Theatrical films have not been completely devoid of westerns either since the 1970s.
• The 1980s - The Long Riders (1980), Pale Rider (1985) and Silverado (1985)
• The 1990s - Dances With Wolves (1990), Tombstone (1993) and Wyatt Earp (1994)
• The 2000s - Crossfire Trail (2001), Open Range (2003) and 3:10 To Yuma (2007)
This is by no means a complete list. I just picked a few examples for illustrative purposes.

Now we get to the meat of the issue. Why has the western not become extinct? I have a theory about why the American people are always receptive to the western.

The western resonates with us. It is perhaps the most uniquely American form of storytelling.
We Americans are a straightforward people. We like our entertainment straightforward. Good guy versus bad guy works for us. The Europeans call us blunt and simplistic. Maybe we are. Maybe they just don’t understand a good old fashioned face to face to settle an issue. Nuance is for sissies. We did not build this nation with nuance.

The western is the ultimate morality play. There is no room for moral relativism. It’s about good against evil and nobody sits on the fence. We like the idea of good standing up to evil and defeating it. In this post 9/11 world I believe most Americans understand the need to take a stand against evil and defeat it.

Nothing typifies the American spirit like the western. Rugged individualists facing adversity with courage, dignity, a "Can Do" attitude, and just plain grit is a concept anyone can admire.
Westerns remind us what it’s like to face tough times without whining about how tough life is. When drought or flood or grasshoppers got the crops people choked it down and went on looking toward better times next year. When a rancher shot a wolf or a mountain lion after his stock he didn’t get sued by PETA. If a woman had to wield a rifle to defend the homestead while her man was away she didn’t look for a therapist afterward or keep the kids out of school for counseling.

We like our heroes. Whether it’s Superman standing up for truth, justice and the American way, Jack Bauer pursuing terrorists or our brave troops in the armed forces fighting to defend our nation we love our heroes. We need them. Our heroes are extensions of ourselves. They stand up for what’s right. They protect us. They defend the weak. Because of the very nature of the settings and circumstances of westerns there are more opportunities for heroic behavior than in more civilized and sedate environments. The western lends itself to producing heroes.

We’re proud of our country. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved in a little over two centuries. We’re proud of what it took to forge this nation from the wilderness. We’re proud of what our country stands for. Even the things we have done in our history that we cannot be proud of like our mistreatment of the black man and the red man can lead us to be proud because we addressed those horribly unjust situations and tried to correct them. We have admitted we have done wrong and progressed as a society. We are not perfect but we should be given credit for being honest about the darker chapters of our history. I believe in a world where in the 21st century slavery still exists and certain nations rewrite the history of WWII to absolve themselves of guilt The United States Of America deserves to not be judged too harshly.

I believe these factors account for the American people’s affection for the western. I believe this is an enduring love affair that will never end. I believe there will always be room for a good western on the American entertainment scene whether it’s in the form of a book, a television show, a play, or a feature film. Yeah, there’s something about the western.

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