Sometimes it seems like there's an overwhelming amount of new content out there. Every weekend when I unwind on the couch to find something to watch, it feels like it takes me almost as long to find something as it does to actually watch it. As if making a decision wasn't hard enough, there are also a slew of streaming platforms to choose from. It's hard to keep up with what's worth watching so we're here to help. Wide Open Country will be sharing our picks each month from all of the big streaming platforms with our favorite recommendations to watch. Could be wild west dramas, could be country music sagas. Depends on what content is available!
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From new releases to old classics you might have missed, here are all of our streaming picks for the month of June.
Netflix
Show: Godless
Release Date: 2017
Starring: Michelle Dockery, Merritt Weaver, Jack O'Connell, Jeff Daniels
Netflix has really been on fire with their westerns. The Power of the Dog won an Oscar, and Idris Elba's Concrete Cowboy and The Harder They Fall are genuinely wonderful. While we wait for Netflix to make their next great cowboy film, it's worth rewatching this gem from 2017. Godless hit the streaming platform right before Yellowstone became a worldwide sensation, so it kind of flew under the radar. But it received a ton of acclaim at the Emmy Awards and has an amazing cast so in case you missed it the first time around, now is your chance to enjoy one of the best new westerns out there.
The plot should be enough to reel you in. It's centered around a wild west town that is fully run by women after the majority of the men died in a mining accident. They're in for the fight of their lives when an outlaw gang shows up in town looking for their leader's lost protege.
Hulu
Show: Justified
Release Date: 2010-2015
Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter
Nearly an entire decade before Yellowstone got everyone excited about modern westerns, Justified debuted on FX. In case you missed the news, this popular series is getting a reboot so now is the perfect time to rewatch the first six seasons. Emmy nominee Timothy Olyphant led the series as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens who gets reassigned from Miami to his childhood home in rural Kentucky. Olyphant will be back as Givens in the reboot which will be titled Justified: City Primeval. Based on the late Elmore Leonard's novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit, the reboot will be a limited series, but it's still exciting to see our favorite U.S. Marshal back at it again.
Amazon Prime
Show: Outer Range
Release Date: April 2022
Starring: Josh Brolin, Imogen Poots, Lili Taylor
If you missed our recaps of this Amazon series, you are definitely missing out and need to watch this immediately. It's the new western you didn't know you needed with just a bit of science fiction thrown in for good measure. Josh Brolin stars as rancher Royal Abbott who discovers a giant hole on his property. It's not even a hole really, it's just a black void that brings as much confusion as chaos to the ranch and Abbott family. Royal is dealing with people wanting to take over his land and has to do whatever he can to defend his family. You won't see anything coming, I can promise you that. Every single episode surprised me -- just when I thought I had it all figured out.
Epix
Show: Billy the Kid
Release Date: April 2022
Starring: Tom Blyth, Eileen O'Higgins, Daniel Webber
We've been closely following the new Epix series all about famous outlaw Billy the Kid, and it is definitely worth the watch. The show follows the life of Billy from his childhood in New York to his move out West where he eventually enters a life of crime. The finale airs in June and we'll get a closer look at the final days of Billy's life. British actor Tom Blyth does an amazing job bringing the outlaw to life and showing that there are two sides to every story. Why exactly did Billy become a legendary teenage outlaw? You'll have to watch to find out.
Peacock
Show: Yellowstone
Release Date: 2018-Season 5 coming Nov. 2022
Starring: Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley
Season 5 is coming this fall, so now is the perfect time to make sure you're all caught up on this western masterpiece. Yes, it's confusing that Yellowstone isn't available on Paramount Plus yet along with its prequel series 1883, but the streaming world can be very complicated. Peacock has an exclusive deal to be the streaming destination for Yellowstone so unless you're watching it live on the Paramount Network, this is where you'll find it. Whether you're a first timer ready to get sucked into the dramatic world of the Dutton clan or you're looking for a refresher before the highly anticipated new seasons, you'll find all the episodes on Peacock.
Paramount Plus
Show: Joe Pickett
Release Date: May 2022
Starring: Michael Dorman, Julianna Guill, Sharon Lawrence
While the Paramount Network became the phenomenon it is thanks to Yellowstone (and its growing universe), it's not the only western the streaming platform has to offer. A new western just hit the platform, based on the Joe Pickett book series. Joe Pickett follows a game warden and his family who live in a small rural town on the brink of economic collapse. The Picketts find themselves in a major investigation after a murder victim shows up on their doorstep. I'm particularly excited to dive into this one.
This series was originally a Spectrum Original which aired in Dec. 2021 but is now available on Paramount Plus as of May 15. A second season has already been ordered so there's plenty more Joe Pickett to come!
AMC Plus
Show: Dirty Black Bag
Release Date: March 2022
Starring: Douglas Booth, Dominic Cooper
I kept seeing teasers for this spaghetti western and ended up missing getting to watch the show as the episodes were released. The beauty of streaming is that now is the perfect time to go catch up on this new limited series. The episodes cover an 8-day showdown between Sheriff Arthur McCoy (Cooper) and the ruthless bounty hunter Red Bill (Booth) that ends with a dramatic gunfight. If you're a fan of the old classic Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly this show is probably for you. But be warned...reviews say it can be pretty graphic.
HBO Max
Show: Westworld
Release Date: Season 4 coming June 26
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris
Two years after the season three finale of HBO's epic Westworld, we're finally getting another season. The debut season revolved around a wild west theme park where visitors could live out their cowboy fantasies with the help of various park robots who look incredibly lifelike. Over the two subsequent seasons, those robots broke out of the park and are trying to take over the world. Based on the above teaser for season 4, it looks like we might get back to the wild west park, and see a little bit of our favorite villain, the Man in Black (played by Ed Harris).
The series was originally based on the 1973 film by Jurrassic Park writer Michael Chrichton about a wild west theme park in which robots start killing the guests. The show really did a perfect job bringing that story back to life and taking it a step farther...what happens if the robots leave the park?
READ MORE: The 20 Best Western Movies of the Last 20 Years
