Entertainment
This 10/10 Western Series Got a Forgotten Sequel That’s Finally Free To Watch
If you’ve been around the Western space for any amount of time, then you have absolutely heard high praise for Lonesome Dove. The powerful four-part CBS miniseries featured Tommy Lee Jones as Captain Woodrow F. Call and the late Robert Duvall as Augustus “Gus” McCrae, two roles that would not only define their respective careers, but would be unmatched in the genre. There’s a reason it’s so beloved as a classic, with many simply considering it a six-and-a-half-hour film rather than a miniseries. In fact, Lonesome Dove was so immensely popular that CBS boldly tried its hand at continuing the saga beyond Larry McMurtry‘s original epic novel with the four-part 1993 follow-up Return to Lonesome Dove. Despite the notable cast changes, it manages to carry on the story in style.
‘Return to Lonesome Dove’ Was a Controversial but Effective Western
After Lonesome Dove proved a ratings success in a post-Western age where most networks had killed any long-form series that resembled a horse opera, CBS jumped at the opportunity to continue the epic saga. At the time, McMurtry had yet to write any sequels or prequels to the original novel, and so the network had no source material to go on. Deciding to focus more heavily on his feature film career and pivot away from television, Tommy Lee Jones declined reprising his role as Captain Call (likewise, Anjelica Huston failed to return as Clara Forsythe Allen). For some networks, that would have been the end of it. Just as Robert Duvall perfectly embodied everything about the complicated Gus McCrae from McMurtry’s novel, so too did Jones solidify Call in our imaginations. He simply was the perfect cast. But CBS was determined, and in that determination cast Jon Voight as Captain Call (and Barbara Hershey as Clara Allen).
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As a fan of the original miniseries, Voight only wanted to sign on for the sequel if it was a story he believed was worth telling. “We know that there’s a job left for Woodrow to do,” the actor told The Roanoke Times in defense of his decision. “And indeed, we want him to fulfill those last wishes of Gus.” That wish? Finally acknowledging young Newt Dobbs (Ricky Schroder) as his son, something that Call continues to struggle with in this installment. And yet, it’s that tension between the captain and his long-time cowboy that is part of what makes Return to Lonesome Dove work despite the inevitable comparisons to the original. Return picks up exactly where Lonesome Dove left off, pushing Call to take responsibility for his kin and admit his failures to himself. It may take the entire sixish-hour ordeal to get him there, but as with the original tale, it’s the journey and not the destination that brings it all together.
In the end, the on-screen changes weren’t the only differences made between the two miniseries’. Mike Robe replaced Simon Wincer as director and John Wilder took over writing duties from William D. Wittliff as well, which may explain the slight dip in narrative quality. At the time, critics took quite harshly to Return to Lonesome Dove, comparing it unfavorably to the mastery of the original without acknowledging its own distinct contributions to the saga. Some of the criticisms are more than fair, of course. Entertainment Weekly went so far as to deem the venture “pointless,” though later admitted that it’s still a “perfectly decent Western.” Perhaps it’s the lack of McMurtry source material to pull from or the general absence of Gus McCrae that dampers the spirits — though old Gus certainly still haunts this adventure — but Return to Lonesome Dove certainly isn’t near the quality of the original Western show. What it is, however, is a complex, intimate, and all-around-engaging “what if” that uses the familiar characters and landscape as a stage for which to tell a powerful drama about father and son, love and loss, revenge, and the complications that come with legacy, both building and receiving it.
‘Return to Lonesome Dove’ Even Sparked Another Western Sequel
There are plenty of bright spots in Return to Lonesome Dove that make the drama worth revisiting as a standalone tale. Newt’s journey from a worried right hand to becoming a man in his own right is a powerful one. Especially as he wrestles with the walking temptation that is 17-year-old Reese Witherspoon‘s Mrs. Ferris Dunnigan, the young wife of his new wealthy Montana benefactor (played by the magnificently cruel Oliver Reed). Likewise, newcomer Gideon Walker (played by Young Guns II star William Petersen) is another highlight, as he smooth-talks his way into the good graces of Clara Allen just as she suffers an unimaginable loss. Although returning stars Tim Scott and Chris Cooper have considerably less to do this time around as “Pea Eye” Parker and July Johnson, they are joined by capable newcomers who help carry the weight.
Return to Lonesome Dove did well enough to spark a sequel of its own, Lonesome Dove: The Series, which followed young Newt Call (now Scott Bairstow) as he returns to the title Texas town to make a new name for himself. The Western series ran two seasons on CBS, completing the network’s non-canonical saga. However, that wasn’t the end for Call and McCare. The same year Return to Lonesome Dove premiered, McMurtry published his official sequel to the original series titled Streets of Laredo. Two years later, it too was adapted into a miniseries, featuring a brand-new cast.
Return to Lonesome Dove
- Release Date
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1993 – 1993-00-00
- Directors
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Mike Robe