In a world of TV Westerns, we all know about Marshal Matt Dillon, who for 635 Gunsmoke episodes patrolled the hellacious territory of Dodge City, Kansas, for 20 years. Or Clint Eastwood getting his acting chops as Rowdy Yates in Rawhide. Of course, there are also the boys of the Ponderosa Ranch in Bonanza under their widowed father’s watchful eye, and Chuck Connors, who played Lucas McCain in The Rifleman, who was among the first-ever single parents on TV, but what about some of the other TV Cowboys, or Cowgirl stars that sometimes get overlooked?
Saddle up for a rousing salute to the Wild West and beyond as we look at the unsung TV shows that made this genre great.