Godless

Roy Goode is a onetime member of a violent outlaw crew who breaks away and tries to disappear into a remote New Mexico settlement dominated by women, led by Alice Fletcher. As he adjusts to a quieter life, the gang he left behind keeps searching, and the town must reckon with the threat of returning violence. Relationships shift, secrets come out, and everyday routines are strained, but the story keeps focus on survival, trust and how a small community responds when danger approaches, without revealing how any major confrontations end.

Created by Scott Frank, Godless premiered as a 2017 Netflix limited series, with Frank writing and directing multiple episodes. The ensemble features Jack O'Connell as Roy, Michelle Dockery as Alice, Scoot McNairy, Merritt Wever and Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and the show leans into classic Western production values.

Godless earned attention during awards season, picking up multiple Emmy nominations and securing several wins that highlighted its ensemble and behind-the-scenes work. The recognition pointed to strong acting from the cast and solid technical achievement, helping the series stand out among prestige limited dramas on streaming platforms.

The series left a mark by reworking Western conventions, centering a town run largely by women and pushing character-driven drama into frontier settings. Its imagery and a few memorable confrontations helped spark renewed interest in serialized Westerns on streaming services, and it prompted discussions about gender roles and communal resilience in period storytelling.

Critics generally responded well, reflected in a vote average near 7.7 out of 10, with particular praise for performances, cinematography and careful pacing. The show takes on themes of redemption, law versus chaos, and how people rebuild lives after violence, using the Western framework to question authority, loyalty and what it means to belong.