MeTV Celebrates ‘Gunsmoke’s’ 70th Anniversary With Monthlong Marathon

Lauren Novak August 19, 2025

Gunsmoke70-Press-Asset(1) — Courtesy of MeTV

If you can believe it, the iconic series Gunsmoke first hit TV screens 70 years ago. To commemorate the special occasion, MeTV is launching a month-long celebration of the Western, starting on August 30, 2025, and running through September 27. Each week, the channel will air episodes based on special themes each weekday at 1pm ET/PT, and show the five made-for-TV movies that aired during the series’ 20-season run every Saturday at 11am ET/PT.

It all begins on Saturday, August 30 at 11am ET/PT with the 1987 movie, Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge, followed by the episode “Matt’s Love Story” at 1pm ET/PT. Then, MeTV will show episodes based on themes, with the first week being ‘A Week of Firsts,’ showing off first episodes and first cast appearances.

The second week is ‘Best of Matt Dillon Week,’ celebrating Matt Dillon as played by James Arness. Week three shows off the best co-stars and is called ‘Best Characters of Dodge City.’ Lastly, the fourth week showcases famous guest stars with ‘Guest Stars Week.’

Everett Collection

Get the full schedule below, courtesy of MeTV:

Gunsmoke Schedule Highlights

Weekdays at 1pm ET/PT beginning September 1

Gunsmoke – “Best Of” episodes by weekly theme:

Sept 1-5: ‘A Week of Firsts’ week – featuring series premiere episode “Matt Gets It” on 9/1 at 1pm ET/PT and “The Cabin” at 1:30pm ET/PT; “Perce” on 9/2; “US Haggens” on 9/3; “Quint Asper Comes Home” on 9/4; and “The Pillagers” on 9/5.

Sept 8-12: ‘Best of Matt Dillon’ week – featuring memorable Matt Dillon episodes at 1pm ET/PT including “The Gallows” on 9/8; “Caleb” on 9/9; “Sam McTavish M.D.” on 9/10; “Seven Hours to Dawn” on 9/11; and “With a Smile” on 9/12.

Sept 15-19: ‘Best Characters of Dodge City’ week – featuring notable episodes highlighting favorite characters from the series at 1pm ET/PT including “Doc’s Reward” on 9/15 at 1pm ET/PT and “Doc’s Judge” at 1:30pm ET/PT; “Baker’s Dozen” on 9/16; “Wishbone” on 9/17; “Bently” on 9/18′ “The Hanging of Newly O’Brien” on 9/19.

Sept 22-26: ‘Guest Stars’ week – episodes featuring guest appearances by Bette Davis, Ron Howard, Leonard Nimoy, Margaret Hamilton, Willie Ames, J. Pat O’Malley and Adam West.

Gunsmoke Movie Saturdays at 11am ET/PT beginning August 30

August 30: Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987 movie) followed by “Matt’s Love Story” at 1pm ET/PT

September 6: Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990 movie) followed by “Snap Decision” at 1pm ET/PT

September 13: Gunsmoke: To The Last Man (1987 movie) followed by “Chato” at 1pm ET/PT

September 20: Gunsmoke: The Long Ride (1993 movie) followed by “Crooked Mile” at 1pm ET/PT

September 27: Gunsmoke: One Man’s Justice (1994 movie) followed by series finale “The Sharecroppers” at 1pm ET/PT

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