Ask around for the greatest Western ever made, and you’ll hear “The Searchers” or “Unforgiven,” but the finest one I’ve ever seen wasn’t a movie at all. It was a four-part miniseries that aired on CBS back in 1989 called “Lonesome Dove.” Right now you can watch every minute of this classic for free on Tubi.
Adapted from Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and directed by Simon Wincer, “Lonesome Dove” was an event when it premiered, pulling a massive audience and going on to win seven Emmy Awards. More than three decades later, it’s widely regarded as one of the best Westerns of all time, big screen or small, and it helped kick off a revival of interest in the genre.
“Lonesome Dove” is headlined by Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones as two aging former Texas Rangers, with a stacked supporting cast that includes Danny Glover, Diane Lane, Anjelica Huston, and Robert Urich. It’s about six hours across four parts, so it’s a lengthy watch, but well worth every minute. And since you don’t have to pay to stream it, I highly recommend you set aside a weekend to do it.
What is ‘Lonesome Dove’ about?
Gus McCrae (Robert Duvall) and Woodrow Call (Tommy Lee Jones) are two former Texas Rangers running a business in the border town of Lonesome Dove. Gus is talkative, funny and warm, while Call is silent and all business. They’re old friends who live a quiet life.
But when an old comrade rides back into town with stories of the unspoiled grasslands of Montana, Call decides they should drive a herd of cattle north to build a ranch on the last open frontier. What follows is an epic journey across a brutal, beautiful landscape. Along the way, the two men and their outfit face rustlers, river crossings, punishing weather, and worse.
But when the story widens to add a whole new cast of characters, it gets even better. There’s a young woman named Lorena (Diane Lane) dreaming of a better life, Gus’s great lost love Clara (Anjelica Huston), and a sheriff chasing after his runaway wife.
All of these stories and relationships intertwine eventually to make something even bigger, better, and more emotional than you might have guessed at the onset.
Some stories are about plot, and some are about people you’d follow anywhere. “Lonesome Dove” is the second kind. I’ve watched it three times, and every time it’s the friendship between Gus and Call that gets me. I just love the relationship between these two men who love each other deeply and would never once say so out loud. The men in my family are much the same way.
Robert Duvall has called Gus McCrae his favorite role of his entire career, and it shows. He’s wise and funny but also heartbreaking, often in the same scene. Tommy Lee Jones is his perfect opposite as Cal, and the supporting cast is fantastic all the way through. Beyond that, the show looks gorgeous, too, with sweeping vistas and a beautiful score that make it feel every bit as big as any theatrical epic, even though it aired on TV.
Yes, six hours is a commitment, but it never drags. By the end you’ll wish there were six more. And while there technically is a miniseries continuation in the form of “Return to Lonesome Dove,” nothing can top this one. It won seven Emmys and the undying love of everyone who’s seen it, and it still doesn’t get mentioned alongside the big-screen Western classics nearly as often as it should.
Don’t let it pass you by, especially when it won’t cost you a cent right now to stream.
