Netflix’s Godless thrives by embracing the best and side-stepping the worst Western tropes

USA Today

“Godless is an old-fashioned Western and wholeheartedly embraces the genre, from the twangy score to wide shots of the idyllic New Mexico landscape to the dastardly bearded villain,” says Kelly Lawler. “But while it revels in the Western's best elements, the series wisely discards some of the more problematic devices, such as portraying Native Americans as savages or female characters as waif-like arm candy. The series isn't revolutionary, but embracing its female, LGBTQ and of-color characters instead of stereotyping or suppressing them gives Godless a freshness despite its standard Western narrative. Inevitably, it's a story about a town of underdogs defending themselves against a powerful villain. But those underdogs look different than the Magnificent Seven.”

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