Best tv shows like The American West
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
From the Executive Producer Robert Redford, THE AMERICAN WEST tells the story of the aftermath of the CIVIL WAR and how the United States transformed into the “land of opportunity" spanning the years 1865 to 1890. Transporting into the violent world of cowboys, Indians, outlaws and law men, the story chronicles the personal, little-known stories of Western legends such as Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. The series features exclusive interviews with notable names from classic Western films, including Robert Redford, James Caan, Burt Reynolds, Tom Selleck, Kiefer Sutherland, Mark Harmon, Ed Harris and more.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, captivating, disturbing
Best tv shows and movies like The American West (2016):
Similar in 86%
Mr. Horn (1979)
Plot Summary:
The story of frontiersman Tom Horn, and his career as a cavalry scout, a tracker, a Pinkerton agent and a range detective, and the final events in his life that led to his tragic death.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 183
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 82%
The Macahan's (1976)
Plot Summary:
TV Movie sequel Zeb Macahan, a pioneering westerner, help's move his brother's family to the wild west. They run into several obstacles including the breakout of the Civil War. This sends the father back to fight in the war and leaves the family to move on ahead.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 773
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 85%
500 Nations (1995)
Plot Summary:
500 Nations is a documentary which explores the history of the indigenous peoples of North and Central America, from pre-Colombian times, through the period of European contact and colonization, to the end of the 19th century and the subjugation of the Plains Indians of North America. 500 Nations relies on historical texts, eyewitnesses accounts, pictorial sources and computer graphic reconstructions to explore the magnificent civilizations which flourished prior to contact with Western civilization, and to tell the dramatic and tragic story of the Native American nations' desperate attempts to retain their way of life against overwhelming odds.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 538
Genere: History
Country: USA
Duration: 374 min
Plot tags: informative, profound, thought provoking, serious, captivating, realistic, disturbing, contemplative
Similar in 78%
Naotora: The Lady Warlord (2017)
Plot Summary:
Naotora Ii is a woman given a male name, who succeeded as the head of the Ii family during the Warring States period when her father passed away. With her wisdom, courage and affection for loved ones, Naotora lived through turbulent times and paved the way for the future of her clan.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 99
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, captivating
Similar in 89%
Sanadamaru (2016)
Plot Summary:
Spanning over 50 episodes, we follow the historical fiction of the Sanada clansmen as they plotted and fought their ways to survive the changing political alliances during the Warring States Period of Japan.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 484
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, disturbing, exciting
Similar in 86%
The Trusted Confidant (2007)
Plot Summary:
Fūrin Kazan was the 46th NHK Taiga drama beginning on January 7, 2007. It was aired throughout 2007. The four characters from left to right are wind, woods, fire, and mountain. The title is a reference to the war banner used by Takeda Shingen, which in turn was taken from Sun Tzu's The Art of War. It means "Swift as the Wind, Silent as a Forest, Fierce as Fire and Immovable as a Mountain.".
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 177
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 82%
Either Freedom or Death (2020)
Plot Summary:
On March 16, 1920, after the Allied Powers invaded Istanbul and disbanded Meclis-i Mebûsan, the Kuvayi Milliye movement, led by Mustafa Kemal Pasha, and the opening adventure of the fully independent assembly to be established in Ankara are described.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 333
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Turkey
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 83%
Ming Dynasty in 1566 (2007)
Plot Summary:
A series based on the events in the reign of the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming dynasty.
IMDB Rating: 9.0
IMDB Votes: 348
Genere: Drama, History
Country: China
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense
Similar in 81%
Kangxi Dynasty (2001)
Plot Summary:
Kangxi Dynasty is a 2001 Chinese television series based on the novel Kangxi Da Di by Eryue He. The series is a prequel to the 1997 television series Yongzheng Dynasty, and was followed by Qianlong Dynasty in 2002.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 284
Genere: Drama, History
Country: China
Duration:
Plot tags: captivating, suspense, disturbing, costume drama
Similar in 80%
Any Bullet Will Do (2018)
Plot Summary:
Taking place during 1876 in Montana, a ruthless headhunter tracks his own Brother through Big Sky country with the help of a young fur trapper.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 515
Genere: Western
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 84%
Ryōmaden (2010)
Plot Summary:
Ryōmaden is the 49th NHK Taiga drama. It was shown on NHK from January 3 to November 28, 2010 spanning 48 episodes. The story centers on the life of 19th-century Japanese historical figures Iwasaki Yatarō and Sakamoto Ryōma. It has been announced that the series will be aired in several other countries, for example Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 348
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 89%
Hickok (2017)
Plot Summary:
Legendary Lawman and Gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok, is tasked with taming the wildest cow-town in the West, while delivering his own brand of frontier Justice and infamous gunfighter's reputation as the fastest draw in the West is put to the test.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, serious, captivating
Similar in 78%
Johnson County War (2002)
Plot Summary:
The three Hammett brothers, Cain (Tom Berenger), Harry (Luke Perry) and Dale (Adam Stroke) are caught in a conflict that escalates rapidly and the old farmers facing against new farmers who have settled in the green grasslands.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 807
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, captivating, epic
Similar in 81%
Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
Plot Summary:
A reluctant cavalry Captain must track a defiant tribe of migrating Cheyennes.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, History, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 154 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, disturbing, retro, period piece, historical drama, captivating, epic, 70mm film
Similar in 89%
Gunslingers (2014)
Plot Summary:
American Heroes Channel's new series Gunslingers reveals the infamous tales of survival and courage from the Wild West. Exposing little-known facts about America’s first villains and heroes, the six-part series features the stories of Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Wild Bill Hickok, John Wesley Hardin and Tom Horn. Juxtaposed with vivid reenactments, expert commentary is layered throughout each episode to ensure the authenticity and historical accuracy of each story. Contributors include: David Milch, the creator of Deadwood; Bob Boze Bell, the executive editor of True West Magazine; and actor Kurt Russell (Tombstone).
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 246
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, rough
Similar in 82%
The Sacketts (1979)
Plot Summary:
Two part TV adaptation of Louis L'Amour's third novel in the Sackett series. The story follows the three Sackett brothers out west from their Tennessee home. Along the way the oldest, Tell, prospects for gold, while the two younger Orin and Tye herd cattle and later help bring order to a racially divided Santa Fe.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags: rough, epic, serious, realistic, saga, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
The Son (2017)
Plot Summary:
The multigenerational epic follows two concurrent time periods: One, the story of young Eli McCullough after he is kidnapped and indoctrinated into a tribe of Comanches in 1849. The other, 60 years later, when we see a grown Eli struggle to maintain his family’s cattle empire during the turbulent Bandit Wars of South Texas. Based on Philipp Meyer’s acclaimed novel.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, History, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, captivating, suspenseful, historical drama, neo western, spaghetti western, period drama
Similar in 86%
The Good Lord Bird (2020)
Plot Summary:
Enslaved teenager Henry Shackleford, aka Little Onion, becomes a member in abolitionist John Brown’s motley family during the Bleeding Kansas era before the Civil War.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, War, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 335 min
Plot tags: historical drama, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, political, dramatic, cult classic, humorous, dark comedy
Similar in 75%
Payitaht Abdulhamid (2017)
Plot Summary:
The fight of Abdulhamid II to keep Ottoman Empire and caliphate alive.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: Turkey
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, captivating, islamic, historical drama
Similar in 76%
Atsuhime (2008)
Plot Summary:
The 47th NHK Taiga Drama is a life story of Princess Atsu, who was born in Kagoshima Prefecture, then called Satsuma, and became the wife of Tokugawa Iesada, the 13th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate. She accedes to the highest rank in Ooku, the inner palace of the Edo castle where women related to the reigning shogun resided. Iesada dies soon after their marriage and Atsuhime assumes the name Tenshoin at the age of 23. She exerts herself for the Tokugawa clan and for the nation during the upheaval in the Meiji Restoration, headed by those from Satsuma.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 248
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: tense, thought provoking, captivating, disturbing, costume drama
Similar in 89%
Queen Insoo (2011)
Plot Summary:
Queen Insoo focuses on the fierce power struggle among three women in the royal court of the Joseon Dynasty.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 33
Genere: Drama, History
Country: South Korea
Duration: 70 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, disturbing, period drama
Similar in 75%
Frontier (2016)
Plot Summary:
The chaotic and violent struggle to control wealth and power in the North American fur trade in late 18th century Canada. Told from multiple perspectives, Frontier takes place in a world where business negotiations might be resolved with close-quarter hatchet fights, and where delicate relations between native tribes and Europeans can spark bloody conflicts.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History, Western
Country: Canada
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, suspense, exciting, harsh, historical drama, captivating, epic, dark, period piece, costume drama
Similar in 84%
Billy the Kid (2022)
Plot Summary:
An epic romantic adventure series based on the life of famous American outlaw Billy the Kid — from his humble Irish roots, to his early days as a cowboy and gunslinger in the American frontier, to his pivotal role in the Lincoln County War and beyond.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Romance, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 49 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, disturbing, romantic drama, bilingual
Similar in 79%
Hell on Wheels (2011)
Plot Summary:
Hell on Wheels tells the epic story of post-Civil War America, focusing on Cullen Bohannon, a Confederate soldier who sets out to exact revenge on the Union soldiers who killed his wife. His journey takes him west to Hell on Wheels, a dangerous, raucous, lawless melting pot of a town that travels with and services the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, an engineering feat unprecedented for its time.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 55000
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: Canada, UK
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, rough, serious, captivating, suspenseful, historical drama, tense, realistic, stylized, dramatic
Similar in 85%
Deadwood (2004)
Plot Summary:
The story of the early days of Deadwood, South Dakota; woven around actual historic events with most of the main characters based on real people. Deadwood starts as a gold mining camp and gradually turns from a lawless wild-west community into an organized wild-west civilized town. The story focuses on the real-life characters Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 115000
Genere: Crime, Drama, History, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, serious, atmospheric, historical drama, clever, dramatic, period piece, rough, captivating
Similar in 76%
Geronimo: An American Legend (1993)
Plot Summary:
The Apache Indians have reluctantly agreed to settle on a US Government approved reservation. Not all the Apaches are able to adapt to the life of corn farmers. One in particular, Geronimo, is restless. Pushed over the edge by broken promises and necessary actions by the government, Geronimo and thirty or so other warriors form an attack team which humiliates the government by evading capture, whi.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, History, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: intense, factual, serious, captivating, realistic, entertaining, anamorphic, cult classic, sincere, rough
Similar in 84%
Comanche Moon (2008)
Plot Summary:
Comanche Moon, the prequel to McMurtry's bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Lonesome Dove follows Texas Rangers Augustus "Gus" McCrae (Zahn) and Woodrow F. Call (Urban), now in their middle years, as they continue to deal with the ever-increasing tensions of adult life--Gus with his great love, Clara Forsythe (Cardellini), and Call with Maggie Tilton (Banks), the young prostitute who loves him and bears him his son, Newt (Joseph Castanon). Kilmer plays Captain Inish Scull, a Yankee aristocrat and hero of the recently concluded Mexican War. Griffiths plays Inez Scull, the Captain's sexy wife who doesn't hesitate to fill her time with other men when he's away from home. Wes Studi plays Comanche Chief Buffalo Hump.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 360 min
Plot tags: captivating, tense, suspense, exciting, sincere, detective, rough, bleak, epic, serious
Similar in 90%
1883 (2021)
Plot Summary:
Follow the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. A stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land — Montana.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 107000
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: historical drama, captivating, suspense, disturbing, psychological, epic, sad, anime, southern gothic, costume drama
Similar in 79%
Hatfields & McCoys (2012)
Plot Summary:
Anse Hatfield and Randall McCoy, close friends and comrades until near the end of the Civil War, return to their neighboring homes to increasing tensions, misunderstandings and resentments.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 290 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, suspenseful, psychological, brutal, depressing, emotional, intense, atmospheric, rough
Similar in 78%
Tombstone (1993)
Plot Summary:
Legendary marshal Wyatt Earp, now a weary gunfighter, joins his brothers Morgan and Virgil to pursue their collective fortune in the thriving mining town of Tombstone. But Earp is forced to don a badge again and get help from his notorious pal Doc Holliday when a gang of renegade brigands and rustlers begins terrorizing the town.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 162000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspense, serious, factual, tense, intense, cult classic, spaghetti western, epic, historical drama