Gunsmoke remains one of the most influential Western shows to ever hit the air. However, its success started as a radio broadcast before it earned its big break on screens around the world. Gunsmoke had strong Western storytelling and a wonderfully charismatic cast of characters, but there was an added flair that made the show what it was. The radio creators had a list of clichés that they promised never to break before Charles Marquis Warren developed it for television.
‘Gunsmoke’ became the most successful Western show on television
The Western show Gunsmoke aired its first season in 1955 and the show found its audience fairly quickly. The second season placed in rank seven and then placed at the very top of the ratings for the next four seasons. As a result, Gunsmoke became the most successful Western show to hit television. Viewers couldn’t get enough of the original cast with James Arness, Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone, and Dennis Weaver.
Fans will always remember the show for its longevity. It broke records as the longest-running, primetime, live-action television series with a staggering 20 seasons. Additionally, Gunsmoke managed to hold onto it for quite some time. However, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit would ultimately break the record in 2019 after the premiere of its 21st season.
‘Gunsmoke’ creators put together a list of Western cliches they would never replicate
According to Argosy, Gunsmoke radio creators John Meston and Norman Macdonnell had a very specific type of Western they wanted to bring to the air. The television adaptation already had a built-in audience thanks to the radio show. Nevertheless, they had ideas that appealed to a wider audience for when it hit television screens. Therefore, Meston and Macdonnell “vowed” that they would never cross into these Western clichés for Gunsmoke.
“The hero would not necessarily have a heart of gold; he would not wear two guns; he would not have a favorite horse named Trigger or Holster; there would be no chase sequences; the villains would not be all villainous and there would be no posses, pretty schoolmarms or ranchers’ daughters,” Argosy’s Richard Gehman wrote. “Every now and then the marshal would make a mistake in judgment, and occasionally he would get the hell beaten out of him. Also, the show would be liberally sprinkled with humor.”
The show crossed age barriers
Meston and Macdonnell were onto something when they made these rules for Gunsmoke in the early days. As a result, they were able to make the show feel fresh and unlike anything else the genre had to offer. Gehman wrote that both he and his 13-year-old son highly enjoyed the stories.
In fact, his child would “lose interest in the others” because Gunsmoke had a unique spin that made it stand out from the crowd. Even after CBS canceled the show to the cast, crew, and audience’s surprise, it would later find its continuation. Arness returned to make five made-for-TV movies until viewers stopped tuning into them in favor of its competition.