50 years after Marshal Matt Dillon's last draw, 'Gunsmoke' is a streaming hit

When the classical occidental play “Gunsmoke” finished its 20-year tally connected CBS successful 1975, Los Angeles Times professional Cecil Smith made a bold prediction.

“I person the feeling that the archetypal satellite colony we found volition beryllium watching ‘I Love Lucy,’” Smith wrote. “And astir apt ‘Gunsmoke.’”

We’re not rather determination connected the colonization front, but Smith’s prognostication connected viewing habits is close connected track.

“Gunsmoke,” the occidental play starring James Arness arsenic Marshal Matt Dillon, has doubly this twelvemonth ranked among Nielsen’s apical 10 database of most-streamed acquired bid alongside much modern favorites specified arsenic “Family Guy,” “NCIS” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” The programme scored 646 cardinal minutes viewed for the week of March 3-9 and 570 cardinal for the week of April 28-May 4.

“Gunsmoke,” which is owned by Paramount Global, was precocious added to NBCUniversal‘s streaming level Peacock. It has besides been a staple of Paramount+. But it gets the bulk of its assemblage from Pluto TV, Paramount Global’s escaped advertising-supported streaming service.

The enduring occurrence of the series, acceptable successful the frontier municipality of Dodge City, Kansas, successful the 1870s, demonstrates however each caller improvement of video depletion tin unlock the worth of beloved vintage titles. Since wrapping accumulation 50 years ago, “Gunsmoke” has ne'er gone away, uncovering fans connected cablegram (currently connected TV Land and INSP), location video formats and retro broadcast TV channels specified arsenic MeTV earlier it was discovered by the streaming generation.

“If there’s a large show, radical volition question it retired wherever it is,” said Neal Sabin, vice president of Weigel Broadcasting, which has carried “Gunsmoke” connected MeTV since 2006. The network’s daytime airing of the amusement regularly attracts much than 600,000 viewers.

“Gunsmoke” started arsenic a vigor play connected CBS successful 1952 with William Conrad voicing the pb role. The bid transitioned to tv successful 1955 arsenic a half-hour amusement with Arness taking implicit arsenic Dillon astatine the urging of his pal John Wayne, who turned down the role.

“Gunsmoke” became an contiguous hit, ranking arsenic television’s most-watched bid successful 4 of its archetypal 5 seasons and expanding to an hr successful 1961. It outlasted the question of westerns that saturated web TV schedules successful that epoch and was inactive landing successful Nielsen’s apical 10 prime-time shows successful the aboriginal 1970s. When “Gunsmoke” was near disconnected the CBS docket successful 1967 — seemingly owed to rising accumulation costs — the network’s founding owner, Bill Paley, and his wife, Babe, insisted that it return.

Dennis Weaver, left, and James Arness successful “Gunsmoke.”

(CBS)

Before “Gunsmoke,” astir occidental TV shows were aimed astatine kid audiences. “Gunsmoke” was for grown-ups. It was convulsive and often unflinching successful depicting the harshness of beingness connected the American frontier.

The writers and producers of “Gunsmoke” respected the show’s play mounting but besides had a consciousness for the times they lived in. Episodes from the archetypal fractional of the 1960s, which often featured a young Burt Reynolds arsenic a half-Comanche blacksmith successful Dodge City, play similar allegories astir racism arsenic the civilian rights question was simmering.

The amusement had singular consistency arsenic Arness and Milburn Stone, who played Doc, were successful their roles for the full run. Amanda Blake, who played saloon proprietor Kitty Russell, appeared successful 19 seasons. (Fans inactive statement whether the Miss Kitty and Dillon characters were an item.)

Sabin believes “Gunsmoke” whitethorn beryllium seeing an uptick successful viewing arsenic audiences thin to look to familiarity and comfortableness during times of uncertainty. “Gunsmoke” besides provides a leader with a beardown motivation compass.

“Matt Dillon represents a batch of what we don’t person close now,” Sabin said.

Dan Cohen, main contented licensing contented serviceman for Paramount Global and president of Republic Pictures, said helium isn’t amazed by the resilience of “Gunsmoke,” arsenic the assemblage for westerns is profoundly loyal, adjacent extracurricular the U.S.

Buyer request for “Gunsmoke” among planetary broadcasters has ever been strong. The bid presently airs successful Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Israel.

Cohen said the amusement has apt gotten a caller boost from the monolithic popularity of “Yellowstone” and its unchangeable of Taylor Sheridan-created spinoffs, which Paramount Global besides sells astir the world.

“There is simply a halo effect that westerns are seeing internationally,” Cohen said. “When we licence ‘Yellowstone,’ it leads to the speech of, ‘Do you person thing other benignant of similar it?’ ‘Gunsmoke’ is our answer.”