10 Greatest Western Shows Based on Books

Book-to-screen adaptations can be challenging. On one hand, you want to bring as much of the original text to life as possible. On another, a television series or feature film is simply not the same narrative medium, and thus things will have to be changed and adjusted to tell the story as best as possible. It may surprise you to learn that many Western features began as novels or short stories, and that same practice has been true of television programs as well.

Whether we’re talking about neo-Westerns that are essentially mystery novels or crime dramas, or classic, old-fashioned Western yarn that speaks to the issues of the wild frontier, there are plenty of great Western shows out there that build upon the foundation first set on the page. While there are more Western novels than you can probably count, there are a handful of popular (and lesser-known) horse operas out there that are pulled directly from them. So, if you’re looking for some riveting page-to-screen excitement, look no further than these Western television shows inspired by books.

‘Centennial’ (1978–1979)

Image via NBC

Centennial is a 12-part miniseries that is about exactly what it sounds like. Released a few years after America’s 200th birthday, the television adaptation of James A. Michener’s Centennial novel has been considered a cult classic. As one of the most expensive miniseries productions at the time, the NBC drama ran for over a month on the network, chronicling the founding and expansion of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado. This is a Western series that would’ve thrived in the streaming era.

With a robust cast and impressive visuals, Centennial is largely faithful to its source material, though it departs from the novel on occasion. The main difference is that while the novel uses contemporary magazine writer Lewis Vernor as a framing device, the miniseries sticks to a strict chronological ordering of events. Although the miniseries is 26 hours long, plenty was cut from the book for the sake of time.

‘Joe Pickett’ (2022–2024)

Image via Paramount+

Although a neo-Western, Joe Pickett is about as old-fashioned as a contemporary take on the West can get. Based on the popular (and ongoing) novels by author C. J. Box, the series follows the adventures of the titular Wyoming-based game warden (Michael Dorman) as he wrestles with keeping his family afloat and stumbling upon every new mystery that makes his way into his backyard. Sometimes quite literally.

A two-season Western series perfect for a quick binge, Joe Pickett tackles a novel or two each season. The first season, in particular, is quite true to Box’s debut Pickett adventure, Open Season, though the series does depart from the source material in certain ways (namely in its depiction of Nate Romanowski). Still, fans of Box’s novels (and newcomers alike) will enjoy this refreshing take on the neo-Western that couldn’t be more different than something like Yellowstone.

‘Justified’ (2010–2015)

Image via FX

While there is some debate regarding whether Justified can actually be considered a neo-Western, the Kentucky-based crime drama certainly carries with it the spirit of the Old West. As U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) finds himself back in his home state, he makes waves across the urban frontier as each new threat makes itself known — almost always connecting in some way to Walton Goggins‘ outlaw Boyd Crowder.

Justified was based directly on the Elmore Leonard short story/novella “Fire in the Hole,” though the Raylan Givens character appeared in two of the author’s crime novels before that. Aside from the pilot, which is almost a 1:1 adaptation of “Fire in the Hole,” Justified grew into its own. The best episodes of the show have nothing to do with Leonard’s literary work, though the show’s success would directly inspire his final novel, Raylan.

‘The Sacketts’ (1979)

Image via NBC

When you consider author Louis L’Amour’s best Western novels, it’s likely you’ll end up revisiting The Daybreakers or some other installment in The Sackett Family series. If that sounds like you, then there’s no better time to return to The Sacketts miniseries. Told in two parts by NBC, the miniseries was essentially a made-for-TV movie, but we’ll give it a pass here on account that it feels more like a TV production.

The miniseries combines both The Daybreakers (the first released installment of the Sackett books) and the next novel Sackett, following brothers Orrin (Tom Selleck) and Tyrel (Jeff Osterhage) as they head off to New Mexico to start anew. In conjunction with that second novel, it also chronicles the story of their older brother, Tell (Sam Elliott), a mountain man who ventures his way all across the west. Eventually, the trio all end up together, which is perhaps the biggest change from the books (though certainly a welcome one).

‘Dark Winds’ (2022–Present)

Image via AMC

There’s something about neo-Western mystery/crime novels that are just ripe for television adaptations. That was the case with Dark Winds, which is inspired (though quite loosely) by the Leaphorn and Chee series by Tony Hillerman. Hillerman’s daughter, Anne Hillerman, has taken to continuing the novels in recent years, which run parallel to the AMC series. However, the show couldn’t be more different — and for the most part, it actually works.

Yes, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and Sgt. Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) still work alongside each other, with Sgt. Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) by their side, but each season is almost more of a remix of the books than a proper adaptation. Some seasons pull from two novels at once, mixing the plots and character arcs together, while others pull from a single installment. Fans of the Hillerman books will likely still enjoy this underrated neo-Western drama, but expect some serious departures from the novels.

‘Little House on the Prairie’ (1974–1983)

Image via NBC

Speaking of television programs that are considerably different than the source material, Little House on the Prairie only departed further from the Little House novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder the longer it aired on NBC. What began with a television pilot film that was quite an accurate adaptation of the novel of the same name quickly turned into a family-friendly adventure that stuck to its moralistic guns and ran out of material to adapt. While elements of the books still find their way into the later seasons, Little House is very much its own thing.

That said, the original Little House television series remains one of the most beloved long-running dramas of the 20th century. Michael Landon‘s Charles Ingalls defined the role for generations, and nobody played young Laura quite like Melissa Gilbert. While the novels have been adapted more faithfully on other occasions, the nine-season Little House is the perfect cozy drama. If you want to revisit the series before catching Netflix’s latest reboot, give these Little House episodes a go — they’re a bit more faithful to the text.

‘The Virginian’ (1962–1971)

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Though not the first adaptation of the famed novel, The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains, by Owen Wister, The Virginian television series is the most well-known by far. Another incredibly loose adaptation, the NBC program featured James Drury in the title role opposite Doug McClure‘s Trampas and Lee J. Cobb‘s Judge Garth. Each episode chronicled its own new adventure, largely leaving the novel behind in favor of becoming another high-riding Western drama.

Perhaps the biggest change from Wister’s novel was turning Trampas from his villainous ways and making him essentially the Virginian’s sidekick. Still, although the screen versions of these characters were little like what folks read in the book, The Virginian is still considered one of the best classic TV Westerns ever made. The episodic nature was quite common for horse operas in its day, and Drury and McClure headline the series with that flawless cowboy charm. For a more proper adaptation of Wister’s masterwork, we’d recommend one of the many feature film adaptations instead.

‘The Son’ (2017–2019)

Image via AMC

For a book-to-screen adaptation that stays true to the novel, look no further than The Son. Unlike Dark Winds, this AMC drama was in part developed by author Philipp Meyer himself, alongside Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy. The trio reworked Meyer’s novel into a two-season Western epic that follows Texan cattleman Eli McCullough in both the past (played by Jacob Lofland) and his early 20th century present (played by Pierce Brosnan). This Western series will hook you from start to finish.

The Son may depart in some ways from the novel-of-the-same-name, but it does so only with the blessing of the author. Meditating on themes of legacy, loss, and the high price of violence, this series puts Yellowstone to open shame. It chronicles the settling of the west, the foundation of modern cattle ranch operations, and the great pains it took to preserve them.

‘Longmire’ (2012–2017)

As arguably the most popular neo-Western drama outside the Yellowstone Universe, Longmire is so beloved that fans still celebrate the show (and the novels that inspired it) annually by gathering in Buffalo, Wyoming, for Longmire Days. Based on the Walt Longmire Mysteries series by author Craig Johnson, the A&E-turned-Netflix drama follows Sheriff Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) as he fights to preserve the peace of the fictional Absaroka County and the neighboring Cheyenne Reservation. That said, it’s quite different from the books.

While some episodes are based on specific novels — “Unfinished Business” is The Cold Dish, while “Unquiet Mind” feels like a direct riff on Hell is Empty — the show honored certain elements of the larger Absaroka world while blatantly ignoring others. But don’t let that turn you off to this highly intelligent neo-Western drama. Johnson not only blessed the show, but continues to promote its return as he churns out new novels each year. It’s a Western series that will satisfy your inner cowboy.

‘Lonesome Dove’ (1989)

Image via CBS

As if there was any doubt? Not only is Lonesome Dove the miniseries a powerful television epic that deserves high marks for its brilliant performances and sweeping visuals, but Lonesome Dove the novel by Larry McMurtry is often considered the Western novel. Following former Texas Rangers Augustus “Gus” McCrae (Robert Duvall) and Woodrow F. Call (Tommy Lee Jones) as they lead their Hat Creek Outfit from the Lone Star State all the way to Montana, it’s an exceptional undertaking that has been cited as the best Western ever made.

Lonesome Dove is essential Western TV viewing, not to mention reading if we’re talking about the book. This CBS adaptation succeeds where so many book-to-screen operations fail by essentially using the novel as a roadmap. Every major bit is accounted for, and while it would have been impossible for this four-part miniseries to tackle every scene, it does its darnedest to bring the pages to life.