‘1923’ Emmy win for Best Drama Series would be the first for a western since 1958

Tony Ruiz
·3 min read
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My grandfather loved television westerns. I mean, he watched every single one, and there were a lot to choose from in the early days of the medium. Throughout the 1950s and most of the 1960s, westerns dominated the television landscape. However, despite being such a uniquely American genre, westerns on television have been conspicuously under-rewarded by the Emmys, with the most recent Best Drama Series win for a western occurring more than 60 years ago. Could “1923” change all of that?

“1923” is the latest addition to the “Yellowstone” TV franchise. Created and written by Taylor Sheridan, this second prequel to the popular Paramount series focuses on the Dutton family and the Yellowstone Ranch in the early 20th century. The show stars Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton and Oscar, Emmy and Tony winner Helen Mirren as his wife Kara. Together they fight to keep their beloved ranch out of the hands of encroachers and an evil land tycoon (Timothy Dalton). 

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The series premiere broke a viewing record for Paramount+ and was the highest-rated series premiere on all of cable television in 2022. Unsurprisingly, it has already been renewed for a second season. But as of this writing the series sits 20th in our odds for Best Drama Series. Both Ford and Mirren sit inside the top 10 of our rankings for Best Drama Actor and Best Drama Actress, though, so a nom for the series as a whole is not out of the question. And if that happens, it could end a decades-long drought when it comes to westerns in the Drama Series category at the Emmys.

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“Gunsmoke” is currently the only western to win the Emmy for Best Drama, taking home the top prize in 1958. The series, starring James Arness as Kansas lawman Matt Dillon, ran for 20 seasons on CBS and for decades held the record for the longest running live-action series. That record was broken in 2019 by NBC’s “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.”

The following year “Gunsmoke” earned a different series nomination in the newly-created category of Best Western Series. “Gunsmoke” ultimately lost that award “Maverick,” the comedic drama that starred James Garner as the title character, a nomadic gambler seemingly unable to stay out of trouble. The category was discontinued after one year.

Following “Gunsmoke’s” 1958 win, it would be nearly half a century before another western series earned a nomination. In 2005 HBO’s profanity-laden drama “Deadwood” earned its first and only nomination for Best Drama Series. Will “1923” put westerns back on the Emmy map?

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