Broken Arrow

If you want a drama that takes its characters as seriously as its plot, Broken Arrow is available on streaming right now. 2 seasons in, and the quality has not slipped. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Michael Ansara — one of the stronger performances out there right now. Available now — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Broken Arrow is worth clearing space for. The writing in Broken Arrow treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. Broken Arrow is a Western series which ran on ABC-TV in prime time from 1956 through 1958 on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Eastern time. Repeat episodes were shown by ABC on Sunday afternoons during the 1959–60 season. The performances from Michael Ansara and John Lupton give it more weight than the premise alone would suggest. The series ran for 2 seasons (1956–1958), building a story that gave its audience time to invest properly. The performances in Broken Arrow do a lot of work in the silences between the dialogue. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in Broken Arrow. Fans of The Big Valley will recognise the sensibility here immediately. A contained run means every episode is doing real work. Michael Ansara's work here is the kind that gets referenced in career retrospectives. It makes everything else feel thin by comparison.

Broken Arrow wrapped up in 1958 — and 2 seasons are available to watch from start to finish. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.