How long is Lonesome Dove? The 1989 miniseries runtime, part by part

The short answer

Four parts. 384 minutes total. That's about six and a half hours.

The part-by-part breakdown

The miniseries aired over four consecutive nights on CBS in February 1989. Each episode ran in a two-hour broadcast slot (with commercials), so the actual runtime per part is roughly 90 to 100 minutes.

• Part 1: "Leaving" — Retired Texas Rangers Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call decide to drive a cattle herd from the tiny border town of Lonesome Dove all the way to Montana. The crew assembles, and the journey begins.
• Part 2: "On the Trail" — The drive hits the open plains. An old enemy named Blue Duck kidnaps Lorena, and Gus rides off alone to get her back.
• Part 3: "The Plains" — Jake Spoon falls in with dangerous company, and his story takes a dark turn. Gus reunites with his old flame Clara Allen in Nebraska.
• Part 4: "Return" — The final push into Montana brings triumph and devastating loss. Call makes a promise that sends him on a haunting journey back to Texas.

What's it based on?

Larry McMurtry's 1985 novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The cast is spectacular: Robert Duvall as Gus, Tommy Lee Jones as Call, Danny Glover, Diane Lane, Anjelica Huston, Robert Urich, and a young Ricky Schroder. It was nominated for 18 Emmys and won seven.

Is there a good way to pace it?

Absolutely. The way it originally aired — one part per night, four nights in a row — still works great. Each episode ends at a natural stopping point. Two nights of two parts each also works well. Bingeing all six and a half hours in a single sitting is possible but intense.

Are there sequels?

Several follow-ups were made over the years — Return to Lonesome Dove (1993), Streets of Laredo (1995), Dead Man's Walk (1996), and Comanche Moon (2008). None match the original, but the McMurtry adaptations (Streets of Laredo and Dead Man's Walk) have their fans. The 1989 miniseries stands completely on its own.