Westerns are timeless, a genre that has consistently bridged generational gaps for decades. That appeal still holds true in 2026, with neo-Western series like Paramount’s Yellowstone continuing to top the charts. So why is Hollywood sleeping on what could be its next critically acclaimed hit?
The series is best described as the love child of a Sopranos-style organized crime drama mixed with modern Native American culture.
While almost everyone and their cousin has heard of Yellowstone, most people are likely unfamiliar with Jason Aaron and R. M. Guéra’s Scalped. This 60-issue crime Western series, which debuted in 2007, is one of the most underrated gems in the genre.
That may be due to its story being told through the comic medium, which, while no lesser in quality, doesn’t reach the same mainstream audience as television or film. For this reason, Hollywood should stop sleeping on the series and give it the TV adaptation it deserves.
Why Scalped Is One of the Most Powerful Neo-Westerns of the Last Two Decades
A Sopranos-Style Crime Drama Rooted in Modern Native American Life
Published by DC’s Vertigo imprint, Scalped focuses on the Oglala Lakota inhabitants of the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation in modern-day South Dakota as they grapple with organized crime, local politics, the preservation of cultural identity, rampant poverty, drug addiction, and alcoholism,. The series remains among the works Aaron is most proud of.
Scalped is best described as the love child of a Sopranos-style organized crime drama mixed with modern Native American culture. Viewers who enjoyed the Broken Rock Reservation elements of Yellowstone will undoubtedly love Scalped. It is an action-packed, hard-hitting story and one of the strongest additions to the neo-Western genre in the past two decades.
Scalped’s Brutal Premise Sets the Stage for a Perfect TV Adaptation
Meet Dash Bad Horse and the Crime-Fueled World of Prairie Rose Reservation
The official synopsis for Scalped reads:
“Fifteen years ago, Dashiell “Dash” Bad Horse ran away from a life of abject poverty and utter hopelessness on the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation in hopes of finding something better. Now, he’s come back home to find nothing much has changed on “The Rez” — short of a glimmering new casino, and a once-proud people overcome by drugs and organized crime.”
It continues:
“Also at the center of the storm is Tribal Leader Lincoln Red Crow, a former “Red Power” activist turned burgeoning crime boss who figures that after 100 years of the Lakota being robbed and murdered by the white man, it’s now time to return the favor.”
The synopsis then goes on to tease Dash as nothing short of badass.
“Now Dash — armed with nothing but a set of nunchucks, a hellbent-for-leather attitude and (at least) one dark secret — must survive a world of gambling, gunfights, G-men, Dawg Soldierz, massacres, meth labs, trashy sex, fry bread, Indian pride, Thunder Beings, the rugged beauty of the Badlands…and even a brutal scalping or two.”
This synopsis is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what Scalped contains and explores. Even so, the premise alone makes it clear how perfectly the series would serve as source material for a western-crime adaptation, one with the potential to rival the popularity of modern hits like Paramount’s Yellowstone and HBO’s The Sopranos.
