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The West

The West

1996Miniseries1 season9 episodes~60 min/epTV-PGMidcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

The West, sometimes marketed as Ken Burns Presents: The West, is a documentary film about the American Old West. It was directed by Stephen Ives and the executive producer was Ken Burns. The film originally aired on PBS in September 1996.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch The West?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The West streaming on PBS Documentaries via Prime Video and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Subscription

via Prime Video

Rent / Buy

BuyBuy

Highlights

What stands out about The West?

The West earns 3 badges, led by Top 5% of shows and Universally Loved.

  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood

Reception

Is The West worth watching?

The West's Midcredits score is the 96th percentile of all shows, from 2.4K ratings across 2 sources. 90% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

96th percentile

Better received than 96% of shows

94th percentile among Documentary93rd percentile among 1990s
Acclaim (how much people like it)95th
Approval (how many liked it)93rd

Acclaim

Universally Loved: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

84 /100

95th percentile of all shows

92nd percentile among Documentary94th percentile among 1990s

Rating distribution

Ratings pile up at 9–10 with almost no detractors — near-universal love.

Approval

How many liked it

90% liked it

93rd percentile of all shows

90th percentile among Documentary92nd percentile among 1990s
90% rated it 7–1010% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

58th percentile

2.4K ratings across platforms

83rd percentile among Documentary40th percentile among 1990s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 17% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps agree the series focuses heavily on Native American experiences and the negative impacts of white settlement, though they differ on whether this focus is appropriate or excessive.

Fans praised

  • balanced portrait with multiple perspectives on westward expansion
  • comprehensive coverage of events and individuals, including minorities
  • brutally honest treatment of Native American history and systemic dispossession

Detractors panned

  • overwhelmingly biased against white settlers, ignoring their contributions
  • neglects iconic Wild West figures like gunslingers and outlaws
  • presents a revisionist view that judges the past by modern morals

What stands out

Plot and storyDivisive60

comprehensive narrative of westward expansion, yet detractors find it narrow and biased

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • US vs non-US even

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 1996 · 9 episodes

  • S1E1

    The People (1500-1806)

    Sep 15, 199680 min
  • S1E2

    Empire Upon The Trails (1806-1848)

    Sep 16, 199680 min
  • S1E3

    The Speck Of The Future (1848-1856)

    Sep 17, 199680 min
  • S1E4

    Death Runs Riot (1856-1868)

    Sep 18, 199680 min
  • S1E5

    The Grandest Enterprise Under God (1868-1874)

    Sep 19, 199680 min
  • S1E6

    Fight No More Forever (1874-1877)

    Sep 20, 199680 min

Watch experience

What is The West like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, dark and charged — a slow-burn watch that leaves you thinking.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
ContemplativeElegiacMelancholic
Heaviest: throughout
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Warm
Told as
Episodic · 11% of shows: Loosely connected incidents rather than one driving plot.Anthology episodes · 6% of showsSingle-season story
ToneThe series presents its history with gravity and an unflinching but compassionate eye, allowing the events to speak for themselves.
The rideThe series sustains a reflective, somber mood across its runtime, with a consistent weight of historical recollection.
StructureThe series is structured as nine self-contained episodes, each focusing on different eras and themes within the overarching history, loosely linked chronologically.
Episode formatThe series is a 4-part documentary collection, with each episode focusing on a distinct theme or period, not a continuous storyline.
Season formatIt is a concluded one-season documentary spanning the whole westward movement as a single comprehensive narrative.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Thought-provokingHaunting · 9% of shows
Why it leaves you this wayThe series leaves the viewer contemplating the harsh truths of westward expansion long after the credits roll, with a somber sense of loss.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeThis is a historical documentary series covering the broad sweep of the American West, not a narrative with a single protagonist or plot arc. Booker archetypes do not apply.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfLegacySociety
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% (this title) · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10% (this title): Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% (this title) · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3% (this title)
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Society

Legacy · 3% of showsDisplacement · 1% of showsViolence · 2% of shows
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Societal stakes: Consequences reach a whole social order.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe series examines the legacy of westward expansion—how different peoples (settlers, Native Americans, immigrants) experienced displacement and violence that shaped the American identity.
StanceThe series presents multiple viewpoints with a neutral documentary stance, aiming to chronicle rather than celebrate or condemn.

The world

19th centuryWildernessRuralRealistic
Orchestral classicalFolkSupportive music · hybrid
SettingThe American frontier during westward expansion, from early exploration to the late 19th century.

Content guide

Is The West okay for kids?

TV-PG

The West is rated TV-PG.

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does The West have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The West?

Cast

Eli Wallach
as Andrew Jackson
Amy Madigan
as Mattie Oblinger
Fred Ward
as Charles Goodnight
Gary Sinise
as T. P. Eagan
Ben Lin
as Chung Sun

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What other shows share a tag with The West?

421 other shows share the rarest tag below, kind of show: docudrama. Each tag opens Browse with the shows that share it.