# Comanche Moon (2008)

> Texas Rangers Woodrow Call and Gus McCrae confront Comanche warriors and outlaws on a brutal, lawless frontier while their friendship and tragic romances are tested.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/16891

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 3
- Episode runtime: 90 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: western, drama
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Steve Zahn, Linda Cardellini, Val Kilmer, Elizabeth Banks, Melanie Lynskey, Karl Urban, Adam Beach, Keith D. Robinson
- TMDB rating: 7.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783328/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: brutal
- Tone: elegiac, rugged, melancholic, sweeping, tense

## What critics say

Viewers praise the scenery, the well-developed characters and the cast's performances, while the overall reception remains unclear.

## Synopsis

Comanche Moon (2008) is an American western miniseries created for CBS, a three-episode prequel to Larry McMurtry's novel Lonesome Dove. Set on the rugged Texas frontier of 1858 and jumping ahead to 1865 just after the Civil War, it follows Texas Rangers Woodrow Call, played by Karl Urban, and Gus McCrae, played by Steve Zahn, as they ride against Comanche warriors, ruthless outlaws, and a land with little law. Their fierce friendship anchors the story, and the drama turns on the personal cost of survival, the pull of tragic romances, and the violence that marks every confrontation. Val Kilmer, Linda Cardellini, Elizabeth Banks, and Wes Studi appear among the principal cast. Each of the three long episodes builds its engine from riding, skirmishes, and hard choices made far from any settlement. The tone is sweeping and elegiac, with colorful landscapes and a melancholy sense of an older Texas passing away. Fans of Lonesome Dove, Deadwood, and Hell on Wheels will find resonance in its rough frontier texture and its mix of brotherhood and heartbreak.

## Shows like Comanche Moon

- [The Son (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/59178)
- [Hell on Wheels (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/1317)
- [1923 (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/119818)
- [Klondike (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/51369)
- [Streets of Laredo (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/41112)
- [Walker Independence (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/125162)
- [Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/23016)
- [1883 (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/98430)
- [American Primeval (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/136344)
- [Return to Lonesome Dove (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/5431)

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