Classic TV Westerns Viewing Guide

Westerns were all over the primetime network schedules in the 1950s and 60s. By the time the 1970s rolled around, viewer tastes were changing and the western era was all but over.

Long-running westerns Bonanza and Gunsmoke ended in the 1970s. Although there were a handful of westerns that launched later in the decade, none could match the genre’s earlier success.

Fortunately, many local stations continued to air off-network reruns of classic westerns long after they left primetime. These local stations, along with family-oriented cable networks like CBN (now ABC Family), helped expose these great shows to new generations of viewers.

Today there are many places to catch your favorite western shows, whether its on pay channels like Encore Westerns or for free on national diginets like Cozi and MeTV. There are also many westerns available for purchase on DVD.

The table below shows where classic westerns (1950s-70s) are currently available for viewing (as of February 2014). The columns include Program Title (with a link to DVD releases), Diginets (national programming services carried by local TV stations), Cable/Satellite Networks and Streaming (Internet-based services like Hulu, Netflix).

Saddle up and enjoy! Please contact me via Facebook or Twitter with your comments and suggestions.

Program Title w/DVD Link Diginet Cable/Satellite Streaming
A Man Called Shenandoah
The Adventures of Champion
The Adventures of Jim Bowie Cozi & Retro
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Antenna
The Alaskans
Alias Smith and Jones Cozi Hulu
Barbary Coast
Bat Masterson Encore Westerns
The Big Valley MeTV INSP Hulu
Bonanza MeTV Encore Westerns & INSP Hulu
Branded MeTV
Brave Eagle
Broken Arrow
Bronco
Buckskin
The Californians
Cheyenne
The Chisholms
Cimarron City
Cimarron Strip
The Cisco Kid Retro
Colt .45
The Cowboys
Custer
The Dakotas
Daniel Boone
The Deputy Cozi
Dirty Sally
Dundee and the Culhane
Empire
Frontier
Frontier Circus
Fury
The Gene Autry Show
Gunslinger
Gunsmoke MeTV Encore Westerns
The Guns of Will Sonnett MeTV
Have Gun Will Travel Encore Westerns
Here Come The Brides Antenna
High Chaparral INSP
Hondo
Hopalong Cassidy Cozi & Retro
How The West Was Won
The Iron Horse
Johnny Ringo
Klondike
Kung Fu
Lancer
Laramie
Laredo
Law of the Plainsman
The Lawman
The Legend of Jesse James
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Encore Westerns
Little House on the Prairie Hallmark & INSP
The Loner
The Lone Ranger Cozi Angel Two & FETV Hulu
The Man from Blackhawk
Man Without a Gun
Marshal Dillon* Encore Westerns
Maverick Cozi Encore Westerns
The Monroes
My Friend Flicka
Nichols
The Oregon Trail
The Outcasts
Outlaws
Overland Trail
The Quest
Rawhide MeTV AMC
The Rebel MeTV
Redigo
The Restless Gun
The Rifleman MeTV AMC Hulu
Riverboat
The Road West
The Rough Riders
The Roy Rogers Show Cozi Angel Two & FETV Hulu
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon FETV
Shane
Sky King
Stagecoach West
Stoney Burke
Sugarfoot
Tales of Wells Fargo
The Tall Man
Temple Houston
The Texan
Tombstone Territory
Trackdown
The Travels of Jamie McPheeters
The Virginian* Cozi INSP
Wagon Train MeTV
Wanted Dead or Alive MeTV
The Westerner
Wichita Town
The Wide Country
The Wild Wild West
Yancy Derringer
Young Daniel Boone
Zane Grey Theatre
Zorro

*Half-hour version of Gunsmoke
**Also known as The Men from Shiloh