5 Forgotten '80s Western TV Shows That Still Hold Up Today

Though the Western genre was a shadow of its former heyday in the 1950s and '60s, it still maintained a relatively steady presence on television in the '80s. Long-running shows like "Little House on the Prairie" continued on into the decade while 1989's "Lonesome Dove" stands as one of the best miniseries of all time. Shows like these kept the Western genre alive in the public eye as its major cinematic projects became fewer and farther in between. And as Westerns see a resurgence in the streaming era, there are plenty of overlooked '80s Western shows that deserve a revisit.

For this list, we're focusing on the series that aren't as widely or fondly remembered as the '80s' more enduring Westerns. Many of these shows only lasted a single or short number of seasons, unable to find a sustainable audience despite their quality. Decades later, genre fans would do well to seek these titles out, with each a bit of a diamond in the obscure rough. These are five forgotten '80s Western TV series that still hold up today and are well worth checking out.

The real-life Australian outlaw Ned Kelly has become something of a folk hero, depicted in movies and television, including the criminally underseen Western "True History of the Kelly Gang." Another overlooked depiction of the life and times of Kelly is in the 1980 Australian television limited series "The Last Outlaw." John Jarratt stars as Kelly, with the show tracing his childhood to his notorious days as a robber and killer roaming the Australian outback. This culminates in him evading the local authorities for years, helped by sympathetic communities before his eventual capture and death.

Unfolding across four episodes, "The Last Outlaw" captures much of the nuance behind Ned Kelly that cinematic biopics lack. The show has a special eye for detailed authenticity as it explores the circumstances behind Kelly's harrowing days on the run. At the same time, the miniseries brings loads of action, including Kelly's tendency to wear makeshift armor in gunfights. One of the best approaches to its subject matter, "The Last Outlaw" is truly a labor of love in uncovering the man behind the legend.

The original "Maverick" is one of the best classic Western TV shows and the series that made a star out of its lead actor James Garner. After reprising the role of irascible cardshark Bret Maverick for the 1978 TV movie "The New Maverick," Garner returned to the role again for the 1981 revival series "Bret Maverick." Picking up from the events of the TV movie, Maverick has settled down in the frontier town of Sweetwater, continuing to gamble while running the town's saloon. Maverick's occasionally underhanded way to get money puts him at odds with his business partner and former sheriff Tom Guthrie (Ed Bruce), forming the central dynamic of the revival.

Garner remains as charming as ever, effortlessly inhabiting the eponymous role after departing from the original "Maverick" over 20 years prior. The revival series reintroduced its gambling gunslinger as older, though arguably only marginally wiser, and still getting into regular hijinks. Unfortunately, "Bret Maverick" had nowhere near the same staying power as the classic series, only running for a single season. The show marked the final time Garner reprised his star-making role, though he would appear prominently in the 1994 "Maverick" movie as a different character.

Before hitting the big time on the silver screen, Meg Ryan starred in the short-lived Western show "Wildside." Premiering in 1985, the show follows a group of outlaws who go legitimate, with four of the ensemble subsequently settling down in the California town of Wildside. However, whenever trouble resurfaces in their new frontier community, the gunslingers take the law into their own hands to defend their fragile shot at redemption. Ryan plays the town's newspaper editor, who falls for the reformed outlaw Sutton Hollister (J. Eddie Peck).

Running for a mere six episodes, "Wildside" boasted the high-octane fun of "The A-Team" in a Wild West setting. While excitingly staged, the action had a real sense of escapism to it, lightweight in its violence and consequence, or lack thereof. The show's likable cast similarly bring a palpable charm to their archetypal roles but, unfortunately, never got the chance to grow more into them. A midseason replacement that just didn't gain enough of a viewership to go beyond two months, "Wildside" is an easygoing blast.

As general interest in the genre began to wane, Westerns branched out in other directions to keep things interesting and appeal to audiences. One of the most star-studded weird Western television shows from the '80s was the 1986 series "Outlaws." The series opens with 19th century Sheriff Jonathan Grail (Rod Taylor) cornering his former outlaw gang in Houston. A lightning storm transports the group into present-day Texas, where they agree to form a detective agency, working together as they adjust to this new time period.

"Outlaws" is certainly one of the oddest premises for any '80s Western on television, with its time-traveling setup. What makes the strange story work is its eclectic cast, with Taylor joined by Richard Roundtree and Charles Napier playing some of the time-displaced gunslingers. Unfortunately, the show only ran for 13 episodes, with its offbeat approach to the genre not clicking with viewers to justify a second season. The wildest Western that aired on television in the '80s, "Outlaws" earns a place on this list based on acting talent alone.

Not to be confused with the short-lived 2016 animated series executive produced by Seth MacFarlane, the live-action Western "Bordertown" premiered in 1989. Set in the late 19th century, the show doesn't take place along the U.S.-Mexican border like many Wild West stories, but along the northern border with Canada. The series revolves around the town of Pemmican, with the U.S.-Canadian border running right through the settlement. This means that American and Canadian law enforcement must work together to keep the peace in their oddly placed community.

In contrast to the other shows on this list, "Bordertown" actually enjoyed a multi-season run, ending in 1991 after 78 episodes across three seasons. Each episode featured a different case for its main characters to investigate, complicated by the nationally bisected nature of the show's frontier community setting. This case-of-week structure makes the show feel something like a Wild West procedural with a distinctly cozy aesthetic. A fun-filled Western bridging the '80s and '90s, "Bordertown" maintained its focus on its strangely positioned community with enough action to keep audiences coming back for more.