Television series

The Wild Wild West

A Secret Service adventure series that splices westerns with spy-fi gadgetry. James West is the action hero; Artemus Gordon is the tech wizard and master of disguise. They travel a fantastical 1870s America by private train, taking down villains who blend period villainy with science-fiction schemes. It's lighthearted, inventive, and made for pure pleasure.

TVMaze rating4.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like a spy caper where the gadgets are proudly far-fetched and the disguises do much of the acting, with a Victorian-West sense of fun and a hero who thinks on his feet.

Skip it if you want a western with grit and dusty realism, since this is a bright, gadget-driven adventure that trades saddle-sore authenticity for playful invention.

What it asks of you: Hour-long episodes that stand alone make it easy to dip in, but over 104 episodes it rewards a taste for light, episodic repetition and a tolerance for dated sets.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Avengers1961

Steed and Mrs. Peel share the same DNA: witty, capable partners in a surreal Cold War playground where genre rules bend. British spy-fi with the same playful tone and impeccable chemistry between leads.

But Slower pacing and more abstract plotting than The Wild Wild West; some episodes lean heavily into camp that might feel dated.

The Avengers poster

Mission: Impossible1966

The same era's answer to secret agent gadgetry and teamwork. Each episode is a puzzle where the impossible becomes routine through preparation, disguise, and ingenuity—Artemus would fit right in.

But More procedural and less character-driven. There's less of the charm and chemistry that makes West and Gordon tick.

Mission: Impossible poster

Batman1966

Peak 1960s camp adventure: colorful, knowing, fast-paced, and genuinely funny. It has the same DNA of absurdity played straight, with action and invention driving every scene.

But The humor is broader and the violence more cartoonish. If you want your westerns grounded, this will feel like a different animal.

Batman poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Wild Wild West

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Johnny English2003

Both celebrate the sheer fun of disguise, gadgetry, and incompetence masquerading as competence. The pleasure is in watching schemes unfold, not whether they make sense.

Rowan Atkinson as a bumbling spy who causes chaos through disguises and gadget mishaps while somehow saving the day. It's The Wild Wild West' DNA transplanted to modern spy-fi comedy: the same joy in costume, confusion, and mechanical solutions.

But Broader physical comedy and sillier plotting than you might want. The film is knowingly ridiculous in a way that exhausts some viewers.

Johnny English poster
More like this (8)

Get Smart1965

Secret agent comedy where the bumbling hero somehow saves the day despite gadgets, bureaucracy, and his own incompetence. It shares the spy-fi playfulness and the joy of watching schemes unfold.

But Maxwell Smart is an idiot in ways that wear thin. The comedy is punchy but repetitive across seasons.

Get Smart poster

The Prisoner1967

Surreal 1960s adventure that defies genre. Like Wild Wild West, it's strange and inventive, but it uses that strangeness to ask deeper questions about autonomy and rebellion.

But Much darker and more philosophical. If you want escapism, this will feel like homework with an existential crisis.

The Prisoner poster

Bonanza1959

The prestige western of the era: family drama, moral complexity, and genuine stakes. Shows what grounded 1960s western television could achieve when it wanted to.

But Straightforward and earnest. After the gadgetry and disguises of Wild Wild West, this will feel like switching to a different show entirely.

Bonanza poster

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.1964

Spy-fi adventure with charm, gadgets, and urbane humor. Napoleon Solo and Illya are excellent partners, and the show has the same lightness about its own absurdity.

But More urban and cosmopolitan. It lacks the western setting and the technical inventiveness that makes Artemus special.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. poster

Wanted: Dead or Alive1958

Steve McQueen as a bounty hunter in the Old West, mixing action with character. It's a grittier take on the western adventure, showing what the genre could be without the fantastical elements.

But Slower, more serious, and built around McQueen's cool detachment. The fun is understated rather than celebrated.

Wanted: Dead or Alive poster

The Outer Limits1963

Science-fiction adventure anthology that shares the same anything-goes inventiveness. Each episode is a different wild scenario played with complete seriousness, which is part of the charm.

But Anthology format means no character development or relationships to latch onto. The tone is eerie rather than playful.

The Outer Limits poster

The Great Race1965

Both treat adventure as a playground where anything can happen and failure is always comic. Both are in love with the machinery of storytelling itself.

Blake Edwards' epic comedy about a cross-country race between a white-hat hero and a black-hat villain. It has the same love of spectacle, gadgets, disguises, and period settings as a feature-length Wild Wild West.

But Overlong and the pacing is uneven. Some sequences are inspired, others drag—it's a film that tests patience.

The Great Race poster

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen1988

Both say yes to every ridiculous idea and then build the next idea on top of it. Both are fundamentally about the pleasure of watching someone make something impossible happen through sheer will and creativity.

Terry Gilliam's fantastical adventure where an 18th-century con man tells tall tales that become real. It shares Wild Wild West's commitment to visual invention over logic and the belief that style and imagination matter more than plausibility.

But Chaotic, sometimes incomprehensible, and visually overwhelming. If you need plot to hold on to, you will be lost and frustrated.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen poster

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Recommended by

I Spy, Maverick, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Green Hornet, Laredo, Barbary Coast, Daktari