After reading and reviewing the novel Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry in July 2026, I learned that there was a TV miniseries made after the movie in 1989.

Above are Gus on the left (Robert Duvall) and Call on the right (Tommy Lee Jones). The series is comprised of four movies of 90 minutes each. Other notable actors, who were not as notable yet back in 1989, are Danny Glover as Deets – a perfect casting, and Steve Buscemi as Luke, and Chris Cooper as July Johnson.

The script follows the book very closely, sometimes to minute details. Of course, it leaves out much depth. After all, the first edition of Lonesome Dove was 840 pages. All that detail can’t be crammed into a 360 minute miniseries.

I very much enjoyed the visuals the movies  provided to round out my imagination concerning the characters. When I eventually read Lonesome Dove again, I won’t be able to think of Gus and Call without thinking of Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones.

If you read the book, you will enjoy the miniseries.