What To Watch
Saddle Up for These 11 Must-Watch Westerns
From The Abandons to Train Dreams and more.
Justin Kirkland
Dec. 4, 2025
Best Western Movies and Shows to Saddle Up and Watch - Netflix Tudum
Whether you’ve been lassoed into a recent TV series, stumbled upon the good ol’ days of Clint Eastwood’s résumé, or simply long for the sweet, fresh air of the American West, one thing is clear: The Western genre is having its moment in the sun. And even (or especially) if you’re submerged in the world of tech and bustle, it’s easy to see why these stories are particularly alluring.
Maybe you’re a veteran of the genre looking for something new to enjoy or maybe it is, in fact, your first rodeo. Either way, there’s a Western waiting to draw you in. When you step into this world, expect conversations about justice, freedom, and the human need to escape constraint. Don’t be surprised to see a bit of gunslinging. And if you forget all else, remember: The most important character is the land. In any Western, watch closely to see how the land comes to life, because — make no mistake — no matter who lives or dies, the land will always win. We’re just here trying to make peace while we live on it.
Without further ado, here are almost a (dirty) dozen Westerns that should be on your watch list.
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The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is by the Coen brothers, which should tell you everything you need to know. It’s wild. It’s experimental. But most of all, it’s entertaining as hell. While a lot of the Western genre has waded (with varying degrees of success) into revisionist history, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs skewers that approach, pointing out the inconsistencies of Western lore with the help of six vignettes. Together, these stories offer a peek at a range of bizarre, darkly comedic tropes and conventions of the American Western. The cast is expansive — where else can you see Tyne Daly, Liam Neeson, and James Franco on the same marquee? The six stories developed by Ethan and Joel Coen range in theme and tone, sure, but what you have at the end of the day is a collection of Western yarns fit for any campfire.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
Breaking Bad changed the course of TV history with its dark antihero tale, following Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman’s (Aaron Paul) ventures in meth making. But even after that show’s heart-racing finale, series creator Vince Gilligan still had more in store for Jesse. Gilligan uses this neo-Western to give fans a final feature-length look at where the character ends up after the events of the series. Through a storyline entangling him and the ruthless Todd (Jesse Plemons), El Camino continues Jesse’s story while also flashing back to memories Jesse shares with Breaking Bad’s main players. It all makes for a fitting conclusion for one of Albuquerque’s most wayward sons.
The Harder They Fall
One of the best parts of the Western resurgence is that filmmakers are going back, digging through history books and finding hero stories that most of us never knew existed. Which brings us to The Harder They Fall, a film based largely on real people. Directed by Jeymes Samuel (The Book of Clarence), this Western brings together a cast of characters from the 19th century, focused mainly around the revenge-seeking saga of Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), after the brutal murder of his parents. But what The Harder They Fall evolves into is also a familiar story of the American West: two men, locked in a duel, exchanging plenty equal parts gunpowder and wit. Factor in an incredible cast made up almost entirely of elite Black performers (alongside Majors, there’s Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, and Delroy Lindo, to name a few), and you have a blockbuster for the ages.
The Highwaymen
Everyone knows the legend of Bonnie and Clyde, but the infamous felons weren’t the only people involved in the tale. Have you heard of Frank Hamer and Maney Gault, the Texas rangers who tracked down Bonnie and Clyde through the 1930s? This is their story. Starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson, this film is all about the men who set their sights on two of the most dastardly robbers that America has ever seen. Bonnie and Clyde’s might be the sexier story, but that’s half the point. Justice tends to lose its sheen when compared to the exciting life of criminals on the run, but after all, justice must be served by someone.
Mudbound
Unlike most Westerns, Mudbound jumps forward well into the 20th century. Set in the 1940s, Mudbound taps into the American fatigue in the aftermath of two world wars. Following two soldiers who return to Mississippi after combat, the story delves into their journeys back into civilian life. Both men — one white, one Black — face their fair share of postwar trauma, but their experience with racism in mid-century Mississippi couldn’t be more different. Written and directed by Dee Rees, this Oscar-nominated film also offers up a scene-stealing dramatic performance by Mary J. Blige.
The Power of the Dog
To give you the lay of the land on this sweeping Western’s bona fides, The Power of the Dog was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and Jane Campion won the Oscar for Best Director. Campion’s film is set in the plains of Montana, centering on two brothers whose lives begin to diverge when George (Jesse Plemons) meets a widow by the name of Rose (Kirsten Dunst). George’s brother, Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch), never warms to Rose or her son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Phil badgers Peter for being “effeminate” and unprepared for cowboy life, but Phil’s inner demons truly begin to reveal themselves as it becomes more and more clear that Phil sees a bit too much of himself in Peter. Come for the cowboys; stay for the psychological thrill.
The Abandons
There’s a showdown out West. Set in the Washington Territory in 1854, this series follows two very different families whose fates are linked by love, crime, and a key piece of land over a silver lode. One is led by Constance Van Ness (Gillian Anderson), a ruthless and moneyed matriarch who will stop at nothing to protect the mining fortune she inherited and then grew exponentially. The other is led by Fiona Nolan (Lena Headey), the nurturing matriarch of a found family of orphans and outcasts. Nolan owns and operates a cattle ranch built on property eyed by the powerful Van Ness.
American Primeval
This six-episode epic imagines a brutal collision of culture, religion, and community on the lawless frontier in 1857, as several groups fought the elements — and each other — for control of the American West. The limited series stars Taylor Kitsch as a broken man on a self-destructive streak, Betty Gilpin as a mother on the run from a violent past, Dane DeHaan as the leader of a small party of Mormons, Jai Courtney as a skilled bounty hunter, and Derek Hinkey as a fierce Shoshone warrior defending his Nation. This is the second collaboration between Kitsch, director Peter Berg, and executive producer Eric Newman, who previously worked together on Painkiller.
Godless
It’s 1884, and Roy Goode is young, injured, and on the run. Played by Jack O’Connell, the outlaw is desperate to escape his vengeful mentor and ends up in La Belle, New Mexico, a small town that’s populated almost entirely by women. The show’s seven episodes are visually ambitious, full of cinematic references that pay homage to the Western genre. The miniseries’ cast is packed with familiar faces, including Michelle Dockery, Jeff Daniels, Merritt Wever, Sam Waterston, and Scoot McNairy. Plus, it’s written and directed by Scott Frank, who went on to create the hit series The Queen’s Gambit.
Concrete Cowboy
This movie isn’t set in the American West, but it’s a Western through and through, as it’s inspired by the real-life African American urban horse riding culture of Philadelphia. It stars Stranger Things’ Caleb McLaughlin as a teen who gets in trouble at school and moves in with his estranged father (Idris Elba), who works with horses at a local stable. The adaptation of G. Neri’s novel Ghetto Cowboy also features Jharrel Jerome, Lorraine Toussaint, and Cliff “Method Man” Smith, as well as members of the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, the organization that preserves the century-long tradition of inner-city horsemanship in North Philadelphia.
Train Dreams
Settle in for a more introspective exploration of the West in this poignant drama. Joel Edgerton stars as Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker who lives and works in the forests of the Pacific Northwest at the turn of the 20th century. Based on Denis Johnson’s beloved 2011 novella, the film also features Felicity Jones as Robert’s wife, Gladys, and William H. Macy as Robert’s friend and fellow logger Arn Peeples. It not only depicts a historic moment of immense and rapid change in America but also celebrates the extraordinary lives of even the most ordinary people.
The Netflix Movies You Love Are on TudumFrom interviews with the stars to behind-the-scenes exclusive content, you’ll find it here.
Additional reporting by Ashley Lee.
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