One of the most popular shows today is the Paramount Network’s Yellowstone, which follows the Dutton family, led by Kevin Costner’s John Dutton, who owns and runs one of the largest ranches in the country, the Yellowstone Ranch in Montana. The sprawling cattle ranch, owned by several generations of Duttons, is under constant threat by scheming developers, environmental activists and Native Americans seeking historical justice, not to mention the forces of globalization that threaten to run the family legacy out of business.
Writer and director Taylor Sheridan’s hit series has been praised for its breathtaking cinematography, complex characters, gritty realism and modern relevance. Indeed, the series’ success has inspired two prequels, 1883 and 1923, with other Yellowstone-related series under serious consideration. It has also been compared to successful Western TV classics like Dallas, The Virginian and Bonanza. However, there’s another Western TV show that deserves more recognition as a precursor and inspiration for Yellowstone: The Big Valley.
Airing on ABC from 1965 to 1969 for four seasons, The Big Valley was set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California. The show follows the dramatic lives of the Barkley family, one of the wealthiest and largest ranch-owning families in the West, from 1884 to 1888. The family consists of Victoria Barkley, the matriarch and widow of Thomas Barkley; Jarrod Barkley, her eldest son and family lawyer; Nick Barkley, her second son and a hot-tempered rancher; Heath Barkley, her informally adopted son (Heath is the illegitimate son from Thomas Barkley’s affair with another woman); and Audra Barkley, her only daughter and youngest child, beautiful, innocent and a bit spoiled.
Today’s audiences may find The Big Valley a bit PG and even campy (it was Sixties TV, after all), but for its time the show was cutting-edge. It featured a strong female lead in Victoria Barkley, who is not only a wealthy landowner but also a compassionate humanitarian who fought for social justice, including women’s suffrage, the rights of Hispanics and Native Americans and the abolition of slavery. It also had one of the first black screenwriters in American television history, Robert L. Goodwin, who wrote several episodes including “Joshua Watson,” which dealt with racial discrimination against black cowboys.
Something of a “proto-Yellowstone,” The Big Valley explores themes that are relevant to this day: family loyalty versus individual freedom, technology, moral ambiguity, violence, love, vengeance, greed, power and the preservation of the American West. The series dramatically depicts the Barkleys facing various challenges and conflicts from their enemies as well as their allies: land grabbers, cattle rustlers, bank robbers, corrupt politicians, rival ranchers, outlaws and railroad tycoons to name just a few.
And like Yellowstone, some of the most formidable challenges can manifest themselves from deep within. Both shows deal sensitively with memories of war and PTSD: Yellowstone‘s Kayce Dutton is a former Navy Seal who faces demons from his time in combat. In The Big Valley, both Jarrod and Nick Barkley served in the Civil War, and both carry the memories of having served in the bloody conflict.
The Big Valley was one of the most popular Western TV shows of its era, winning several awards, including two Emmys for Barbara Stanwyck’s performance as Victoria Barkley. It also launched or boosted the careers of many actors, including Lee Majors (who later starred in The Six Million Dollar Man), Linda Evans (who later starred in Dynasty) and Charles Briles (who later appeared in Gunsmoke).
The Big Valley may not be as widely known or appreciated as Yellowstone today, but it deserves more recognition as one of the shows that paved the way for modern neo-Westerns. If you’re big fan of Yellowstone or Westerns in general and like me you’re anxiously waiting for the next seasons of Yellowstone and 1923, check out The Big Valley. It just might satisfy that hankering.
