic; relatively smart for the time and IMO more of historical interest but it might be worth sampling some episodes.
Have you already seen the miniseries Lonesome Dove? I know it only from the very good book but the TV event was well received back in the day. Heavier than my other recs.
posted by mark k at 5:28 PM on May 17, 2021
Is Canadian okay? When Calls the Heart is the Hallmark version of wealthy society woman who wants to be a teacher moving to a coal mining town in western Canada, around 1900. It's got some very Dr. Quinn vibes, with great female characters. (Although some bonus Jesus, because Hallmark Channel.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:09 PM on May 17, 2021
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:09 PM on May 17, 2021
Lonesome Dove, a miniseries based on the novel by Larry McMurtry, was excellent. Amazing cast: Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Anjelica Huston, Diane Lane, Danny Glover. I read the book first, and the series left out some detail (because of course) but it was great nonetheless.
posted by number9dream at 6:21 PM on May 17, 2021
posted by number9dream at 6:21 PM on May 17, 2021
Hell on Wheels, which has a 64 on Metacritic, takes place immediately after the Civil War and focuses on the building of the transcontinental railroad. Stars Star Trek: Discovery's Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and Star Trek: Deep Space Generation's Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney).
posted by miguelcervantes at 6:25 PM on May 17, 2021
posted by miguelcervantes at 6:25 PM on May 17, 2021
Mercy Street This PBS series was set in a hospital during the Civil War. Sadly, there are only two seasons, but I found it really watchable.
posted by effluvia at 6:57 PM on May 17, 2021
posted by effluvia at 6:57 PM on May 17, 2021
This film is from 1965 and I didn't see it listed amongst the films above. Dated, but still worth watching.Shenandoah
posted by effluvia at 7:00 PM on May 17, 2021
posted by effluvia at 7:00 PM on May 17, 2021
The Civil War/Ken Burns This is a long but really wonderful documentary that uses letters and pictures and interviews with historians to tell this very complex chapter of American History. Very worth watching. Also, if you like it, check out Prohibition and Jackie Robinson, two other stellar documentaries by Burns.
posted by effluvia at 7:04 PM on May 17, 2021
posted by effluvia at 7:04 PM on May 17, 2021
Most stories we consider "classic" westerns happened post-Civil War, after the initial expansion into the West had occurred, the railroad crossed the continent, towns and ranches became established, and weaponry was more developed as well. Most infantry long guns in the Civil War were muskets; as always happens in war, the Civil War pushed weapons technology forward. The Winchester repeating rifle, almost ubiquitous in Western film and television, debuted in 1866.
A classic film that makes no mystery of being set after the Civil War is John Ford's The Searchers, and its main character, played by John Wayne (in one of his very best roles -- and I'm not a big fan of his) is a survivor from the Rebel side. I've see it argued that much of modern American cinema, of all genres, descends directly from The Searchers; at the very least it's a fine movie and one of the best American westerns.
posted by lhauser at 7:39 PM on May 17, 2021
A classic film that makes no mystery of being set after the Civil War is John Ford's The Searchers, and its main character, played by John Wayne (in one of his very best roles -- and I'm not a big fan of his) is a survivor from the Rebel side. I've see it argued that much of modern American cinema, of all genres, descends directly from The Searchers; at the very least it's a fine movie and one of the best American westerns.
posted by lhauser at 7:39 PM on May 17, 2021
Only one season but set in the West just post Civil War and has a strong female lead, The Pinkertons.
posted by gudrun at 8:01 PM on May 17, 2021
posted by gudrun at 8:01 PM on May 17, 2021
Last years's hugely entertaining miniseries The Good Lord Bird. Based on the novel of the same name, it's a fictionalized version of the story of John Brown (the abolitionist who attacked Harper's Ferry).
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:48 PM on May 17, 2021
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:48 PM on May 17, 2021
To scratch the "fictitious female frontier doctor" itch, I'd suggest Bordertown, especially as the overall tone isn't too dissimilar from Dr. Quinn (i.e. it's not Deadwood by any stretch of the imagination). It's going to be more Canadian than Dr. Quinn (it pairs a US Marshall with a Canadian Mountie and features a French Canadian doctor), but not as Canadian as When Calls the Heart.
If you want to skip Mel, just go straight to the original Maverick TV show (or the 1980s revival). Both should be worth your time (or mostly worth your time--the original Maverick starts getting a bit long in the tooth by the time Roger Moore comes on board). If you want light western movie comedies with James (Bret Maverick) Garner, start with Support Your Local Sheriff and then move to Support Your Local Gunfighter. (Totally absurd, silly fluff.)
Lonesome Dove the mini-series was followed up by Lonesome Dove the TV series if you find yourself interested in the characters and setting.
The male take on The Big Valley is Bonanza. I haven't seen it in decades, but if you're interested in TV westerns, it's probably worth your time to become familiar with some of the most well-known TV cowboys. It's Loren Green as the widowed patriarch who is trying to manage his ranch while parenting his sons. Like the Big Valley, some of the actors playing the adult children go on to become bigger names in Hollywood and star in their own shows (including Little House on the Prairie.)
Eastwood pretty much got his start on Rawhide, if you want to see young Clint in a TV western.
If you want to see a cheesy, relatively low budget, but sometimes fun late 1990s TV take on the Magnificent Seven, you can do that.
posted by sardonyx at 10:25 PM on May 17, 2021
If you want to skip Mel, just go straight to the original Maverick TV show (or the 1980s revival). Both should be worth your time (or mostly worth your time--the original Maverick starts getting a bit long in the tooth by the time Roger Moore comes on board). If you want light western movie comedies with James (Bret Maverick) Garner, start with Support Your Local Sheriff and then move to Support Your Local Gunfighter. (Totally absurd, silly fluff.)
Lonesome Dove the mini-series was followed up by Lonesome Dove the TV series if you find yourself interested in the characters and setting.
The male take on The Big Valley is Bonanza. I haven't seen it in decades, but if you're interested in TV westerns, it's probably worth your time to become familiar with some of the most well-known TV cowboys. It's Loren Green as the widowed patriarch who is trying to manage his ranch while parenting his sons. Like the Big Valley, some of the actors playing the adult children go on to become bigger names in Hollywood and star in their own shows (including Little House on the Prairie.)
Eastwood pretty much got his start on Rawhide, if you want to see young Clint in a TV western.
If you want to see a cheesy, relatively low budget, but sometimes fun late 1990s TV take on the Magnificent Seven, you can do that.
posted by sardonyx at 10:25 PM on May 17, 2021
A lot hinges on what's considered 'well done,' I guess.
If slightly gonzo is acceptable, you might like The Wild Wild West (the original series, not the legendarily bad giant-robot-spider-movie remake).
2nding Eastwood playing Rowdy Yates in Rawhide, which is also available on DVD.
There's also How the West Was Won, which I sort of remember watching with my folks.
posted by jquinby at 6:01 AM on May 18, 2021
If slightly gonzo is acceptable, you might like The Wild Wild West (the original series, not the legendarily bad giant-robot-spider-movie remake).
2nding Eastwood playing Rowdy Yates in Rawhide, which is also available on DVD.
There's also How the West Was Won, which I sort of remember watching with my folks.
posted by jquinby at 6:01 AM on May 18, 2021
The thing I'm about to recommend is something I thought was well done - but it is of a particular genre which I admit might not fit. It's more of a sitcom/parody kind of thing. But someone suggested Briscoe County Jr. so I'm going ahead - The Best Of The West was a single-season sitcom set in "the Old West"; the premise is that a Civil War vet and his wife and son have moved to a frontier town intending to take over the general store, but the father inadvertently scares off a gunfighter who'd been plaguing the town so they press him into service as the Marshall instead. Various hijinks then ensue.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:18 AM on May 18, 2021
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:18 AM on May 18, 2021
310 to Yuma
Unforgiven
Both of these are great Western action genre films, imdb link has trailers.
posted by effluvia at 10:33 AM on May 18, 2021
Unforgiven
Both of these are great Western action genre films, imdb link has trailers.
posted by effluvia at 10:33 AM on May 18, 2021
Gentle reminder that the OP is asking for television shows, so while The Searchers and 310 to Yuma are indeed exemplary they still don't fit.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:36 AM on May 18, 2021
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:36 AM on May 18, 2021
My younger self was deeply in love with The Young Riders (possiby the only show I loved more than The Big Valley!)
posted by TwoStride at 9:15 AM on May 19, 2021
posted by TwoStride at 9:15 AM on May 19, 2021
The Civil War/Ken Burns This is a long but really wonderful documentary that uses letters and pictures and interviews with historians to tell this very complex chapter of American History. Very worth watching.
I love Ken Burns' work, including The Civil War, but he's not a training historian and has received some criticism from historians and others for oversimplifying the war, minimizing the primary role of slavery in causing the war, and a bias towards the Lost Cause.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:46 PM on May 19, 2021
I love Ken Burns' work, including The Civil War, but he's not a training historian and has received some criticism from historians and others for oversimplifying the war, minimizing the primary role of slavery in causing the war, and a bias towards the Lost Cause.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:46 PM on May 19, 2021
The Magnificent Seven was a two-season series on CBS that's currently showing on Amazon Prime. It starts with a two-hour movie that deals with a lot of post-Civil War fallout. It's very late '90s CBS in many ways, but they also had some surprisingly good stuff in there, too. Robert Vaughn, who played one of the original gunmen in the Yul Brynner-Steve McQueen movie, had a recurring role as a territorial judge.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 4:06 PM on May 19, 2021
posted by kitten kaboodle at 4:06 PM on May 19, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:01 PM on May 17, 2021