Images From ‘The American West’

 

AMC has released some stills from their upcoming docudrama series “The American West.” I will reiterate my wish that these series would not focus on people whose stories have been told over and over again. There are so many relative unknowns whose stories are at least as compelling as the familiar Jesse, Billy, Wyatt, Sitting Bull tales.

In fact, I’ve got a dozen of ’em to serve up pretty soon.

I guess that name-familiarity translates to eyeballs on the screen, but couldn’t ya at least mix in an Al Sieber and Gabriel Dumont? Or Cowboy Detective Charlie Siringo? His story is made for TV.

Ah, well. I’ll watch in any case. I like the old familiar songs as much as the next guy and maybe more.

From Den of Geek:

Produced by Robert Redford and Stephen David (The Men Who Built America, The World Wars), The American West will premiere on June 11, following the final episodes of western TV drama Hell on Wheels. It promises to feature little-known tales of some of the best-known historical figures of western-era America — from Billy the Kid to Crazy Horse. The series will also feature interviews with iconic western film actors, including Redford himself, Burt Reynolds, and Kiefer Sutherland.

From AMC:

Spanning the years 1865 to 1890, The American West, will show how – in the aftermath of the Civil War – the United States transforms into the “land of opportunity.” Viewers will be transported into the violent world of cowboys, Indians, outlaws and law men.

The 8-episode limited event series chronicles the personal, little-known stories of Western legends such as Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. The series features exclusive interviews with notable names from classic Western films, including Redford, James Caan, Burt Reynolds, Tom Selleck, Kiefer Sutherland, Mark Harmon, Ed Harris and more.

The American West premieres on Saturday, June 11, at 10 p.m. ET on AMC.

I will also tell you that I’m a bit concerned about Stephen David’s involvement. “The Men Who Built America” was OK, but “The World Wars” was atrocious. Exhibit A — George S. Patton, Jr. with hipster stubble, armed with a Lee-Enfield SMLE on the Punitive Expedition in Mexico. WTF? And that’s just one example of historical absurdities If that kind of crap shows up in The American West, I’m shooting the TV.