# Greatest TV Western? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 23, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-tv-western/203320 "2003-09-23T14:26:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-tv-western/203320/1 "2003-09-23T14:26:26Z")
_Have Gun, Will Travel_, I’d have to say. Richard Boone was consistently good in his role as Paladin. The scripts were at times astonishingly sophisticated for anything in the genre, and the show was just so _cool._ Honorable mention to any of the Hoss-centered episodes of _Bonanza_. Dan Blocker was a national treasure. Honorable mention also to _Alias Smith and Jones_ and _Bearcats_ for daring to be a little different. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-tv-western/203320/2 "2003-09-23T15:09:19Z")
I nominate “Maverick”, but only the ones starring James Garner. They were simultaneously great spoofs of westerns and great westerns themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-tv-western/203320/3 "2003-09-23T15:48:59Z")
If you’re going for series of the weekly variety, I vote for _Maverick_. If you’re including the mini-series variety, _Lonesome Dove_ is a hands-down victor. ---
**Author:** ![EVO95](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@EVO95](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EVO95)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-tv-western/203320/4 "2003-09-23T15:52:09Z")
I liked Big Valley. Wasn’t that the one with Barbara Stanwyck? Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-tv-western/203320/5 "2003-09-23T16:31:47Z")
I vote for Gunsmoke - (Marshall Matt Dillon) James Arness and Rawhide - (Rowdy Yates) a very young Clint Eastwood. By the way, each would make a good Feature Length Movie on the Big Screen - Rawhide in my opinion helmed by Clint Eastwood. Not sure who should be in charge of Gunsmoke. ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-tv-western/203320/6 "2003-09-23T16:37:10Z")
Rawhide, for sure! ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-tv-western/203320/7 "2003-09-23T16:40:54Z")
Big Valley did have Barbara Stanwyck, who was a bit old to be “yum,” but it also who had a young Linda Evans, who was about as yummy as you could get. My vote goes to Gunsmoke. Festus was The Man. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-tv-western/203320/8 "2003-09-23T16:51:51Z")
We just lost a good friend who grew up with Festus as a kid. Had some hilarious stories about their hellraising as youths in SE Colorado. I’m sure he would have agreed with the Gunsmoke sentiment. I’ll second the Rawhide chorus. Campy but entertaining nevertheless.