Every Western fan needs to check out this seven-episode drama series on Netflix that deserves a much better Rotten Tomatoes score and a lot more audience recognition. Netflix has a strong stable of original Western TV shows and movies in its library, with Academy Award-nominated fare like The Power of the Dog and more action-oriented shows like American Primeval.
The streamer has found some success in the genre, and the miniseries in particular have been valuable additions to Netflix. Though it's changing that perception, for years, Netflix was a service that would cancel TV shows at the drop of a 10-gallon hat. Miniseries ensure the full story will be told, even if Netflix decides the viewership is below its undisclosed standards.
Godless is one of these Western miniseries. A seven-episode drama show, Godless premiered in November 2017 from creator Scott Frank, whose other TV shows include Monsieur Spade, Dept. Q, and The Queen's Gambit. It's a show that landed well with critics, but doesn't seem to have the same cultural staying power as other Netflix shows.
The series follows Roy Goode (Jack O'Connell), an outlaw on the run in 1884. He's not on the run from the authorities, however, but from his old mentor and boss, Frank Griffin (Jeff Daniels), after becoming disillusioned with Frank's violence. Roy stumbles his way to La Belle, New Mexico, a town consisting almost entirely of women.
After a mining accident killed nearly all the men in town, the women there have managed on as well as they can. Roy's arrival coincides with mining interests descending on the town, and the citizens have to take on enemies from every direction, enemies who underestimate their opponents.
Godless is a fantastic drama, Western, and miniseries, and one of the hidden gems that gets lost in Netflix's immense library of shows and movies. The series stars a renowned cast, including a pre-rocket-to-stardom O'Connell. He's joined by Scoot McNairy, Merritt Wever, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Tantoo Cardinal, Sam Waterson, Michelle Dockery, and the previously mentioned Daniels.
Despite the impressive cast, Godless doesn't often get brought up among the best Netflix original shows, perhaps a result of it coming fairly early in the life cycle of Netflix's original series machine. In 2017, Godless was competing with 13 Reasons Why, Ozark, Mindhunter, and The Punisher for eyeballs. That's a tough group stage for any show.
Godless deserves its accolades more than most Netflix shows, however. The series has an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a strong score, but it feels like a series that deserved something higher. The series earned 12 Emmy nominations at the 70th ceremony, and won in three categories, a testament to its many strengths.
The show's central conceit, a Western starring mostly women, is a brilliant idea on its own and perhaps a little frustrating that it took until 2017 to do it in a way that got mainstream attention. When you add in the acting, the set and costume design, and the gorgeous cinematography, you have something special.
Godless is a violent, visceral story that uses all the tropes of classic Westerns but with a slight spin. It's not just that it's a female-dominated series in a traditionally male-dominated genre; it's what that change in manages to wring out of a story that on the surface might not feel all that unique.
