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With the Paramount Network’s hit neo-Western drama Yellowstone ending after five seasons, folks might be looking for a longer binge to get their horse opera fix going forward. If that’s you, then you’re in serious luck. This December, the long-running Western television giant Gunsmoke is coming to Peacock, set to be nestled right beside Taylor Sheridan‘s Yellowstone. Admittedly, these two shows couldn’t be more different. Where Yellowstone only ran a few seasons, Gunsmoke produced over 600 episodes in its decades on the air, and that’s not to mention all the thematic distinctions between them as well. Nevertheless, Yellowstone fans could learn a thing or two from this classic, which remains one of the most important Western programs of our day.
‘Yellowstone,’ and All Other TV Westerns, Owe ‘Gunsmoke’ a Serious Debt
Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Universe owes a debt to Gunsmoke. Although these shows are both unique and feature very different leading men (more on that in a moment), Gunsmoke was the first Western television series to offer a more realistic portrayal of the Old West. Because of that, this premiere drama lasted literal decades, only ending in the early 1970s as a result of the infamous rural purge. The series proved that horse operas could indeed work in a television format, and that they could be taken seriously as stories with something to say about the modern world around us. In many respects, the Paramount series attempts those same ideas. While Gunsmoke is set in the past and Yellowstone in the present, the former helped establish the traditional TV Western archetypes and outlines that would come to inform the latter.
No doubt, Kevin Costner‘s violent rancher John Dutton is a very far cry from James Anress‘ iconic Dodge City Marshall Matt Dillon (not to be confused with the actor Matt Dillon), in terms of morality and sheer character, even if Dillon was a quicker draw early on. But both characters share a similar presence that helped push each respective series on for years. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Marshall Dillion was a complicated and flawed hero. Yes, he maintained a moral compass, but there was an introspective quality to him that stood out at a time when so many other cowboy heroes wore their morals strictly on their sleeve. In fact, Gunsmoke was even endorsed by John Wayne himself in the very first episode. “It’s honest, it’s adult, it’s realistic,” the Duke exclaimed, believing that Gunsmoke was the best thing of its kind (and that James Arness was a star in the making). No doubt, Wayne’s endorsement, not unlike Costner’s own part on Yellowstone, helped draw audiences in during those initial seasons. It’s no wonder Gilligan’s Island was canceled in Gunsmoke‘s place.
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‘Gunsmoke’ Was the Longest-Running Western Ever on Television and Beyond
But the secret to Gunsmoke‘s lasting impact comes from its interesting past in radio. You see, before Matt Dillon made his way to television, Gunsmoke was first a radio program that aired for over 400 episodes between 1952 and 1961. So, by the time that Gunsmoke, the series, made its way to CBS in 1955 (only a few years after the radio show began), there was already a following. Not that the show probably needed a pre-existing fanbase going in. After all, Gunsmoke ran from ’55 until 1975, with 20 seasons and a total of 635 episodes under its gunbelt. And that’s not including the post-series TV movies. It’s one of the few shows during its time that existed long before and well after the addition of color. Set in a post-Civil War Dodge City, Kansas, the show followed Marshall Dillon and his deputies – Chester Goode (Dennis Weaver), Quint Asper (Burt Reynolds), Newly O’Brien (Buck Taylor), and Festus Hagen (Ken Curtis) – over the years. Other regulars for the majority of the series included Galen “Doc” Adams (Milburn Stone), Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake), and Sam Noonan (Glenn Strange).
Gunsmoke occasionally aired under different names throughout its run. The first six seasons (which featured only half-hour episodes) were sometimes syndicated under the title Marshal Dillon, while the remaining 14 seasons (with hour-long episodes, first made popular by Cheyenne) were always called Gunsmoke. For some reason, the show’s change in format, going from half-hour to hour-long installments, has led to issues when finding the complete series on streaming. While home video releases, such as the complete series boxset, may contain every episode, whenever the classic TV Western finds a new streaming home, it’s often missing the first six seasons. According to Amazon’s customer service, this is due “to licensing deals and agreements with the parent company that owns the rights to the series.” Because of this, the only way to stream Gunsmoke in its entirety is on PlutoTV, though most of the series (including the color seasons) can be found on Paramount+ and (soon) Peacock.
- Release Date
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September 10, 1955
- Cast
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James Arness
, Amanda Blake
, Milburn Stone
, Ken Curtis
, Dennis Weaver
, Glenn Strange
, Burt Reynolds
, Howard Culver
, Dabbs Greer
, Ted Jordan
, Hank Patterson
, John George
, Shug Fisher
, Woody Chambliss
, Gregg Palmer
, Charles Seel - Seasons
-
20
Watch Seasons 7-20 of Gunsmoke on Paramount+ and soon on Peacock too, beginning December 9, 2024. For the complete series, including the half-hour Marshall Dillon segments, head over to PlutoTV.
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