Karl Urban And Val Kilmer Crossed Paths In This Underseen Western Miniseries From The 2000s

Buena Vista Pictures

Though the Western ostensibly died in the 1960s and 70s, it never truly went away. There's been a steady supply of Oaters ever since, and some of them have gained widespread recognition. Take the 1989 CBS miniseries "Lonesome Dove," an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name that was a ratings hit and won widespread acclaim upon its debut. Almost two decades later, a prequel adaptation was made in the form of "Comanche Moon." While it wasn't quite the triumph of "Lonesome Dove," it was an underrated Western TV show that's worth watching.

The three-part Western miniseries aired on CBS in January 2008 and starred Karl Urban and Steve Zahn as Texas Rangers alongside Val Kilmer as their commanding officer. It was an adaptation of Larry McMurtry's 1997 novel of the same name, which served as the fourth and final installment in his "Lonesome Dove" series. The other three novels in that series had previously been adapted, starting with "Lonesome Dove" which was followed by "Return to Lonesome Dove" in 1993, "Streets of Laredo" in '95, and "Dead Man's Walk" in '96. Just to make things extra confusing, "Comanche Moon" was actually a prequel to "Lonesome Dove," and therefore  second in the chronology of the overarching story.

In the '89 adaptation of "Lonesome Dove," Robert Duvall played Texas Ranger Augustus McCrae opposite Tommy Lee Jones as his fellow ranger Woodrow Call. For the prequel adaptation, Kilmer, Zahn, and Urban were brought in, and while it was never going to live up to the 1989 miniseries, "Comanche Moon" deserved more attention than it ultimately got.

CBS

"Comanche Moon" was a six-hour, three-part series directed by Simon Wincer, who oversaw the original Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones adaptation back in 1989 but didn't return for any of the follow-up adaptations. That is, until the Val Kilmer and Karl Urban-led entry, and this time he came boasting a filmography that included "Free Willy" and a Billy Zane-led superhero flop that's also worthy of a second look today.

In "Comanche Moon," Steve Zahn plays Augustus McCrae while Urban plays Woodrow Call, both of whom are overseen by Kilmer's commanding officer Inish Scull. The story takes place during Call and McCrae's middle years as Texas Rangers in 19th-century, and sees them join a Ranger troop on the trail of three outlaws in the form of Comanches Buffalo Hump (Wes Studi) and Kicking Wolf (Jonathan Joss), along with Mexican bandit Ahumado (Sal Lopez). On their pursuit they're joined by Kickapoo tracker Famous Shoes (David Midthunder), and several other rangers dedicated to protecting the western frontier against the Comanches, who in turn are determined to defend their territory.

But it's not all hunting outlaws. Linda Cardellini plays McCrae's lover Clara Forsythe while Elizabeth Banks portrays Maggie Tilton, the mother of Call's son Newt (Joseph Castanon). Meanwhile, just like he did with one of the best Westerns of all time, "Tombstone," Kilmer easily steals the show as the aristocratic Mexican War hero, who when he's not leading the rangers is cavorting with his otherwise promiscuous wife Inez Scull (Rachel Griffiths). All the actors do a fine job of making their characters compelling, but Kilmer is the star here.

CBS

"Lonesome Dove" was a hit for CBS back in 1989, hence the multiple other adaptations that came in its wake. In fact, the Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones-led miniseries was surprisingly popular for a Western at the time, earning 18 Emmy nominations and seven wins, winning two Golden Globes, and gaining almost unanimous praise from critics (the miniseries maintains a 98% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes). Today, "Lonesome Dove" remains a groundbreaking miniseries that's well worth a watch over on Prime Video and easily one of the best miniseries of all time.

None of the follow-ups managed to match the success of the original, including "Comanche Moon." But the Val Kilmer/Karl Urban installment was a heck of a lot better than the other adaptations, especially the abysmal 1993 effort "Return to Lonesome Dove" which wasn't based on any Larry McMurtry books and was dubbed by Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune "a mess." For "Comanche Moon," however, McMurtry wrote the miniseries with his partner Diana Ossana, the same duo responsible for the Oscar-winning "Brokeback Mountain."

Still, critics at the time weren't too impressed, with Ginia Bellafante of the New York Times finding it to be "imperfectly cast." In his review for the Hollywood Reporter, Ray Richmond also wrote that the film "leads to an unsatisfying climax that doesn't quite connect." But there are plenty of fans on Letterboxd with one particularly insightful user noting how "the finale doesn't offer clarity or resolution in the conventional sense. Instead, it invites reflection: about responsibility, about adaptation versus surrender, about whether survival itself is enough." If that appeals, you can rent "Comanche Moon" from most of the usual platforms including Apple TV and Prime Video.