Streaming columnist NICK OVERALL saddles up for a ride around the latest western dramas. 

WHILE for decades epic tales of gunslingers have been distilled by the cinema screen, in the last five years the genre has truly found a new home in the form of streaming television.

The western has been undergoing a transformation from two-hour films to 10-hour TV shows told over multiple episodes.

The latest example is “Billy the Kid”, a loosely historical eight-parter on Stan about the famous outlaw who, before the age of 22, had killed at least eight men – and was six feet under himself.

How does a series about this notorious cowboy distinguish itself when its titular character has been in more than 50 film and TV outings before?

The extended form of storytelling provided by its eight episodes means viewers are cast right back to when Billy was actually just a kid.

From the get-go the audience drops in on the outlaw’s broken childhood, before subsequent episodes reveal the trials and tribulations of his teens that led him down his path of crime.

The result is a largely straightforward, yet engaging account of the journey that led Billy, or as he’s far less known, William H Bonney, to become one of the most infamous gunslingers of all time.

Little known lead actor Tom Blyth takes on what no doubt would be a daunting role, but does a good job making the spurred boots suit him. He’s also joined by Aussie star Daniel Webber, who accompanies Kid as the outlaw Jesse Evans.

The good: there’s a truly detailed recreation of the late 19th century with some great costumes and sets. The cinematography is easily worthy of something that one would pay for a ticket to see at the movies.

The bad: The show does drag its heels a bit in getting to the action. When it finally arrives it’s certainly worth it, but the series would have benefitted from whipping the reins a little.

The ugly: “Billy the Kid” opts to stay very by the book rather than taking any real creative risks. For Western die-hards that won’t matter, but for many casual viewers looking for a new series to get hooked on, it might not quite do the trick.

Stan is holding the series up as a new focal point for the platform, and one it hopes will draw in viewers as blockbuster western television continues to take up residence in streaming.

PARAMOUNT Plus, still a relatively new addition to the streaming landscape, is certainly a competitor with its western centerpiece “1883”.

This 10-episode series tells the tale of a family’s epic and dangerous journey across the west in the aftermath of the American Civil War, and their fight to establish what would become Yellowstone Ranch. Yes, “1883” is a prequel to “Yellowstone”.

Showrunner Taylor Sherdian said he considers the limited series to essentially be a “10-hour-long movie”. Indeed, the bingeable format of entertainment brought about by streaming has let westerns truly lean more into the epic form of storytelling they’re known for, giving writers more time to flesh out characters and the conflicts they find themselves in.

WHEN it comes to the current pinnacle of this, Netflix is the clear winner with its seven-part series “Godless”.

This underrated cowboy romp tells the tale of a town left without men after a mining accident kills almost the entire male population.

In the aftermath, the women are left to their own devices to defend themselves from the dangers of the west, including Frank Griffin, a mercurial madman who leads a gang of ruthless outlaws and who is menacingly played by Jeff Daniels.

When one of Griffin’s former gang members betrays him and is forced to hide in the town of women, it’s only a matter of time before the outlaws track him down.

What it all builds to is a climactic, hour-long final shootout that ties off the series with an explosive finale.

“Godless” was originally pitched as a movie but director Scott Frank was encouraged to transform the idea into a series for Netflix. Its success, and the success of shows such as “1883” and “Billy the Kid”, means this is something we’re only going to see happen as more and more the genre rides into a new frontier.