Whereas most Westerns comprise comparable tropes, neo-Westerns are pushing boundaries, giving followers of the style extra inventive TV reveals. The “Golden Age of Westerns” is taken into account to be the Nineteen Forties-Sixties, earlier than the style fell out of favor. Whereas there are many TV shows that would not exist without classic Westerns, the revival is bringing new life to the style.
Neo-Westerns characteristic lots of the tropes and locales seen in older Westerns, however the tales happen in a extra modern setting. There are actually many great Western TV shows set in modern times, however the actual standards for what is taken into account a neo-Western could be debatable, with house Westerns and style mixes typically being counted and different occasions neglected.
Reveals like Breaking Dangerous and Luke Cage have usually been described as Westerns, however their inclusion in lists of neo-Westerns remains to be topic to opinion, to a level. Whereas the style remains to be evolving, the best neo-Western TV shows have develop into a few of the hottest TV reveals of all time, and lots of of them are at the moment streaming on Netflix.
Territory (2024)
An Australian Neo-Western That Was Canceled Too Quickly
Regardless of optimistic opinions and an 87% optimistic critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Netflix canceled Territory after only one season. Nonetheless, it’s a neo-Western that’s nicely price watching. Territory takes the Western style aesthetic and tropes to Australia’s Northern Territory, the place the present’s Lawson household dynasty finds that their cattle station is wanted by a number of rival factions.
A lot of the characters in Territory are based mostly on basic Western archetypes like outlaws and cowboys, however the present brings them to the fashionable age. The six-part collection stars Anna Torv as Emily, who was born right into a household of cattle thieves however marries into the Lawson household. Because the patriarch, Colin, turns into incapable of operating the ranch, triggering an influence seize.
A theme operating by means of many basic Westerns is the battle over land, and this has typically not aged nicely, with basic Westerns displaying Native People in a destructive gentle. Nonetheless, neo-Westerns are sometimes capable of change the narrative for a extra life like portrayal. Territory contains a number of nuanced and well-rounded portrayals of First Nations Australians, and references the Stolen Generations.
Ransom Canyon (2025-Current)
The Neo-Western Cleaning soap Drama Has A Devoted Following
Ransom Canyon is Netflix’s first multi-season Western since 2020, and is lighter than many Westerns. The present provides equal focus to its relationships and land dispute plotlines, and by centering on the characters moderately than the setting, the present explores the private influence that lots of the typical Western style conflicts skim over. These embody financial points, generational trauma, and legacy.
The collection follows a really typical basic Western story, with a land dispute and a mysterious determine arriving on the town. As three rival ranching household dynasties battle for management of land, one rancher, Staten Kirkland, is on a quest for vengeance. When the troubled cowboy Yancy Gray turns up, his presence threatens to disclose secrets and techniques from the previous.
Whereas critics have typically given Ransom Canyon combined opinions on Rotten Tomatoes, the present has had a way more optimistic reception from its audiences. Ransom Canyon may not be essentially the most groundbreaking neo-Western on Netflix, but it surely captures the essence of the Western style whereas mixing it with the romance and drama usually present in soaps.
The Ranch (2016-2020)
A Uncommon Neo-Western Comedy
Whereas many basic Westerns have some humorous moments, the neo-Western style is usually grittier, with a darker tackle the struggles confronted by the characters. The Ranch is a extra lighthearted household sitcom that also works as a neo-Western. It is set in small-town Colorado, and all of its episodes are named after nation music songs.
The Ranch is a Netflix unique and showcases nice performances from Ashton Kutcher and Western veteran Sam Elliot. The present follows a typical sitcom format, full with fun monitor, and in contrast to most different neo-Westerns, The Ranch makes enjoyable of the style in a means that’s playful moderately than mean-spirited. The present is a couple of household ranch in want of assist.
When Colt Bennett returns dwelling to his household ranch whereas ready to check out for a sports activities staff, he finds that his household has fallen on onerous occasions and tries to assist, usually ineptly. The Ranch included typical Western themes however in a gentler means, with out excessive violence and trauma. It ran for 4 seasons, with 80 episodes in complete.
Tune of the Bandits (2023)
South Korea’s Neo-Western Is Set In East Asia’s Borderlands
The South Korean Western Tune of the Bandits contains loads of typical Western tropes like gunfights, duels, and lone heroes, however affords a recent tackle the style. The present is ready within the Twenties towards a backdrop of Japanese occupation, when many fled to the lawless Gando to unite and defend their land prematurely of the Gando bloodbath.
The primary protagonists comply with typical Western storylines, with a concentrate on morally-conflicted heroes and antiheroes, like Lee Yoon, who turns into a bandit to guard folks. Even the setting is a “Wild West” equal, with the arid deserts and dusty border cities. That mentioned, Tune of the Bandits is greater than only a typical Western with a brand new location.
The present makes use of the historical past of South Korea to place a unique and extra politically-focused spin on the Western style. This method has introduced typical Western themes to a wider viewers, and made the present successful. Tune of the Bandits has an 89% optimistic viewers score on Rotten Tomatoes, and has been described as “one of the best Western shows in recent years.”
Darkish Winds (2022-Current)
A Navajo-Centered Neo-Western Crime Drama
One of the vital fascinating current neo-Westerns on Netflix, and each season of Dark Winds has a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. The present is ready within the Seventies and follows Navajo Tribal law enforcement officials as they resolve crimes. Darkish Winds has drawn explicit essential approval for centering Navajo experiences and views in a means that’s nonetheless hardly ever achieved on TV.
Regardless of wonderful opinions and an ideal Rotten Tomatoes rating, Darkish Winds has by no means been nominated for an Emmy Award.
Because the Western style has recurrently sidelined or caricatured Native American characters, Darkish Winds is a breath of recent air and an optimistic signal for the way forward for Westerns. It is an thrilling mixture of genres, that includes typical Western settings and lawmakers like its central characters, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, however with against the law noir plot.
Greater than a typical homicide thriller, Darkish Winds pays as a lot consideration to the lives of the characters because it does to the crimes. As Chee and Leaphorn examine a collection of crimes, they uncover that the occasions are related and produce up wounds from Leaphorn’s previous. The supernatural aspect to Darkish Winds provides one other layer of intrigue to the story, making it among the finest neo-Westerns on Netflix.
