Longmire is a quiet, deliberate Western crime drama that knows exactly what it wants to be and rarely strays from that. Based on Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire mysteries, the series follows Sheriff Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) as he investigates major crimes in fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming. It ran for six seasons, first on A&E and later on Netflix, before ending its run in 2017.
Trailer, via Dexter Moorgan.
Walt Longmire and His Wyoming
The show opens with Longmire rebuilding his life after the death of his wife. He works with his deputy Vic Moretti (Katee Sackhoff) and his daughter Cady (Cassidy Freeman), while his longtime friend Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips) offers tribal insight into cases involving the local Cheyenne reservation. The reservation has its own police force, with authority over most crimes but not capital offenses.
Longmire handles murder, kidnapping, and corruption with a steady hand. The show avoids flashy stunts in favor of character-driven investigation. Robert Taylor plays Longmire as calm and observant, a man who thinks through problems rather than reacting to them. Katee Sackhoff brings sharp wit and professionalism to Vic, while Lou Diamond Phillips grounds the show’s cultural politics with warmth and wisdom.
The Reservation and Its Jurisdiction
The show’s central tension comes from competing authorities. The tribal police handle most crimes on the reservation, but federal law takes precedence for serious offenses. This creates friction between Longmire and the tribal leadership, particularly as gambling and land disputes arise.
The show treats these issues with care, avoiding stereotypes about Native American life. Instead, it presents a community with its own laws, customs, and political interests. The show’s writers respect the Cheyenne characters enough to let them operate on their own terms, even when those terms conflict with Longmire’s jurisdiction.
Six Seasons, One Final Season
Longmire was A&E’s highest-rated original drama. But the network announced in August 2014 that it would not renew the series after the third season. Warner Horizon Television offered it to other networks, and Netflix picked it up starting with season four.
The move to Netflix changed the show’s profile. The platform released the final season on November 17, 2017. The show is no longer available for streaming via Netflix in the United States, though it remains on several other services.
What Works, What Doesn’t
The show’s strengths are its writing and its performances. Taylor and Sackhoff have a natural chemistry, and Phillips anchors the show’s moral center. The pacing is slow by modern standards, which can frustrate viewers used to fast editing. But the show rewards patience, offering long stretches of character interaction that build genuine stakes.
The show also struggles with its genre identity. It calls itself a Western, but it rarely features cowboys or horseback chases. Instead, it leans on crime procedural elements, which dilutes the Western label without fully committing to police-procedural conventions either. The result is a show that sits between genres, which is not necessarily a flaw but requires a willingness to accept a hybrid approach.
A Solid, If Uneven, Run
Longmire is a well-made show with a clear vision, even if that vision is not always consistent across its six seasons. The first three seasons on A&E established the show’s tone, while the final three on Netflix maintained that tone with a stronger budget. The show’s final season resolves Longmire’s personal arc satisfactorily, though the resolution leaves some open questions about the larger world of Absaroka County.
The show’s handling of Native American themes is careful and respectful, which is notable given how often TV fails in this area. The show’s creators chose to ground the series in a specific cultural context rather than treat it as exotic background music, and that decision pays off in the quality of the storytelling.
Key Facts
- Creator: John Coveny, Hunt Baldwin
- Network: A&E (seasons 1–3), Netflix (seasons 4–6)
- Episodes: 63 total
- First aired: June 3, 2012
- Last aired: November 17, 2017
- Critical score: 7.7/10
Ranking the Seasons
- Seasons 4–6 (Netflix): Stronger budgets, tighter storytelling, satisfying conclusion.
- Seasons 1–3 (A&E): Solid foundation, but hampered by limited resources.
- Overall: Consistent quality with occasional dips in pacing.
Longmire is a show that respects its audience’s intelligence. It trusts viewers to follow a slow investigation and a complicated jurisdictional landscape. For fans of character-driven crime dramas, it delivers a steady, rewarding experience. For viewers wanting action and spectacle, it will feel slow. The show’s commitment to its central characters and its thoughtful treatment of Native American themes justify its reputation as one of A&E’s most successful original series.
Longmire earns its 7.7 out of 10.
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