- Lonesome Dove, a highly acclaimed Western miniseries based on Larry McMurtry’s novel, won numerous awards and critical acclaim.
- Collider’s Jeremy Urquhart ranked Lonesome Dove as the best Western book of all time, praising its intense and unpredictable emotional depth.
- Robert Duvall, who played Captain Augustus McCrae in Lonesome Dove, considered it one of the highlights of his life and won a Golden Globe for his performance.
In 1989, CBS televised Lonesome Dove, a four-part epic Western miniseries starring Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover, Diane Lane and others. The four-night event drew massive ratings and eventually won numerous awards.
Lonesome Dove was actually based on legendary author Larry McMurtry’s 1985 novel of the same name, one of several of McMurtry’s books that inspired a film adaptation. As Lonesome Dove the series was a major hit, winning seven Emmys and two Golden Globes, the novel was also critically-acclaimed.
Lonesome Dove named the No. 1 Western novel
This weekend, Collider‘s Jeremy Urquhart released his list of The 10 Best Western Books of All Time, Ranked. He placed Lonesome Dove,which Urquhart considers “the best and most important of McMurtry’s novels,” at the top.
“It’s about a group of aging Texas Rangers taking part in a dangerous journey involving the driving of a cattle herd, proving surprisingly intense and unpredictable on an emotional front, at least eventually,” Urquhart wrote. “Lonesome Dove is also exciting and sweeping in the way you’d want an epic-length novel to be, and it was a deserving winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, too (not something many Western books have won, it should be stressed).”
Robert Duvall also loved his Lonesome Dove role
The distinguished actor once called his portrayal of Captain Augustus “Gus” McCrae, which he once called “one of the highlights of my life, completely.”
“It was a mighty role and a lot of fun to film,” Duvall said.
Duval won the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Miniseries for Lonesome Dove, which won its own Golden Globe for Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for TV.
A massive hit with audiences
Even though it only ran for one season, Lonesome Dove earned huge ratings and left a lasting impact. The Independentrecently ranked it No. 1 on its list of the 12 “Greatest TV Westerns of All Time.”
The miniseries also has a 98% approval ratingand a “Certified Fresh” distinction on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.6/10 mark on IMDb.
This story was originally published byMen’s Journalon Aug 2, 2026, where it first appeared in theEntertainmentsection. Add Men’s Journal as aPreferred
