Forget ‘Deadwood,’ This 6-Season Western Still Has TV’s Greatest Opening

The opening of *Have Gun — Will Travel* is presented as one of television’s most effective Western introductions, even compared with *Deadwood*. Its brief sequence quickly establishes the series’ lone gunslinger, Paladin, and the danger and moral uncertainty of the world he travels through.

The six-season series stars Richard Boone as Paladin. Its opening pairs a close-up of his Knight-embroidered holster and .45 Colt with an instrumental version of “The Ballad of Paladin”, written by Johnny Western, Boone and creator Sam Rolfe; each episode also begins with a short quote from Paladin. The sequence later changed to include a silhouette of Paladin in action, while retaining its focus on his solitary character.