The folks at Cowboy Way Channel like to say there’s more than one way to cowboy — and that sounds about right. The free, ad-supported channel rustles up shows and movies, including classics and originals, dedicated to Americana and to women and men who embody the American spirit. On Cowboy Way, you’ll see survivalists, ranchers, and real-life cowboys, plus top stars. It’s free on Plex, Xumo, and Redbox, included on Samsung TV Plus and Vizio, and it’s also free with registration on Philo, frndlyTV, FreeCast, and Sling. So set a spell.
There’s no keeping a good Green Beret turned sheriff down. In the 2020 TV movie Blue Ridge, Justin Wise (Johnathon Schaech) left the military to be near his ex-wife, Elli (Sarah Lancaster, Chuck), and daughter, Maddie (Taegen Burns), in an Appalachian town rocked by a murder. Now, in this six-episode drama, Wise is back to contend with a fresh killing and hostilities between two families of bad guys.
“He can’t help but be a lawman because it’s in his DNA, and he cannot not help somebody in need,” Schaech says. The actor, son of a Baltimore cop, calls Wise a “maverick” who nevertheless is out to win back his ex’s heart. “Everything revolves around his journey of where he came from and why he’s there.” And yet the crimes keep piling up. Adds the star, “It gets in the way of his love life.”
A plus for fans of Schaech’s best-known role: The finale features his costar in 1996’s That Thing You Do!, Ethan Embry. And for fans of his Blue Ridge role, Schaech confirms Season 2 is being written now. —Ian Spelling
(Credit: Courtesy of Cowboy Way Channel)
Stagecoaches — unheralded heroes of stories real and fictional — get their due in this special that spotlights the wheeled wonders that carried people, food, supplies, correspondence, and gold from East to West in the early 1800s. The documentary also tips its cap to folks who kept a steady grip on the reins: drivers who navigated rough terrain and often faced pistol-packing robbers and Native Americans.
(Credit: Courtesy of the Cowboy Way Channel)
Romance in the Wilds (Saturday, April 20)
Disaster flick meets unlikely love story in this unconventional romance. Already butting heads while also falling for each other, fearless geologist Jessica (Kaitlyn Leeb) and methodical forest ranger Buck (Victor Zinck, above, with Leeb) find themselves trapped in a massive wildfire. Will they make it out alive and live happily ever after? Only if they don’t kill each other before the flames do!