Karl Urban's 16-Year-Old Western Miniseries Aged Like Milk Under Texas Sun

Summary:

• Now the star of The Boys, Karl Urban has plenty of hidden gems in his actor's portfolio
• One of the said gems, however, might have been better off staying hidden
• The fans of the western book series the show is based on, however, are divided on whether it's a yay or a nay

Hardly anyone can deny that Karl Urban is a perfect Billy Butcher; basically, the actor's appearance and presence makes him a perfect action hero, or, say, a great western character.

Probably, that's exactly what CBS executives thought 16 years ago, in 2007, when they released a western miniseries titled Comanche Moon. In the show, Urban portrays a Texas Ranger named Woodrow Call, who is a part of, uhm, "a volunteer troop to contain the Comanche." The second main character, Augustus "Gus" McCrae portrayed by Steve Zahn is also a part of the group.

The series takes place in early 19th century in The Republic of Texas, and the massacre of Comanche chiefs is basically its opening event.

Besides, Karl Urban's character is a walking checklist of a toxic bachelor: he wouldn't share his emotions; he rejects his girlfriend Maggie because, naturally, he has trouble getting close to people; he even denies his son his name!

But the main thing is that the miniseries is actually a part of the TV adaptation of the Lonesome Dove book series, which fans love and still hail as a perfect western. That said, not every single fan enjoyed what the TV adaptation did with the source material.

"The show is a bit dated and not near as good as the book but well worth a shot," Redditor treetreebeer said.

Still, many Lonesome Dove fans beg to differ and insist that Karl Urban's Comanche Moon is a must-watch. Some even claim that the book is sometimes more annoying that the miniseries!

"The dialog is straight from the book. Sure you lose some of the inner monologues, Captain Call’s thinking alone is a prime example, but it’s incredibly faithful. Trust me, you’re going to be way more annoyed with the timeline and continuity issues going from Comanche Moon to Lonesome Dove than anything missing from the mini series," Redditor WTX_WildlifeGuy14 noted.

Urban's Comanche Moon has a pretty average IMDb rating of 7.1 — so even though it doesn't necessarily fly in 2024, it may be a great watch. Still, it is only available for purchase on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, or YouTube.

Lonesome Dove Has a Decent Adaptation

However, if you're a fan of all things western — or a Lonesome Dove fan in particular — you may be pleased that there is a universally beloved adaptation everyone agrees is superior.

We're talking about the Lonesome Dove miniseries from 1989. With Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones as main stars, the adaptation enjoys universal love on Rotten Tomatoes — 98% from critics and 92% from viewers.

If you feel like you need a full immersion into the world of the Lonesome Dove series, then the eponymous miniseries is available to watch on Peacock, Vudu, Prime Video, and Apple TV.