Customer Reviews

Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

LDTOL is one of the best TV shows ever. It's right up there with the 1st season of Michael Mann's Crime Story from the mid 80's. This is the show HBO's Deadwood wishes it could be.

Start with the opening credits. The editing and the theme music of the credits themselves are worth the price of admission and a good precursor to the overall quality of the show. To break it down further, the opening shot of the credits, Call on his horse coming into town, is a knock out image. If they'd put it on a poster I'd buy it.

The characters in the show are complex and richly drawn, a testament to the quality of the shows writing. The tension between Call and Moseby is the highlight but all of players in LDTOL mesh seamlessly to the greater good of the show.

And finally, the actors. To hell with Will and Grace, the Clay Moseby character is the one Eric McCormack was meant to play. (And hopefully, the one he'll be remembered for once the immediately forgetable W&G leaves the air.) Scott Bairstow as Call completely dominates every scene he is in. Tracy Scoggins and Kelly Rowan are smoking hot but their sensuality is relentlessly downplayed through the course of the series.

Finally, the one big quibble.

The set comes in a five disc package. Why the creators couldn't manage the simple task of placing these episodes in their chronological order, by air date, is beyond me. For the serious fan who wants to view them in their intended order this is the sequence to use. (Note: the number in parens is the actual episode number. For the last two numbers, 1st Number- the CD, 2nd Number- Episode No. on CD in their order on the set).

__1st_______2nd________3rd________4th_________5th
(1)_1-1___(5) 2-1____(9)_3-1____(13) 4-1____(18) 5-2
(2) 1-2___(6) 1-4___(10)_3-2____(14) 4-2____(19) 5-1
(3) 1-3___(7) 2-4___(11)_2-3____(15) 4-3____(20) 5-3
(4) 2-2___(8) 3-3___(12)_3-4____(16) 4-4____(21) 5-4
_____________________________(17) 4-5____(22) 5-5


Starting with the end of disk one thru disk three they completely shuffled the deck with the episode order. The long narrative arcs and the character developments are scrambled to the point of distraction.

IMO you don't need any extras (director's commentary, promos, whatever) for this series. The quality of the writing, the acting and the production values sell themselves. If the bozos who packaged this set could just get the order right they would really have something.

Dont turn your back on Newt Call !!!

"Lonesome Dove: the Outlaw Years" is the complete second and final season of the Lonesome Dove tv seies. It has a remarkable change in style and pace, almost 180 degrees from season 1 - and thats is a good thing.

Shot entirely on location in scenic Alberta Canada uising a gray filter on the camera, the 2nd season takes on a darker more brooding more menacing feel. Chronologically 2 years after season 1 - once clean cut charachters now occupy both sides of the law to survive.

Once cute Newt Call (Scott Bairstow) is now a seasoned bounty hunter and the toughest man in the west who would rather shoot you than say hello. Charming Clay Mosby (Eric McCormack "Will and Grace") is now the brutal 'godfather' of Curtis Wells and will do anything to get his way. The sheriff, Austin Peale (Paul Johansson), would rather take a bribe instead of locking vile criminals up. The mayor, Josiah Peale (Paul Le Mat), is a drunk. The gunsmith, Mattie Shaw (Kelly Rowan "OC"), ironically, is also the undertaker. The blacksmith, Unbob Finch (Frank C. Turner), is a likeable half-wit his parents named after his older brother Bob and were too stupid to pick another name. The whorehouse is the largest building in town and the church sits vacant and in disrepair. The streets are mud like the real west not Hollywood. People wear the same dirty clothes episode after episode. Townsfolk are brutally murdered daily and those left alive drink themselves into a stupor to escape the pain.

Outlaw Years is one of my favorite TV series of all time !!!
Based on the best western if not the best mini series of all time.
If you liked the 1989 original miniseries at all you must see this just for the evolution of the character Newt Call.

But fans must beware... the episodes are out of order; characters die in one episode then are alive and well in the next. There are imperfections in picture and sound quality. And the biggest kicker - there are NO extras whatsoever.
So I give this program the highest rating imaginable for the story, but the dvd set is average only due to quality and complete and total lack of extras. Yes the set is cheap compared to complete seasons of other shows out these days but you get what you pay for here.
I have waited almost 10 years for this and wish the manufacturer would have spent more effort.

Taking place two years after the end of "Lonesome Dove: The Series", LD:TOY brings the return of Newt Call (played beautifully by Scott Bairstow) to the town of Curtis Wells. Still living there is his now money-hungry brother-in-law Austin (played by Paul Johansson of One Tree Hill), his looney father-in-law Josiah (Paul Le Mat), and his rival; the evil Clay Mosby (played to perfection by Eric McCormack). The town is now run by Mosby and is nothing like the town Call left after the death of his wife.
Call is a fantastic anti-hero, Mosby's the guy you love to hate, and Austin gets on your bad side from episode 1. Together they make this show a must see.
But... and I hate to do this. The company that put the set together didn't do it the justice it deserved. They placed the episodes out of order, didn't add DVD liner notes, didn't add any extras, and did a terrible job on the package design. A photo of Newt Call from LD:TS and not from LD:TOY in the inner "pages" being my biggest complaint.
Despite the minor flaws with packaging, this was a great series that deserves to be in your DVD collection. And a must have for all Western fans.

Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years has always gone way beyond any mediocre TV western for me. The characters are masterfully played and casted. My personal favorite portrayal being that of Francis Clay Mosby, former Confederate Colonel, played by Eric McCormack (pre-Will & Grace fame - yes, people, the man CAN act). With his Clint Eastwood-style one-liners, Mosby is a dark, tormented wonder of sorts. Just when you think you've got him figured out, he'll suprise you.

Also, there is Newt Call. I highly recommend buying Lonesome Dove: The Series to see WHY the main characters interact the way they do. This is especially true of Call and Mosby. In LD: TS, Mosby coveted Call's wife. Now, supposed years later, Call has returned as a bounty hunter in LD: The Outlaw Years and the show is much darker, yet more realistic and not as "Little House on the Prairie" as LD: TS started out to be. In my opinion, it took a better turn.

LD: The Outlaw Years is joined by some new faces that are also wonderfully cast and superbly acted. You see characters from LD:TS come into their own (which is not always good, but still great to watch lol).

LD: The Outlaw Years has spawned cult followings until present day (it was originally aired in 1995/1996 I believe).

I hope my review was helpful to you. Having never seen the original Lonesome Dove movies, I cannot say how this series actually stacks up, but I will say I do not give recommendations everyday and I guarantee this one will not steer you wrong (boo hiss, bad pun). lol

Really the best way see "The Outlaw Years," is in sequence without commercials. Most Westerns are built around a flat dusty, rut less Main Street. This Montana story has streets of mud. This gives a authentic feel reminiscences of McCabe & Mrs. Miller.

The complex characters are built up gradually. If you have seen some episodes without the previous you can get the wrong idea about whom they are. Get ready for a great story spread out over as long as you like.

I have the Lonesome Dove Collection and the Return to Lonesome Dove. I watch these DVDs in sequence. Now I have purchased the Lonesome Dove:Outlaw Years. I really enjoy these sequences even though each sequence is only for 45 minutes. All the Lonesome Dove movies are very good. They do not have the regular western movie backdrops. These are filmed showing the hardships endured by our forefathers in crossing the country to settle it. I strongly recommend the Lonesome Dove:Outlaw Years and the Lonesome Dove Collection including the Return to Lonesome Dove.

Lonesome Dove was one of the best television series ever produced. The episodes that comprise "The Outlaw Years" feature engrossing stories about realistic people that, like a good novel, just leave you wanting more. I can highly recommend this DVD set to anyone who enjoys good storytelling. While it is not necessary to see the first part of the series, it will help you to better understand the characters' motivations on TOY. I hope someone is smart enough to bring this show back to television someday with the same production values shown in the original

I have enjoyed viewing the Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years DVDs. For those of you who like the "modern" westerns, this is a must see. The actors & actresses portray their characters quite well. If you like Eric McCormack in "Will & Grace," you'll be surprised watching his character in LD:TOY.

i love westerns and try to see as many as i can. i loved the various lonesome dove miniseries but i never knew there was a tv series until i came across the dvd sets and picked them up. the first season is very different from the second season but this entire show is addictive viewing. i started with the first season a few weeks ago and i'm currently making my way through the outlaw years. season one contains 21 episodes and takes place immediately following return to lonesome dove as newt rides off to find his own dream and comes to the town of curtis wells. captain woodrow call also makes an appearance in season one. the second season is the outlaw years and it contains 22 episodes that reminded me of the grimness of the streets of laredo book and movie and it greatly captures the grit of the old west. the events that transpire at the end of season one and continue into season two are gut wrenching. as a lifelong western fan i'm very pleased with the dvd sets of both seasons of this series.

I just loved this darker of this series. Hanah's death seemed to bring out the dark side of those who loved her. This series had a gritty, sordid look which I think was more realistic of those times.