Taylor Sheridan is the unquestioned king of the neo-Western, but some of his finest work as a writer has come in his more traditionally-styled Western series like 1883 and 1923. Enhanced by casts loaded with true A-listers, Sheridan’s Western series have been celebrated far and wide for their dramatic excellence and stellar performances. In the early 2000s, a Steven Spielberg-produced epic series provided a blueprint for the potential of a massively-scaled Western show that Sheridan has since mastered.
Spielberg collaborated with Dreamworks in 2005 to bring Into the West to life, a sprawling twelve-hour examination of some of the most well-known events in the development of the West. The show featured over 250 speaking parts, and cast some of the most well-known actors of the time period in a combination of fictional characters and roles pulled straight out of history. Few series produced since then have been so ambitious, and it’s certainly worth a Western weekend binge for anyone who appreciates Sheridan’s modern Westerns.
‘Into the West’ Is an Underappreciated Western Epic
Part of what makes Into the West so impressive is the scope of its storytelling. A brilliant dual-perspective structure provides a holistic picture of the West in the period leading up to and after the American Civil War, as the show follows both a family of white settlers and a Great Plains Lakota family. Into the West earned significant praise for not only its casting of Native American and First Nations actors, but also its incorporation of real native languages and period-accurate set/costume designs. Maintaining a high level of realism was a priority for Spielberg and the production crew, and the finished product is truly immersive.
With Dreamworks bankrolling the epic series, the production value is off the charts. High budgets allowed the slate of talented directors who worked on the show to capture breathtaking Western vistas, and the show’s overall cinematography stills stands up to scrutiny and standards 20 years later. The high budget also elevated the action sequences, many of which cover real historical events like the California Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the Wounded Knee Massacre. The show doesn’t shy away from the most difficult conversations that have emerged in the decades since those events, again elevating the realism and making it emotionally affecting.
‘Into the West’ Boasts Even More Stars Than Taylor Sheridan’s Best Neo-Westerns
The sheer scope of the show, which covers multiple generations from two families over the span of 65 years (1825-1890), necessitated a massive cast that rivals or surpasses any Taylor Sheridan series. Once again thanks to the massive budget provided by Dreamworks, Spielberg and company managed to load the cast with major stars, including Josh Brolin, Gary Busey, Keri Russell, Tom Berenger, and Sean Astin. The show also boasted the talents of some of the most prominent and renowned Indigenous and First Nations actors of the last 30 years, including Wes Studi, Russell Means, Tatanka Means, Graham Greene, Zach McClarnon, and Gil Birmingham.