Sometimes you might feel as if the world is moving too fast. You just want to get off the roller-coaster and go back to a bygone era when things were simpler. When this mood strikes you, one of the best things you can do is to escape to the past by watching classic TV Westerns online.
Back in the Fifties, the Western was a very popular and ubiquitous genre on television. For Halloween, kids dressed up like Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger or Zorro. A hugely popular show of its time and still regarded as one of the top Westerns in history was 'Gunsmoke'.
Famous names in Hollywood were cast in shows that were to become classics. For instance, James Garner was the hero of 'Maverick'. Other shows starred relative unknowns who later became huge stars. 'The Alaskans', for instance, had a young Roger Moore in a lead role and Moore later became famous for playing James Bond. 'Rawhide' starred a young actor named Clint Eastwood, who would go on to become of of history's ultimate movie cowboys.
The trend for great Western television series continued in the Sixties. The longest-running series in the genre was 'Bonanza', which started in the late Fifties, ran throughout the Sixties and into the early Seventies. 'The High Chaparral' was another hit and 'The Big Valley' boasted a cast that included Barbara Stanwyck, Linda Evans and Lee Majors of 'The Six Million Dollar Man' fame.
During the Seventies, most of the old shows were cancelled. The traditional Western's gun-slinging, macho values didn't fit in with the new era's more gentle spirit. There were still some popular shows, including the miniseries 'How the West Was Won'. However, the Western now tended to have a hero with a softer side, such as the gentle giant Grizzly Adams, or they would have a modern setting or a stronger focus on family.
Female characters started featuring more strongly too. While 'Little House on the Prairie' was supposed to be a vehicle for Michael Landon after his time on 'Bonanza', its real star was Melissa Gilbert, who played young Laura Ingalls. Jane Seymour took things a step further in the Nineties when she played a female doctor in 'Dr Quinn: Medicine Woman'.
The Western has been finding renewed popularity since the arrival of the twenty-first century. While most of these more recent shows can't really be called classics yet, one that made history was 'Firefly', created by Josh Whedon. 'Firefly' was the first real space Western, which combined everything that people love about traditional Westerns with a futuristic, outer-space setting. It has a cult following and its fans, who call themselves Browncoats, are as loyal as Trekkies are to 'Star Trek'.
To watch Western classics online, you only need to find a site that will allow you to stream episodes. Some sites even specialize in the genre. You may have to pay a small fee. Remember though to prepare a dish of cowboy beans before you sit back and relax with some old-time entertainment.
Back in the Fifties, the Western was a very popular and ubiquitous genre on television. For Halloween, kids dressed up like Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger or Zorro. A hugely popular show of its time and still regarded as one of the top Westerns in history was 'Gunsmoke'.
Famous names in Hollywood were cast in shows that were to become classics. For instance, James Garner was the hero of 'Maverick'. Other shows starred relative unknowns who later became huge stars. 'The Alaskans', for instance, had a young Roger Moore in a lead role and Moore later became famous for playing James Bond. 'Rawhide' starred a young actor named Clint Eastwood, who would go on to become of of history's ultimate movie cowboys.
The trend for great Western television series continued in the Sixties. The longest-running series in the genre was 'Bonanza', which started in the late Fifties, ran throughout the Sixties and into the early Seventies. 'The High Chaparral' was another hit and 'The Big Valley' boasted a cast that included Barbara Stanwyck, Linda Evans and Lee Majors of 'The Six Million Dollar Man' fame.
During the Seventies, most of the old shows were cancelled. The traditional Western's gun-slinging, macho values didn't fit in with the new era's more gentle spirit. There were still some popular shows, including the miniseries 'How the West Was Won'. However, the Western now tended to have a hero with a softer side, such as the gentle giant Grizzly Adams, or they would have a modern setting or a stronger focus on family.
Female characters started featuring more strongly too. While 'Little House on the Prairie' was supposed to be a vehicle for Michael Landon after his time on 'Bonanza', its real star was Melissa Gilbert, who played young Laura Ingalls. Jane Seymour took things a step further in the Nineties when she played a female doctor in 'Dr Quinn: Medicine Woman'.
The Western has been finding renewed popularity since the arrival of the twenty-first century. While most of these more recent shows can't really be called classics yet, one that made history was 'Firefly', created by Josh Whedon. 'Firefly' was the first real space Western, which combined everything that people love about traditional Westerns with a futuristic, outer-space setting. It has a cult following and its fans, who call themselves Browncoats, are as loyal as Trekkies are to 'Star Trek'.
To watch Western classics online, you only need to find a site that will allow you to stream episodes. Some sites even specialize in the genre. You may have to pay a small fee. Remember though to prepare a dish of cowboy beans before you sit back and relax with some old-time entertainment.
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