Back in the Saddle! Westerns Return on This New Channel

Published: June 20, 2025

Clint Eastwood in a scene from the television series 'Rawhide', Circa 1962. (Photo by CBS/Getty Images)

By Mallory Mattingly

You can finally get back in the saddle with your favorite westerns, thanks to MeTV’s new spinoff channel WEST.

WEST will air all your favorite nostalgic shows like BONANZA, GUNSMOKE, MAVERICK, THE VIRGINIAN, RAWHIDE, WAGON TRAIN, THE BIG VALLEY, THE WILD WILD WEST and many more.

“MeTV’s new spinoff channel will air more than 30 classic Western shows, starting this fall,” reported TV Insider on X.

MeTV’s new spinoff channel will air more than 30 classic Western shows, starting this fall. https://t.co/SSqJ3j0zNN

— TV Insider (@TVInsider) June 17, 2025

MeTV and WEST are subsidiaries of the Weigel Broadcasting Co., which also oversees networks like MeTV Toons, Start TV, Heroes & Icons, Catchy Comedy, MeTV+, Story Television, Dabl and more.

“WEST will be dedicated 24/7 to showcasing the most beloved and iconic classic TV Western series, with a massive library of titles that will make this the premier Western network on television,” Neal Sabin, vice chairman of Weigel Broadcasting Co., said in a press release, per Remind Magazine. “Featuring compelling story lines and narratives with universal adult appeal, the programs on WEST promise to transport viewers on an entertainment journey filled with excitement and adventure.”

“We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the WEST network, a move that has been driven by years of client feedback and growing demand,” Jeff Nash, SVP of network sales for Weigel, added. “This expansion represents another major milestone for us, and we’re proud to deliver exactly what our partners have been asking for.”

It’s not surprising Weigel is dedicating a whole channel to Westerns. A 2022 article from Men’s Health pointed out that interest in the genre is growing, especially after the pandemic and thanks to shows like YELLOWSTONE.

“I lived in Montana for many years and can confirm the effect that Yellowstone, in particular, has had of late,” said Andrew Patrick Nelson, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Film & Media Arts and an associate professor of film studies at the University of Utah. “There are social-media accounts dedicated to locals documenting the fantasies of folks who’ve relocated from California or the East Coast, asking for directions to the Dutton Ranch.”

“In popular culture, the American West has long functioned as a mythical space where people are able to imagine themselves leading alternative, more authentic and exciting lives,” he added.

In an article for Desert News, writer Heather Hansman gave voice to many Americans’ longing for cowboy culture and the west.

“Part of the cowboy fantasy is the emotional side: adventure, simplicity, tangible work,” she wrote, adding that Americans have always chased “open spaces,” starting with the first colonists.

“That freedom-seeking cowboy on the horizon has always been this complicated image that rises when people feel disenfranchised or hemmed in. It’s Americana at its most distilled, for better or worse,” Hansman said.

While actually living the cowboy life isn’t for everyone, the WEST channel will bring a glimpse of the experience right to your living room. The channel will release sometime this fall.

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