‘Gunsmoke’ Monthlong Marathon Planned for 70th Anniversary originally appeared on Parade.
Gunsmoke is taking over the airwaves in honor of the 70th anniversary of its premiere.
MeTV is celebrating with a monthlong marathon that will last from Saturday, August 30, to Saturday, September 27. Every week, the network will select a theme and air correlating episodes each weekday at 1 p.m. ET/PT. The channel will also show Gunsmoke’s five made-for-TV movies every Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/PT.
The weekly themes include “A Week of Firsts” featuring first episodes and cast appearances, “Best of Matt Dillon Week” in honor of James Arness’ character, “Best Characters of Dodge City” highlighting the show’s notable costars and “Guest Stars Week” showcasing famous actors in guest roles.
As for the movies, 1987’s Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge is scheduled to air on Aug. 30 followed by 1990’s Gunsmoke: The Last Apache on Sept. 6, 1992’s Gunsmoke: To the Last Man on Sept. 13, 1993’s Gunsmoke: The Long Ride on Sept. 20 and 1994’s Gunsmoke: One Man’s Justice on Sept. 27.
The Gunsmoke TV show was adapted from a radio series that ran from April 1952 to June 1961. The Western followed U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon and the citizens of Dodge City, Kansas, in the years after the Civil War.
The television adaptation premiered on Sept. 10, 1955, on CBS. In addition to Arness in the role of Dillon, the original cast was rounded out by Milburn Stone as Galen “Doc” Adams, Amanda Blake as Kathleen “Kitty” Russell and Dennis Weaver as Chester B. Goode, with Ken Curtis joining the series in 1964 as Festus Haggen.
Gunsmoke aired for 20 seasons and 635 episodes until its March 31, 1975, series finale, setting a record for the longest-running primetime live-action TV show at the time. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit later overcame Gunsmoke when its 21st season began in 2022.
‘Gunsmoke’ Monthlong Marathon Planned for 70th Anniversary first appeared on Parade on Aug 20, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
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