Paramount's Yellowstone has certainly been making the headlines lately, both for its surge in popularity and news of its spin-off 1923's release. Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western drama has captivated new and established fans of the genre for its modern-day setting, real-world conflicts, and family drama.

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Yellowstone has been lauded, but it's not the only great Western available. Since the days of radio serials, Westerns like the Lone Ranger reigned supreme before television took over. TV Westerns have evolved, with most becoming even grittier and more violent than Yellowstone.

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10 1883 Is Yellowstone's Prequel

1883, the prequel series to Yellowstone, answers the question of how the Dutton family was able to acquire huge swaths of land to establish their ranch. 1883 serves as a nice recounting of how the Dutton family took advantage of westward expansion in hopes of new opportunities.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill star as the Dutton patriarch and matriarch, respectively, and are joined by the talented Sam Elliot. 1883 excels at displaying the arduous reality travelers of the Oregon Trail faced. However, the most brutal obstacle was their relations with the various Native American tribes whose land they effectively set out to steal.

9 The English Stars Emily Blunt

Emily Blunt stars in The English as Locke, a woman who travels from England to the Wild West for the sake of revenge. Along the way, she teams up with Chaske Spencer's Whipp, a former U.S. Cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee nation. The two are beset on a path of compensation for the injustices they have incurred in the past.

The BBC/Prime collaboration wonderfully brings to life the Revisionist Western complete with protagonists who typically wouldn't be in a typical Western. From its bleak themes to the thrilling action setpieces, which are better than Yellowstone's, The English offers audiences an incredible tale of revenge that any fan of the genre can easily get behind.

8 Longmire Is A Western/Police Procedural Mash-Up

Based on the Walt Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson, Longmire follows the eponymous sheriff of a fictional Wyoming county that borders on Cheyenne territory. Played by Robert Taylor, Longmire finds himself investigating local crimes while struggling with overlapping jurisdictions and desperately trying to mend relations with the Cheyenne community.

Though more reminiscent of past TV westerns for its case-a-week nature, Longmire still delivers reliable entertainment for audiences to enjoy. Unlike Yellowstone, Longmire offers a different backdrop and local politics that would be seen in most cop procedurals.

7 2016's Godless Allows Anyone To Be The Main Character

Easily one of the best shows to come out of 2016, Netflix's Godless is an impressive and engaging Western miniseries. Featuring an ensemble of characters who seem to represent each aspect of the Wild West, Godless is a testament to what can be accomplished in telling a story where anyone could be the main character.

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Godless can easily captivate an audience for its fluidity and easy balance between the multiple storylines at play. From revenge to keeping the peace, Godless features all the typical Western tropes and plot lines without overusing them.

6 Frontier Stars Jason Momoa

There is no rule that states that all Westerns are to be set in the United States. Examples could include Golden Kamuy and Frontier, a Jason Momoa vehicle that's set in the late 1700s Canadian territory. Frontier is one of the few live-action series that takes the concept of a Western and runs with it across the northern border. As such, it offers fans something different to Yellowstone.

Set nearly half a century than most Westerns would be, Frontier finds itself more comfortable in the snowy mountainous backdrop than the Great Plains. Jason Momoa stars as a fur trapper who has set his eyes upon the corrupt Hudson Bay Company and seeks to take it down in the most lone vigilante way possible.

5 Dark Winds Blends Psychological Thrillers With A Western

Zahn McClarnon has had quite the Western resume to build upon from TV series like Longmire, Fargo, or movies like Bone Tomohawk. He now gets top billing for his own Western show, Dark Winds. McClarnon stars as Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Police, as Dark Winds follows the plotlines of Tony Hillerman's novels, Listening Woman and People of Darkness.

Though many would consider it more a psychological thriller than a Western, Dark Winds' setting, storyline, and backdrop would suggest otherwise. Set during a time when AIM protests resounded across the nation and revelations about residential schools were released, Dark Winds is more a rectification of what a neo-Western should entail.

4 Hell On Wheels Follows The Construction Of The Transcontinental Railroad

One of the biggest moments of Westward Expansion was easily the Transcontinental Railroad and AMC's Hell On Wheels certainly knows it. Set shortly after the Civil War, Hell On Wheels follows the construction of the railroad and the individual players who could've been involved, from recently freed slaves to Confederate veterans, as well as Chinese immigrants.

Though Hell On Wheels starts as a tale of revenge for its central character, it becomes a story of reconciliation and moving on, even if moving on includes unsafe working conditions and exploitative executives. Hell On Wheels is an interesting take on the Western as it focuses on one of the most important gateways to Westward Expansion and its effects.

3 Justified Places A Lawman Into The 21st Century

Elmore Leonard may be better known for his Westerns like 3:10 To Yuma, but his creation of Raylan Givens may be his best contribution to the genre itself. Justified takes a 19th-century situation of the typical vigilante lawman and places them in the 21st century.

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In what is arguably Timothy Olyphant's most recognizable role, his turn as U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens is incredibly charming and captivating. Employing the best of Leonard's dialogue, Justified excels in what could've come off as a cheap procedural and turn it into a magnificent Western set in the Kentucky hills.

2 Deadwood Is Gritty And Violent

If there was ever to be a more gritty, realistic, and more violent Western set in the 19th century that's not Unforgiven, it would easily be HBO's Deadwood. Sharing the same gritty violence of a spaghetti Western yet retaining some semblance of history as a revisionist Western would, Deadwood succeeds through it all.

Starring an ensemble of lawmen, criminals, and opportunists, Deadwood is the perfect encapsulation of a small town caught up in the whirlwinds of statehood in the 19th Century. From Ian McShane's performance as Al Swearengen (a real-life historical figure) down to the HBO standard of excessive violence, Deadwood is an iconic TV Western that everyone could enjoy.

1 Lonesome Dove Flips The Usual Western Tropes On Their Head

Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones starring in a Western together must be a dream come true for those who didn't know that they did in 1989. Along with Danny Glover, the duo starred in a Western for a CBS miniseries, Lonesome Dove. There, they play two former Texas Rangers who run a livery in the eponymous town.

Lonesome Dove did to the Western what The Sopranos did to gangster TV shows, it revitalized an almost forgotten genre by recontextualizing it with a more realistic and gritty approach. Lonesome Dove is one of the better examples of a Western, as it can take all the familiar tropes and flip them on their head and make them something new for an audience to enjoy.

NEXT: 10 Excruciatingly Violent Westerns