WEST-Western Entertainment Series Television To Launch This Fall

Saddle up for the 10th over-the-air national broadcast television network from Weigel Broadcasting Co. The home of MeTV (and MeTV Toons, Start TV, Heroes & Icons, Catchy Comedy, MeTV+, Story Television, Dabl and MOVIES!) has announced a fall 2025 launch for WEST-Western Entertainment Series Television, which will showcase a library of over 30 classic western-themed television series.

The array of scripted programming slated for West-Western Entertainment Series Television includes Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Maverick, Rawhide, The Virginian, Wanted: Dead or Alive and Wagon Train.

“WEST will be dedicated 24/7 to showcasing the most beloved and iconic classic TV western series, with a massive library of titles that will make this the premier western network on television,” said Neal Sabin, Vice Chairman Weigel Broadcasting Co. in a statement. “Featuring compelling story lines and narratives with universal adult appeal, the programs on WEST promise to transport viewers on an entertainment journey filled with excitement and adventure.”

“We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the WEST network, a move that has been driven by years of client feedback and growing demand,” sadded Jeff Nash, SVP Network Sales for Weigel. “This expansion represents another major milestone for us, and we’re proud to deliver exactly what our partners have been asking for.”

To whet your appetite for WEST, here are some fun factoids about their upcoming roster of western dramas.

1) Originally airing on CBS for 20 seasons, from 1955 to 1975, Gunsmoke produced a massive 635 episodes. A typical scripted series on a streaming service normally produces just 6 to 10 episodes per season. If it was 10, it would take that show 63 to 64 seasons to reach the Gunsmoke episode tally! If it was just 6…fuggedaboutit!

2) Lorne Greene as patriarch Ben Cartwright on Bonanza is considered by many to be the ultimate TV father. But Greene was only 13 years older than his on-screen sons, Pernell Roberts (Adam) and Dan Blocker (“Hoss”).

3) When James Garner as Bret Maverick temporarily left Maverick after the third season following a legal dispute, Roger Moore pre-James Bond was added to the cast as cousin Beau Maverick. Once Garner returned, the two actors would often alternate as series leads, with an occasional episode featuring the two together.

4) The Virginian, the first 90-minute western drama, was renamed The Men from Shiloh in the final season in 1970 to 1971. It ran for nine seasons.

5) Wanted: Dead or Alive, starring Steve McQueen, was originally introduced in a March 1958 episode of Trackdown, a 1957 to 1959 western drama featuring Robert Culp. It ran for three seasons (and 94 episodes).

6) Airing for eight seasons (1957 to 1962 on NBC; 1962 to 1965 on ABC), Wagon Train was inspired by the films The Big Trail in 1930 and Wagon Master in 1950, which both featured Wagon Train star Ward Bond. In an unexpected connection to Star Trek, creator Gene Roddenberry described the original concept of the classic sci-fi entry as a “Wagon Train to the Stars.” Gene L. Coon, a writer/producer on Star Trek who invented the Klingons and developed other elements of the Star Trek universe) wrote 23 episodes of Wagon Train.