Legends & Lies: The Real West

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Jesse James and his gang embark on a brutal campaign of violence that blurs the line between robbery and domestic terrorism. Legend makes Jesse James out to be a heroic bandit, but the truth behind his crimes lies somewhere darker and more personal

Kit Carson becomes an American legend as a mountain man and western explorer, but when his image is tarnished by his role in the forced relocation of Native Americans, the complex truth of a man conflicted by duty and morality emerges

John Henry Holliday is a respectable Atlanta dentist diagnosed with a terminal disease. With certain death looming, Holliday resorts to a risky life of gambling and violence. But when he meets Wyatt Earp, he's already more than the legendary sidekick he's known as. The truth is, he's a bonafide outlaw with a story all his own

One of the deadliest gunmen in history, James Butler Hickok becomes a legend for his skill as a gunslinger. But a man as famous as "Wild Bill" has more than his share of enemies, and in truth, living life with a target on his back takes a disastrous toll on the western legend

David Crockett is much more than his legend as a backwoods hero of the western frontier. In truth, he's an aspiring American statesman who makes a bold move to secure his political future, only to bring himself to an early demise

Following the California gold rush, Wells Fargo becomes one of the most successful enterprises in the west. Its ubiquitous stagecoaches cross the country, making it the perfect target for the "gentleman bandit" - a legendary thief, who takes a different approach to robbery than any other outlaw, then or since

Possibly the West's most notorious outlaw, William Bonney kills his first man at just seventeen. Soon "Billy the Kid" joins a gang of murderers and thieves, but while legend says Pat Garrett kills him in a nighttime raid, evidence suggests that, in truth, the story of Billy the Kid continues

A hero of the Civil War, George Custer is called upon to lead the government's battle to tame the west. When he and his men are obliterated at Little Bighorn, legend says their defeat is Custer's own doing, but in truth, they might have survived, if Custer's fellow officers acted differently

The iconic legend of the Lone Ranger has inspired Americans for decades, but the famous character has a real life counterpart few have even heard of. Bass Reeves lives a life of legend, with little to show for it in the end, except the fact he's likely the real man who inspires the story of the Lone Ranger

At the turn of the twentieth century, the most famous gang in the west is led by two men, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Their brazen train robberies cause authorities to chase them all the way to South America, but in truth, their demise is not the legend you've seen in the movies