Joe Pickett

Joe Pickett follows a Wyoming game warden trying to keep his family and community intact as local politics and the economy shift around them. Joe balances routine patrols and paperwork with digging into the oddball incidents that hint at deeper problems, while his wife and children cope with the strain of living in a town where every relationship has history. The show builds tension through everyday decisions, slow-burn mysteries, and clashes over land, industry, and law, revealing that the quiet landscape holds long-buried schemes without giving away any major plot twists.

Created by Drew Dowdle, John Erick Dowdle, and novelist C.J. Box, the series premiered in 2021 and adapts Box's popular Joe Pickett novels, with Michael Dorman starring as the title character alongside Julianna Guill and Skywalker Hughes.

Though not a blockbuster cultural phenomenon, the show helped renew interest in contemporary Western dramas by foregrounding rural politics and conservation debates. Viewers praised its sense of place, and its Wyoming setting and wildlife-focused plotlines sparked conversations online about land use, small-town life, and the ethics of resource development.

Critics and audiences gave the series generally positive responses, reflected in a 7.0/10 average from viewers. Reviewers often pointed to its careful pacing, moral ambiguity, and focus on family dynamics, as well as strong performances, especially from Dorman. Thematically it mixes crime procedural elements with social commentary on economic precarity and local power struggles, keeping episodes anchored in character choices rather than cheap shocks.

The series did not dominate award season, but it found a committed audience and drew praise for faithfully translating C.J. Box's tone to the screen. Performances and the show's atmosphere were highlighted in early reviews, and its steady build of fans suggests a lasting niche among modern Western and drama viewers.