MovieChat Forums > Gunsmoke (1955) Discussion > One of the best TV series I've seen

One of the best TV series I've seen

posted 5 years ago by KD637 (488)
13 replies | jump to latest

And I say this as a young non-american who has seen most of the modern highest rated TV shows like Breaking Bad, True Detective and some old ones like Twilight Zone, Star Trek and Twin Peaks. I mention this not to be mistaken for a nostalgic old guy.

I only recently found it on TV and I must say I'm impressed. Most of the episodes are movie-worthy with their stories and I especially like the complex aproach to characterization not typical for westerns of that era. Characters are almost never one-dimensional villains or heroes and often evolve during the course of an episode.

Some of the episodes serve as a comic relief though so don't expect each and every one of them to be perfect. I also didn't catch all the episodes from the start, only started watching the later seasons.

Definitely recommend this if you're a fan of classic western, but I like it even though I'm not (spaghetti is more my taste) and so may you.

[–] liscarkat (18589) 4 years ago

"Gunsmoke" was an excellent series. I prefer the older black-and-white episodes with Dennis Weaver.

[–] TimMC (9143) 3 years ago

Want some coffee, Mr Dillon?

[–] vranger (444) 2 years ago

Ken Curtis as Festus was GOOD. My FAVORITE line from the entire series was Festus asking Doc to read a letter he'd received.

"Doc, you know I can't write readin' nor read writin'!'

:-)

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 2 years ago

The black and white episodes were definitely superior. Once they went to color, I believe because they were spending more money on the color film, the other aspects of the show were lacking. The production value definitely went down during the color episodes. But still a fantastic show.

[–] liscarkat (18589) a year ago

I agree. I can't quite put my finger on what it is about them, other than visually, but the black-and-white years seem to be superior. Dennis Weaver's leaving was a big loss, although I grew to like Ken Curtis as Festus. But overall, the color seasons lacked something, compared to the earlier years.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Great show. I wish Hollywood could produce something as good as Gunsmoke today.

[–] Kowalski (76273) 3 years ago

IT'S CALLED THE SHAHS OF SUNSET.🙂

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Whether you're serious or not, I'll take a look.

[–] trevorh321 (5495) 3 years ago

I might have to give this a try. I have been looking to watch a classic western series season, like Bonanza, Have Gun Will Travel, The High Chaparral, The Rifleman but I might just start with Gunsmoke. The first season dvd is reasonably priced, too.

[–] Jones70 (6585) 3 years ago

They were able to keep it good for 20 seasons?

[–] Lily Magnum (267) 2 years ago

Yes. There are some bad episodes thru out the 20 seasons, but it's a pretty consistently good series til the end.

[–] vranger (444) 2 years ago

Ummmmm, if not, it wouldn't have lasted for 20 seasons? Not really hard to figure that out.

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 2 years ago

Amen!! There's a reason why this show lasted 20 years. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍