TheWesterngenre is not normally known for ongoing franchises, although a select few series have managed to endure over the years. Although stories of cowboys, gunslingers, and outlaws often end in violent shootouts that close the door on any chance of a sequel, some Western stories have continued with sequels, spin-offs, and even subsequent television series. Highlyquotable characters like Clint Eastwood’s The Man with No Namehave even surpassed their Western origins to become cinematic legends known by viewers all over the world.
Some ofthe best Westerns of all timewere expanded into franchises as stars like Lee Van Cleef, Yul Brynner, and Franco Nero returned to reprise their most famous characters. WhileWestern movie sequelsare often a rarity, certain directors have realized the potential of ongoing stories to expand upon the original stories and add depth and intrigue to the overall franchise. For those looking fora Western adventure that amounted to more than a single story, look no further than these excellent Western franchises.
While Sergio Leone’sDollars Trilogyremains the most famous example of the spaghetti Western genre, thecomedy duo of Terrence Hill and Bud Spencerparodied much of its appeal in their hilarious pastiche,They Call Me Trinity. Telling the story of two half-brothers defending a Mormon settlement from a Mexican bandit, the way this satirical story blended action and comedy served as a witty send-up of the gritty realism of 1960s Westerns. By leaning into the genre’s tropes and cliches,They Call Me Trinitymanaged to be simultaneously funny and engaging.
The success ofThey Call Me Trinityled to the arguably superior sequelTrinity Is Still My Name, which did even better at the box office. With Spencer returning as Bambino, trying to teach Hill’s Trinity how to be an outlaw, it was clear there was enough goodwill for these characters to sustain an ongoing film series. However, the third movie in the franchise didn’t live up to the expectations set by the first two, asSons of Trinitydidn’t feature Spencer or Hill, and watching the bandit sons instead felt like a parody of a parody.
Director Robert Rodriguez blended contemporary American and Mexican culture in his acclaimedMexicotrilogy, which includesEl Mariachi,Desperado, andOnce Upon a Time in Mexico. What started as an ultra-low-budget directorial debut made for just $7,000 soon grew into a mainstream neo-Western starring Antonio Banderas, Selma Hayek, Steve Buscemi, and Quentin Tarantino for the second installment. This serious jump in production values highlighted Rodriguez’s immense talent as an up-and-coming director during the 1990s.
Rodriguez concluded his trilogy withOnce Upon a Time in Mexico, which sawBanderas reprise his role as El Mariachiin a story that paid tribute to the classic work of Sergio Leone. Through plenty of stylized action and its humble indie origins,The Mexico Trilogywas a major work from Rodriguez that captured his ability to blend genres in a way that felt totally unique.
While casual Western fans will recognize Lee Van Cleef for his role in Sergio Leone’sDollars Trilogy, those in the know will name theSabataseries as a definitive example of the star’s appeal. With Van Cleef as the fast-shooting, gunslinging title character who solves all his problems with bullets, this was an action-packed franchise featuring a calm, cool, and calculated anti-hero. Coming from director Gianfranco Parolini, the firstSabatawas wonderfully cartoonish in its violent excess.
The success ofSabataled to an entire trilogy, although Van Cleef was recast with Yul Brynner in the second installment,Adiós, Sabatareleased the following year. Brynner brought his own unique energy to the title role, and the series remained as outrageous and enjoyable as ever. However, Western fans welcomed the return of Van Cleef for the final entry in the trilogy,Return of Sabatafrom 1971.
Westworld
Before originating acclaimed sci-fi works likeJurassic Park, author, screenwriter, and director Michael Crichton gave the world a unique sci-fi Western franchise with the release ofWestworld. This satirical tale of a Wild West-themed amusement park populated by artificially intelligent androids not only led to the 1973 cult favorite film but also the sequel,Futureworld, and two different TV series.
While the 1980s television seriesBeyond Westworldwas a forgettable follow-up that has had little enduring cultural relevance, it wasthe HBO reboot series ofWestworldthat ran from 2016 to 2022that was one of the most uniquely engaging TV shows of modern times. As a highly relevant look at the worrying potential of AI that explored complex themes of consciousness and free will, the series creators, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, pushed the already fascinating ideas laid out in the original movie even further to make one of the most thought-provoking shows in living memory.
Perhaps the only Western antihero who can stand up to the acclaimed legacy of Clint Eastwood’s The Man with No Name was Franco Nero as the title character inDjango. This ultra-violent spaghetti Western followed a Union soldier turned drifter facing off against a band of Mexican revolutionaries in a bloody battle that was an early example of the kind of stylish violence later embraced by Quentin Tarantino. In fact,Djangohad such an influence on Tarantino that it helped inspire his own homage to the genre withDjango Unchained, which featured Nero reprising his role.
WhileDjangoonly ever received one official sequel,Django Strikes Again, made more than 20 years later, it was the subject of more than 30 unofficial sequels. Although most of these movies had nothing to do with Sergio Corbucci’s original film, they mimicked its style and attitude and attempted to cash in on its name recognition.Djangois also considered a part of Corbucci’sMud and Bloodtrilogy, which also includesThe Great SilenceandThe Specialists.
The HBO Western seriesDeadwoodtook the true story of a small Wild West encampment’s transformation into a fully fledged town and adapted it into one of the most intelligent and engaging television shows of all time. With Ian McShane leading an impressive ensemble cast,Deadwoodpresented a vivid, gritty, and uncompromising version of the American frontier that included real historical figures and plenty of violence and vulgarity. With just a brief, three-season run,Deadwoodwas prematurely cancelled, and it would take 13 years for it to finally conclude in the form of an epilogue made-for-TV movie.
Deadwood: The Movieoffered audiences a chance to say goodbye to the show’s incredible cast of diverse characters and at last finished the story of the South Dakota town’s embracement of civilization. As a social and political document that showcased the complex intricacies of law and order being implemented in real time,Deadwoodaddressed the thought-provoking implications of the dying days of the Wild West that are so often skirted over in other, less pressing Western movies and TV shows.
The Magnificent Sevenwas one of the most influential Westerns of all time, as it adapted Akira Kurosawa’s classicSeven Samuraiinto a Wild West story of epic proportions. With an all-star cast of Western gunslingers helping a small village protect themselves from a group of Mexican bandits, the world ofThe Magnificent Sevenwas quickly expanded into an ongoing franchise led by Yul Brynner as Chris Adams.
While later movies likeReturn of the Seven,Guns of the Magnificent Seven, andThe Magnificent Seven Ride!didn’t have quite the same appeal as the original, they still stood as enjoyable follow-ups.The Magnificent Sevenwas also adapted into a TV series during the 1990s. As an iconic release whose popularity has endured throughout the decades,The Magnificent Sevenwas even remade with modern stars in 2016and included appearances from Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, and Chris Pratt.
The Lonesome Dove series wasbased on the novels of Larry McMurtryand told the story of several members of the Texas Ranger Division from the time of the Republic of Texas up until the beginning of the 20th century. As a sprawling account of life in the era of the Wild West that unpacks the myth of America, explores themes of family, and addresses the consequences of luck, fate, and chance,Lonesome Doveoffers a clever, insightful, and emotional account of the story of America.
Not only wasLonesome Doveadapted into an acclaimed four-part miniseries in 1989, but the series continued with four subsequent miniseries. As an epic journey that captured the complexities of McMurtry’s novels, theLonesome Doveseries includedReturn to Lonesome Dove,Streets of Laredo,Dead Man’s Walk, andComanche Moon.
TheTrue Gritmovies represent some of the best Westerns of all time and were an incredible account of the adventures of Reuben J. “Rooster” Cogburn in the Old American West. As an eye-patch-wearing bounty hunter who first appeared in the original novel by Charles Portis, the character was originally portrayed by John Wayne and later by Warren Oates in a TV movie and Jeff Bridges in the Coen brothers’ acclaimed remake.
WhileCogburn has had plenty of adventures, the most well-known was inTrue Grit, where he teamed up with the brash young girl Mattie Ross to help her track down her father’s killer. This all-time great Western story made for thrilling viewing, with both the original and the remake often ranking among the best Westerns ever made. While the sequelsRooster Cogburn (…and the Lady)andTrue Grit: A Further Adventureweren’t nearly as acclaimed, they still were enjoyable expansions that highlighted this franchise’s potential.
No Western franchise was more iconic than Sergio Leone’sDollars Trilogy, a series of three fantastic movies that reinvigorated the Western genre and kickstarted the era of the spaghetti Western. WithClint Eastwood as The Man with No Name, these gritty, violent, and often funny tales of gunslingers and outlaws were filled with witty one-liners and fast-paced action. With Eastwood joined by Western legends like Lee Van Cleef, even those who haven’t seen these movies will be well aware of their cultural impact.
Consisting ofA Fistful of Dollars,For a Few Dollars More, andThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly, practically every scene of this trilogy oozed style and charisma. With an iconic original score from Ennio Morricone, the music of theDollars Trilogyis immediately recognizable to casual Western fans. There have been several greatWesternfranchises over the years, but among them all, the Dollars Trilogy stands supreme.
