Netflix’s 7-Part Western Miniseries Is The Anti-Yellowstone Everyone Should Watch

by

Many consider Yellowstone the perfect modern Western, and it’s easy to see why. However, it’s not the only Western on TV, and one new show seems to intentionally offer a different take on the style established by Taylor Sheridan. With Yellowstone‘s success, we’re seeing a surge in Western TV shows overall.

Whether you enjoy Taylor Sheridan’s approach to storytelling or not, it’s undeniable that his shows have tapped into a large audience eager for Westerns – and streaming services have definitely noticed. While Yellowstone launched this current wave of Western TV, not every show is trying to be just like it.

While shows like Yellowstone borrow heavily from traditional Western themes, Godless feels like a true shake-up of the entire genre. And it accomplishes this in just seven episodes, offering a fresh take that goes beyond simply challenging what Yellowstone is doing.

How Godless Takes Western Shows In The Opposite Direction To Yellowstone

Godless, a 2017 Netflix miniseries, follows Roy Goode (Jack O’Connell), an outlaw on the run in 1884. He flees his former boss, Frank Griffon (Jeff Daniels), after refusing to take part in Frank’s violent crimes. Roy ends up in La Belle, New Mexico, a town largely populated by women.

Even this short description offers a noticeably different impression than what fans of Yellowstone typically expect. While some critics argue Taylor Sheridan’s writing of female characters is weak, I don’t think it’s quite that bad. However, it’s clear his shows, like many Westerns, primarily focus on male characters. But that isn’t the only thing setting this apart.

Yellowstone unfolds like a long, drawn-out drama, with storylines developing over several seasons and plot points resurfacing after being left hanging. It takes its time telling the story. In contrast, Godless feels more like a condensed film. It focuses on a single, central conflict and moves quickly toward its resolution.

Godless Also Subverts Many Tropes From Classic Western Movies

Beyond just challenging expectations set by shows like Yellowstone, Godless truly stands out as a Western unlike any other – even compared to modern shows that often rely on classic Western themes. A particularly notable aspect is its predominantly female cast, which significantly breaks from traditional Western tropes and deserves more attention.

The show Godless features a town run by women who defend themselves against outlaws and protect their community. It’s more than just flipping traditional Western roles; it highlights the reality that in the Old West, women often had to rely on themselves because there wasn’t always a hero to come to their rescue. If they didn’t protect each other, nobody would.

The fact that many of the men in La Belle died in a mining accident isn’t accidental. A common theme in Western stories is the pursuit of wealth. In Godless, the characters have found what they were looking for, but at a great cost. The show is about people who’ve lived through the excitement of the Wild West and now just want to escape it.

Read More

2026-04-09 21:19