Top 8 Unconventional Settings in Modern Western TV Shows

For many years, classic Western TV shows followed a predictable pattern, often taking place in small frontier towns or on ranches. Even the most highly-regarded Westerns typically used these familiar settings, despite telling different stories. But the recent resurgence of the Western is changing things up significantly.

Modern Westerns have really expanded where stories can take place. While you still see familiar characters, themes, and landscapes, they’re often presented in fresh ways, mixing with other genres or featuring unique settings. These newer Westerns, often called neo-Westerns, frequently move the action to unexpected locations, and some do this more effectively than others.

Iron River Ranch

The Ranch

It’s common for Western TV shows to be set on ranches, but The Ranch takes a unique approach. While most Westerns showcase dramatic landscapes and portray ranches as exciting and romantic places, The Ranch is a lighthearted sitcom with a traditional laugh track. This makes a big difference and sets it apart as one of Netflix’s strongest Western offerings.

The series The Ranch centers around Beau, a rancher in Colorado played by Sam Elliott, who asks his son, Colt (Ashton Kutcher), for help managing the family’s struggling ranch. While the show’s setting—a traditional ranch—might seem familiar, The Ranch offers a fresh take on the classic Western TV formula, making Iron River Ranch the perfect backdrop for the story.

Yellowstone Dutton Ranch

Yellowstone

Many Western TV shows include a ranch as a significant backdrop, but Yellowstone truly excels at using its setting. Widely considered one of the best modern Westerns, the show launched Taylor Sheridan’s career in the genre and has received positive reviews, earning an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The show Yellowstone is filmed in Montana, and the production moved entirely to the state for its fifth season to fully capture the beautiful scenery. The landscape and mountains aren’t just pretty to look at – they’re a key part of the story, including as the location where the Dutton family secretly disposes of their enemies in a place they refer to as ‘the train station’.

The Solar System

Cowboy Bebop

Science fiction and Westerns seem like an unlikely mix, considering how grounded Westerns are in the American Old West. But the anime Cowboy Bebop successfully combines the storytelling and familiar characters of Westerns with a space setting. While critics weren’t completely won over, viewers enjoyed the show, giving it a 60% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and appreciating its exciting space Western style.

Cowboy Bebop reimagines the solar system as a wild frontier, much like the Old West. Similar to classic Westerns, the show’s characters are often bounty hunters with differing senses of right and wrong. The series expertly incorporates almost every familiar Western theme, blending the genres in a more fluid and ambitious way than other sci-fi Westerns.

The Frontier

American Primeval

I’ve been watching a lot of what they’re calling ‘Neo-Westerns’ lately, and it’s interesting how they’re updating the classic Western. While some still stick to traditional historical settings, offering a fresh take on familiar ground, others are really branching out with new locations. American Primeval definitely falls into the latter category, following Sara Rowell’s journey across a harsh frontier. But what sets it apart is that it doesn’t glamorize the Old West – it pulls back the curtain and shows you just how brutal and violent life really was.

This series doesn’t hold back on violence, and some scenes in American Primeval are genuinely difficult to watch. Classic Westerns usually presented a romanticized view of the frontier, with clear heroes and villains in straightforward shootouts. But American Primeval is much more morally gray, and that actually suits the harsh reality of the setting.

Sara and her son spend roughly two weeks traveling across a dangerous frontier, facing difficult weather and hostile encounters, including the tragic Mountain Meadows Massacre and severe snowstorms. Like the characters in the novel American Primeval, the landscape itself is unforgiving and unpredictable, mirroring the morally complex nature of those who inhabit it, rather than offering comfort or safety.

The Transcontinental Railroad Construction

Hell on Wheels

While many Westerns focus on individual heroes – think of characters like The Lone Ranger – Hell on Wheels is different. It uses a similar type of character, but explores the idea of working together instead. The show follows the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, and most of the characters are united by a single, massive goal: finishing the railroad.

“Hell on Wheels” is a standout Western TV series from the last ten years, largely thanks to its unique setting. The show centers around a mobile town that follows the building of the transcontinental railroad, and this constantly shifting environment plays a key role in every episode and the characters’ journeys.

Wild West Amusement Park

Westworld

I still think about the first season of Westworld – it was just incredible, a real standout for both sci-fi and Westerns. The show is mostly set in this amazing amusement park designed like the Wild West, and it’s filled with robots called ‘hosts’. It feels like a totally lawless place, just like the old Western movies, but there’s a really clever secret to everything.

The hosts, who believe they are human, begin to rebel when some uncover the truth about their nature. This leads to conflicts – gunfights and battles – reminiscent of classic Westerns. However, the story’s science fiction elements create a fresh and unique world, all while maintaining the familiar look and feel of the Western genre.

La Belle

Godless

Westerns have historically focused on male characters, but the miniseries Godless offered a fresh take. Despite being overlooked by some, it has a strong 85% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While set in a classic Western landscape, the town of La Belle – where the story unfolds after a tragic accident – is populated with characters who bring a unique perspective to the genre.

As a huge Western fan, I was immediately hooked by the premise of Godless. It starts with a really compelling setup: a mining accident wipes out most of the men in this New Mexico town called La Belle, and the women are left to pick up the pieces and basically run everything. That’s already a fresh take on the genre, but the show doesn’t stop there. Instead of a town fading away, it actually thrives as this incredible society led by women. It’s a truly unique and fascinating world they’ve built.

“Godless” delivers everything you’d expect from a Western – intense gun battles, a tough atmosphere, and a struggle between good and evil – but it presents these familiar themes in a fresh way. The story offers a new perspective by focusing on women who have survived hardship and are now fighting to protect their home.

Gando

Song Of The Bandits

South Korea’s Song of the Bandits is a beautiful and exciting Western, taking place in the wild Gando region where locals band together to defend their land. Though other countries, like Australia, have made Westerns too, Song of the Bandits stands out with its action-packed style, reminiscent of classic martial arts films, all while telling a familiar Western story about conflicts over land.

Instead of the American West, the streaming series Song of the Bandits is set on the plains of Manchuria, offering a unique take on the Western genre and making it one of the best new Westerns available. Because the story is based on the true events leading up to the Gando massacre, it’s a powerful historical drama comparable to classic American Westerns.

2025-10-30 21:20