Two women in western apparel outdoors holding rifles and looking at something off-screen in Godless.Image via Netflix
By
Anja Djuricic
Published 31 minutes ago
Anja Djuricic was born in Belgrade, Serbia, in 1992. Her first interest in film started very early, as she learned to speak English by watching Disney animated movies (and many, many reruns). Anja soon became inspired to learn more foreign languages to understand more movies, so she entered the Japanese language and literature Bachelor Studies at the University of Belgrade.
Anja is also one of the founders of the DJ duo Vazda Garant, specializing in underground electronic music influenced by various electronic genres.
Anja loves to do puzzles in her spare time, pet cats wherever she meets them, and play The Sims. Anja's Letterboxd four includes Memories of Murder, Parasite, Nope, and The Road to El Dorado.
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Westerns are often considered one of the foundational genres of American cinema, starting in the silent film era well before the Golden Age of Hollywood. Stories about the Old West have long appealed to audiences with their themes of justice, morality, and lone-wolf heroes facing off against danger on the vast frontier. But since those early days, the genre has evolved, moving beyond straightforward tales of cowboys and outlaws into more complex narratives that reinterpret what a Western can be.
As the streaming service with the largest subscriber base, Netflix is also the first modern platform to become a true worldwide household name. And beyond its originals, it boasts a pretty massive library of movies and series from across genres—including, most importantly here, numerous Westerns. Here are the greatest Western shows on Netflix that are 10/10, no notes.
1 'Frontier' (2016–2018)
Jason Momoa in a big fur jacket looking off to the side in a scene from Frontier.Image via Netflix
Frontier stands as one of the best Western shows of the 2010s, and it's unusual because it is just as well-appreciated as it is underrated. Maybe fans of pure Westerns didn't find its late 18th century Canada setting to be "Western enough," but the show visually and storywise fits the bill quite well. Frontier was initially one of the shows critics loved to hate, but audiences absolutely enjoyed it; for them, it was impossible to deny Frontier as an entertaining, beautifully made show that has a strong protagonist in the commanding presence of Jason Momoa, and is as much a tale of the Old West as any other (maybe more than some, considering its depiction of widespread corruption in its earliest days).
Frontier is set in the late 1700s when the Hudson's Bay Company held monopoly over the fur trade in North America. A half-Irish, half-Cree trapper, Declan Harp (Momoa), fights against Hudson's Bay to prevent their monopoly from spreading further and damaging local trappers like him. Their trade has become corrupt due to increased power, and Harp and his associates try to reclaim the territory and their rights. There are plenty of Native American actors here, and their presence marks a big move in the attempt to make Old West storytelling come from the perspective of Native American people.
2 'Song of the Bandits' (2023)
Lee Yoon (Kim Nam-gil) and his bandits in Netflix's 'Song of the Bandits.'Image via Netflix
It's perhaps unusual to have a South Korean series among the best Westerns on Netflix, but with the massive budget approvals that the South Korean branch of Netflix has been allowed, a lot of their original series are stunning, both visually and narratively. They know how to take advantage of the generous budgets and inspirational storytelling, including a neo-Western series set in Japan-occupied Korea and China before and during WWII. For Korean people, the "Wild West" era truly emerged during the Japanese occupation, and most of the stories from that time are reminiscent of classic Westerns.
Song of the Bandits is set in the 1920s in Japan-occupied Korea, when the treaty to disband the Korean army and police was signed, and people of Joseon (the then name for Korea) fled across the Tumen River into a lawless Chinese territory called Gando. Gando is the true "Wild West" of the East, and there, Korean escapees from the Japanese regime live like cowboys and bandits—surviving, sometimes thriving, and always sleeping with one eye open. Song of the Bandits is exciting, fun, and stylish, boasting some incredible costumes and action scenes; the ones where the bandits ride horses and rob trains are especially well-made.
3 'Wynonna Earp' (2016–2021)
Wynonna Earp (Melanie Scrofano) and Doc Holliday (Tim Rozon) draw weapons on Wynonna Earp.Image via SYFY
Wynonna Earp is one of the most interesting shows of the past decade; it's a unique spin on the Western genre, combining horror, sci-fi, and fantasy in a stylistically beautiful adventure series. Some purist Western fans may not like this introduction of the supernatural, but the addition connects well to the lore of the most famous lawman of the Old West, Wyatt Earp. Wynonna Earp is what happens when creativity meets adoration, with creative liberties taken to honor Westerns as more than just a cut-and-dry story about good and evil. The show was based on the comic book of the same name, and was commissioned by SyFy, lasting for four seasons.
Wynonna Earp follows the titular character, played by Melanie Scrofano, who is the great-great-granddaughter of Wyatt Earp, the Old West's greatest lawman. She follows in his footsteps to become a representative of good after inheriting the "power" to fight against revenants, aka revived dead outlaws who return to haunt humans. She also inherits Earp's special gun called "Peacemaker" and embarks on a journey to hunt revenants across the cursed territory in the Canadian Rockies. The show has become a sort of cult classic since its inception, and fans of fantasy series should turn on this Western to indulge in a beautiful and exciting mix of genres.
4 'Longmire' (2012–2017)
Sheriff Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) on the phone at oil fields in the Longmire episode The Calling Back.Image via Netflix
Longmire is a show that started off strong, got cancelled, and then Netflix decided its time wasn't finished yet. Picking it up after the cancellation by A&E, Netflix gave Longmire a second chance to make a first impression, which resulted in it leaving a lasting mark as one of the streamer's most memorable Western shows. Longmire is a neo-Western, doubling as a police procedural, and while it's set in modern times, it gives off the energy and vibe of a show set somewhere deep in the Old West during the 19th century. Sometimes, vibes are enough.
Longmire follows the titular character, Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor), who is the sheriff of the fictional Absaroka county in Wyoming (though the show was filmed in New Mexico). Walt's best friend is the Cheyenne investigator, Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips), and besides helping Walt solve crimes within the county's borders, he aids in dealing with the tribal police. If you're interested in a serialized story with a strong ensemble cast, network TV-style narratives, and a fun time all-around, Longmire is the show to enjoy. It's pretty great, and it makes you care about the characters really fast.
5 'Untamed' (2025–)
Here's where we take liberties with the word Western, but hear me out. Untamed may be a modern thriller, but it's set in Yosemite National Park, depicts the crimes that happen in the expanse (aka Wild West), and sees Eric Bana as a modern cowboy—riding horses, wielding guns, chasing bad guys, and embodying the law. It's a neo-Western at best, and one of the most streamed and most popular Netflix original series in 2025. With a Season 2 renewal, the Bana-led series promises to become the world's latest modern crime thriller with a unique Western flavor.
Untamed follows special agent Kyle Turner (Bana), member of the National Park Investigative Services Branch. He investigates the death of a girl in Yosemite Park, where it seems like she was killed. The natural landscape of Yosemite Park can be treacherous and brutal, since most of it is wild and, you guessed it, untamed, but her death seems to be more than just a consequence of being lost in the wilderness. Turner is joined by the park rangers, rookie Naya Velasquez (Lily Santiago) and his longtime friend Jay Stewart (Raoul Max Trujillo), in solving the crime. Untamed is a wildly exciting police procedural that boasts beautiful establishing shots and turns the natural landscape into a protagonist. A lot of people are excited about the show's second season.
6 'American Primeval' (2025)
Shawnee Pourier looks behind on horseback in falling snow in American Primeval.Image via Netflix
Fans of revisionist Westerns will enjoy American Primeval, probably a lot. It's the kind of show that rarely, or actually never, romanticizes the Old West, showing it as a brutal, dirty landscape that was really hard to survive and even harder to succeed in. Those with the strongest survival instincts found their way up through brutality and violence, and while the show may be deeply nihilistic in that sense, its core is a slow-burning love story that shows how much positive, affectionate emotions can truly overcome any evil. Additionally, the show allows its ensemble to discover compassion, bravery, and self-preservation. In all its darkness, it bears some light and that is why it's one of the greatest Western shows of the past few years.
American Primeval was directed by Peter Berg, and while it is really an ensemble effort often commanded by Berg's frequent actor collaborator Taylor Kitsch, the true lead is Betty Gilpin as Sara, a mother traveling with her son across states during the 1857 Utah War. Kitsch plays Isaac Reed, a loner living in the woods and raised by the Shoshone, who reluctantly agrees to take Sara and her son to their destination; they travel amid the fight for dominion over the territory between the LDS Church and the various outlaws and lawmen in Utah. Everyone in this show is great, and if you're OK with the Wild West looking terrible to you, you're in the right place (I don't see how it could ever be appealing).
7 'Dark Winds' (2022–)
Jessica Matten as Bernadette Manuelito, Zahn McClarnon as Joe Leaphorn in a car in Dark Winds.Image via AMC
As one of the best shows of the 2020s, Dark Winds is slowly gearing up to become a steady addition to streaming and TV content. This AMC series is a true Western at heart, but one that makes its protagonists Native American instead. The show is one of the rare to have an almost entirely Native cast, led by one of the coolest actors of our time, Zahn McClarnon. His presence and talent help Dark Winds shine, while his co-stars, Jessica Matten and Kiowa Gordon, radiate intense but endearing chemistry. Gordon finds a moment to step into his Wild West persona, while McClarnon is already there, waiting to meet him. Dark Winds especially turns into an homage to classic Western stories in Season 3; Season 4 is coming in February 2026.
Dark Winds is set in the Four Corners area, where the borders of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet; the area is designated as Navajo territory and regulated and watched by tribal police. The Navajo police officer, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (McClarnon), works on solving mysterious cases on Navajo land together with his Deputy, Bernadette Manuelito (Matten) and a newcomer, Jim Chee (Gordon). Each season follows a brand-new mystery for the protagonists, while following some spanning plots regarding personal character arcs. Dark Winds often includes Native American traditions, culture, and superstitions into the cases, and it's a unique Western with a Native American heart and soul.
8 'Godless' (2017)
Godless was once called the "best 21st century Western," and while Deadwood is usually called that, Godless comes very, very close to topping it. This is not just because it's the most accurate Western series out there, but it's narratively perfect, visually stunning, and cast with some of the industry's greatest performers of the moment. What sets this show apart from others is that it's purely female-led and its protagonists are predominantly women—because the story requires it. We know Western purists (and some others) will find this premise controversial, for lack of a better word, but it is firmly rooted in true events, when entire towns were left with only women because of devastating mining accidents across the Southwest. This is a story that characters like them never got the chance to be told.
Godless is set in La Belle, New Mexico, where a terrible mining accident took the lives of most of the men in town. The remaining survivors are women, left to maintain the town on their own backs; the protagonist is Alice Fletcher (Michelle Dockery), who runs her own ranch and lives with her mother-in-law and teenage son. Alice shelters a runaway bandit, Roy Goode (Jack O'Connell), from his pursuer, boss and notorious criminal Frank Griffin (Jeff Daniels), and almost unknowingly makes Griffin La Belle's main antagonist. Godless is Netflix's first-ever limited series, and with its seven episodes, a true contender to be the GOAT.
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Godless
TV-MA
Western
Drama
Release Date
2017 - 2017-00-00
Network
Netflix
Directors
Scott Frank
Cast
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Sam Waterston
Marshall John Cook
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Jack O'Connell
Roy Goode
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Netflix
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Dark Winds
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