Godless’ seven-episode Western still outshines the Yellowstone universe

Westerns have surged on television in recent years, largely driven by Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe. Still, Netflix’s female-led miniseries Godless—released November 22, 2017—remains a clear example of what the genre can achieve in a compact format. The seven-episode drama follows outlaw Frank Griffin and his gang as they hunt Roy Goode, the betrayer who finds refuge in La Belle, a mining town run mostly by women.

Godless deliberately tells a complete story, building toward a climactic reckoning without the narrative sprawl that often comes with franchise-driven television. That self-contained structure keeps character arcs focused and gives the series a definitive end, avoiding the extended subplots that can emerge when a show is designed to keep expanding across seasons and spin-offs.

The series leans on atmosphere, character work, and cinematic craft under creator Scott Frank.

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