What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedLonesome Dove
Larry McMurtry · Book · 1988
If you loved Lonesome Dove, start with Lonesome Dove (1989) — a series from the same story. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Lonesome Dove across media.
What hooked you in Lonesome Dove was the way the immense, unforgiving scale of the American frontier forces characters to confront their deepest personal loyalties and moral limitations.
Start with the source
Adaptation
Lonesome Dove
Series · 1989
Films on the same thread
Brokeback Mountain
Ang Lee · Film · 2005
Explores: repressed desire, homophobia, masculinity.
Much like the bond between Gus and Call in Lonesome Dove, this film explores the complexities of male friendship and repressed emotions set against the backdrop of a lonely, rugged landscape.
Red River
Howard Hawks · Film · 1948
Shares a thread with Lonesome Dove: Manifest Destiny.
If the cattle drive in Lonesome Dove kept you captivated, you will appreciate this film for its intense focus on the friction between leadership styles and the personal toll of ambition.
Dances with Wolves
Kevin Costner · Film · 1990
Shares 2 threads with Lonesome Dove: Loss of Innocence, Epic Western.
This film mirrors the epic scope and historical weight of Lonesome Dove, offering a profound look at how individuals are transformed by their interactions with the vast, untamed American frontier.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
John Huston · Film · 1948
Explores: Greed, Paranoia, Moral Decay.
Lonesome Dove succeeds because of its gritty human dynamics, and this film provides a similarly dark, psychological examination of how greed and the harsh environment can erode the moral character of men.
Series on the same thread
1883
Taylor Sheridan · Series · 2021
Shares a thread with Lonesome Dove: Manifest Destiny.
Fans of the arduous journey depicted in Lonesome Dove will find a familiar intensity here, as this story captures the brutal reality of families seeking survival while pushing into unknown territory.
Into the West
Steven Spielberg · Series · 2005
Shares 2 threads with Lonesome Dove: Manifest Destiny, Epic Western.
The sweeping, multi-generational perspective of this series echoes the grand historical arc of Lonesome Dove, highlighting how personal lives are irrevocably shaped by the turbulent expansion of the American West.
Yellowstone
Taylor Sheridan · Series · 2018
Explores: Land Disputes, Family Loyalty, Wealth and Power.
Just as Lonesome Dove centers on the struggle to preserve a way of life, this series explores the high-stakes defense of a family legacy against an ever-changing and hostile modern world.
Rawhide
Series · 1959
Shares a thread with Lonesome Dove: Frontier Life.
The classic structure of the cattle drive in Lonesome Dove is the foundation of this show, focusing on the day-to-day leadership challenges and adventures faced by men on the trail.
Podcasts on the same thread
This American Life
This American Life · Podcast · 2026
Explores: The human condition, Personal narrative, Social observation.
If Lonesome Dove hit, This American Life shares the thread.
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe · Podcast · 2026
Explores: untold historical anecdotes, curiosity-driven learning, American cultural history.
If Lonesome Dove hit, The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe shares the thread.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Lonesome Dove based on a book?
Yes, Lonesome Dove is based on a 1988 novel written by Larry McMurtry. The book tells the story of a cattle drive from Texas to Montana and examines how one man's dream to create an empire impacts the lives of those around him.
How long is the Lonesome Dove TV adaptation?
The Lonesome Dove TV adaptation was released in 1989. It serves as a visual representation of the original 1988 book by Larry McMurtry, which chronicles a challenging cattle drive from Texas to Montana and the personal consequences of pursuing an empire.
What is the plot of Lonesome Dove?
Lonesome Dove follows a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. The narrative focuses on one man's ambition to establish an empire and the subsequent effects his dream has on the other characters involved in the journey, as detailed in Larry McMurtry's 1988 source material.
Should I watch the 1989 Lonesome Dove before reading the book?
You can experience the story through either the 1989 TV adaptation or the 1988 novel by Larry McMurtry. Both versions cover the same central plot regarding a cattle drive from Texas to Montana and the personal impact of a man's attempt to build an empire.