- Netflix is adapting Larry McMurtry’s iconic Lonesome Dove into a new series, following the success of their adaptation of Little House on the Prairie.
- The novel Lonesome Dove spent 24 weeks on the NYT Bestseller list and sold over 4 million copies, with the original 1989 miniseries winning multiple awards and pulling in 26 million viewers.
- Showrunners Zoe Kazan and Jeb Stuart, known for their work on East Of Eden, are writing the upcoming Western remake for Netflix, expressing excitement to bring the beloved characters to life.
Netflix is going all in on the Western/adventure drama with another classic Western hit.
After adapting the Little House on the Prairie for a new series, the streaming giant with an adaptation of Larry McMurtry’s iconic Lonesome Dove, which was already turned into one of the <a href="https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/1989-series-named-among-best-western-tv-shows-of-all-time-and-you-can-stream-it-free” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>best Western shows of all time.
Published in 1986 by Simon & Schuster, McMurtry’s novel — the first in the Lonesome Dove book series — spent 24 consecutive weeks in hardcover and 28 consecutive weeks in paperback on NYT’s Bestseller list, selling over 4 million copies.
The epic drama follows Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call, retired Texas Rangers who embark on one final, perilous cattle drive from the Rio Grande to the untamed wilderness of Montana.
The novel was turned into the hit 1989 miniseries of the same name starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones that pulled in an some 26 million viewers and won a Peabody, seven Emmys and two Golden Globes.
‘Lonesome Dove’ Named Among Greatest Westerns
The initial TV series was listed among the 50 greatest Westerns of all time by Time Out Magainze.
“Sure, it was directed by a guy poised halfway between ‘DARYL’ and ‘Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man’, but we’ll let that slide: in its epic emotional sweep, in its breadth of landscape and action in its depth of character and awareness of history, ‘Lonesome Dove’ is every bit as artistically valid as half the movies on this list – and it’s a [expletive] sight more entertaining than most of ’em,” Time Out wrote.
Showrunners with Zoe Kazan and Jeb Stuart, fresh off of their adaptation of John Steinbeck’s East Of Eden for the upcoming Netflix limited series starring Florence Pugh, are writing the upcoming Western remake.
“After our singular experience onEast of Eden, we are thrilled to be teaming with Netflix again, along with Teton Ridge Entertainment, to bring Larry McMurtry’s western classic to life,” Kazan and Stuart said in a statement. “We come to this material with love and respect, and can’t wait to hit the trail with Gus and Call and the rest of these beloved characters. Yee-haw.”
The original series received a nearly-perfect 98% from critics and 92% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
This story was originally published byMen’s Journalon Sep 13, 2026, where it first appeared in theNewssection. Add Men’s Journal as aPreferred
