Gunsmoke was ranked as CBS's best western

The writers, recalls star James Arness, "had a manner of portraying the Old West that was more realistic than many Westerns of the time." Gunsmoke's "adult approach" to life on the prairie hit the bull's-eye: The long-running series was voted best CBS Western by59% of poll respondents, followed by The Wild, Wild West (18%); Have Gun Will Travel (11%); Rawhide (9%); and Wanted: Dead or Alive (3%).