With 635 episodes over 20 seasons, Gunsmoke set television’s high-water mark for dramatic series. Season-one guest Brett Halsey, final-season tough-guy Martin Kove, and writer-producer Jim Byrnes reveal how scripts like Byrnes’s lone-wolf classic “Lobo” kept Dodge City fresh. They swap candid memories of on-set hazards, last-minute rewrites, and what it took to sell a story to TV’s longest-running Western. Versatile stars Jan Shepard and Jacqueline Scott spotlight the show’s standout roles for women, from Shepard’s riveting drunk-cell scene in “Friend” to Scott’s fan-favorite turns in “Abelia” and “Kitty Cornered.” Together they pull back the curtain on lightning-fast rehearsals, hard-charging directors, and a set where authenticity always came first. Press play, enjoy the ride, and follow A Word on Westerns for more untold stories from the frontier of classic TV.