In the American West, a cursed gun brings misfortune to those who possess it. The pistol’s origins are unknown, but its dark legend suggests that the weapon isn’t man-made. (Spoiler: it is not.) That’s the concept behind “Dead Man’s Gun,” a Western anthology series that aired on Showtime for two seasons in the late ’90s. But this is no ordinary Western series, as the episodes’ eerie plots and moralistic twist endings are more reminiscent of those of the “Twilight Zone” franchise than your average horse opera.
The horror and Western genres make for strangely compelling bedfellows on “Dead Man’s Gun” — and it’s much more grim than, say, “The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.,” a weird, horror-lite Western series starring Bruce Campbell that aired on Fox just a few years before. For example, in the episode titled “The Ripper,” a Scotland Yard detective travels to the Old West to investigate a series of murders that point toward British history’s most notorious serial killer being the culprit. (I’m sure you can guess which one.) Meanwhile, “The Trapper” is more overtly spooky as it deals with spirits, but most viewers will root for the supernatural entity as the real villain is a human creep. The list goes on.
Other episodes are more down-to-earth, which is a testament to the variety “Dead Man’s Gun” offers. “The Twilight Zone” also provides a diverse range of stories, and fans of the Western episodes of Rod Serling’s classic show will find plenty to enjoy here. What’s more, “Dead Man’s Gun” and “The Twilight Zone” have another thing in common — great casting.
Read more: The 15 Best Western TV Shows Ever, Ranked
Dead Man’s Gun attracted some big actors
Two men in bowler hats inspecting a corpse in Dead Man’s Gun – Showtime
“The Twilight Zone” features lots of legendary actors, including Robert Red Redford, Peter Falk, Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds, and numerous “Star Trek” alumni. Similarly, “Dead Man’s Gun” is a who’s who of some of Hollywood’s finest, with most episodes featuring recognizable faces from other movies and TV shows you’ve seen before.
For a start, “Dead Man’s Gun” was narrated by country star-turned actor Kris Kristofferson, whose most infamous box office flop almost killed the Western genre, ironically enough. Still, if his role on “Dead Man’s Gun” tells us anything, it’s that he can’t kill the genre because Westerns have never truly died — not even in the 1990s, when they were definitely far from hip. Of course, Kristofferson is also remembered for “Blade” (one of the best superhero movies out there), which hit the big screen while “Dead Man’s Shoes” was still on the air.
Elsewhere, some of the show’s other guest stars include John Ritter, Henry Winkler, Meat Loaf, Stephen Lang, and Michael Moriarty, all of whom have some serious pedigree. What’s more, the series was co-created by Ed Spielman, the showrunner behind both the 1970s small screen hit “Kung Fu” and the Emmy-nominated “The Young Riders.” Needless to say, “Dead Man’s Gun” boasts a lot of talent in front of and behind the camera, and it’s a shame the series isn’t more well-known.
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