'Masterpiece' Western mini-series based on a book that's often missed and overlooked

Westerns have long been a favourite among TV fans, from classic tales of cowboys and outlaws to darker, more modern takes on justice and rebellion. But there's one recent mini-series that quietly came and went without many people noticing, and that's despite being called a "masterpiece" by those who watched it.

Set in the build-up to the American Civil War, the drama blends humour, history and powerful performances to tell a story that's rarely shown on screen. It has an impressive 98% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and has been described as one of the most thought-provoking and entertaining shows of the last few years.

Many viewers who gave the show a chance say they fell in love with it almost straight away.

One reviewer wrote: "Very underrated series! I loved the way it drew so many parallels to modern day civil rights movements, and really shined a light on how people living today would have been drawn to or repelled by either side of the fight."

Another added: "Fantastically engaging story with a bit of humour full of powerful performances from each actor, especially Ethan Hawke."

A third wrote: "The show is a masterpiece that's not only showing history that's often missed, but it's also funny and very entertaining."

One fan called it "legitimately one of my absolute favourite shows," while another said: "One of the greatest shows ever produced but often missed and constantly overlooked."

The series in question is The Good Lord Bird, a seven-part historical drama based on the novel by James McBride.

The show stars Ethan Hawke as John Brown, a radical abolitionist who led an armed uprising against slavery in the years before the Civil War.

It's told through the eyes of Henry "Onion" Shackleford, a fictional enslaved boy played by Joshua Caleb Johnson, who joins Brown's unusual band of freedom fighters.

Hawke, who also co-created the series, said Brown "asks a lot of you philosophically" and "challenges why so many of us accept the unacceptable".

McBride, who was closely involved in the show's production, called Brown "a real hero to me and to many Black people who are no longer alive".

Alongside Hawke, the show features Daveed Diggs as Frederick Douglass and Wyatt Russell as J.E.B. Stuart.

It was produced by Blumhouse Television and filmed near Richmond, Virginia.

The Good Lord Bird earned universal acclaim from critics, with a Metacritic score of 84 out of 100.

Rotten Tomatoes says it is "an epically irreverent adaptation that does right by its source material's good word".