Editing Gunsmoke (section)

== Television series (1955–1975) ==
{{Infobox television
| image                = Gunsmoke (Paramount Television) logo.svg
| developer            = [[Charles Marquis Warren]]
| genre                = [[Western (genre)|Western]]
| based_on             = {{Based on|''Gunsmoke''|[[John Meston]]|[[Norman Macdonnell]]}}
| starring             = {{Plainlist|
* [[James Arness]]
* [[Milburn Stone]]
* [[Amanda Blake]]
* [[Dennis Weaver]]
* [[Burt Reynolds]]
* [[Ken Curtis]]
* [[Roger Ewing]]
* [[Buck Taylor]]
}}
| theme_music_composer = {{Plainlist|
* Rex Koury
* Glenn Spencer
}}
| country              = United States
| num_seasons          = {{Plainlist|
* 6 (''Marshal Dillon'', syndication retitling of half-hour episodes)
* 14 (''Gunsmoke''),
* 20 (total seasons)
}}
| num_episodes         = {{Plainlist|
* 233 (''Marshal Dillon'', syndication retitling of half-hour episodes)
* 402 (''Gunsmoke'')
* 635 (total episodes)
}}
| list_episodes        = List of Gunsmoke television episodes
| runtime              = {{Plainlist|
* 26 minutes (1955–1961)
* 50 minutes (1961–1975)
}}
| company              = {{Plainlist|
* [[CBS Productions]]
* Filmaster Productions
* [[James Arness|Arness and Company]]
* (1959–1961)
* [[James Arness|The Arness Production Company]]
* (1961–1964)
}}
| network              = [[CBS]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1955|9|10}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1975|3|31}}
}}

The television series ran from September 10, 1955, to March 31, 1975, on CBS, with 635 total episodes. It is the second [[Westerns on television|Western television series]] written for adults, premiering on September 10, 1955, four days after ''[[The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Burris |first1=Joe |title=The Eastern Earps |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2005/05/10/the-eastern-earps/ |access-date=October 20, 2014 |date=May 10, 2005 |work=Baltimore Sun |archive-date=December 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216151656/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2005-05-10/features/0505100100_1_wyatt-earp-genealogy-indentured |url-status=live }}</ref> The first 12 seasons aired Saturdays at 10 pm (EST), seasons 13 through 16 aired Mondays at 7:30&nbsp;pm, and the last four seasons aired Mondays at 8 pm. During its second season in 1956, the program joined the list of the top-10 television programs broadcast in the United States. It quickly moved to number one and stayed there until 1961. It remained among the top-20 programs until 1964.<ref>[http://www.museum.tv/eotv/gunsmoke.htm ''Gunsmoke''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022005327/http://www.museum.tv/eotv/gunsmoke.htm |date=October 22, 2014 }} Museum of Broadcast Communications. Retrieved October 23, 2014</ref>

=== Premise ===
Set in Dodge City, Kansas during the years following the [[American Civil War]], the series follows the lives of U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon and the citizens he is sworn to protect. Among them are his deputies, Chester Goode, and later Festus Haggen, town physician Galen "Doc" Adams, and saloon owner, Miss Kitty Russell. Most episodes involve disruptions caused by those arriving from outside Dodge City. Since Dillon's authority extends beyond town, some episodes focus on his travels, while other plots revolve around mishaps occurring while Dillon is gone. Both deputies are shown to be loyal, but often inept or indecisive at handling problems when Dillon is not around. Although Dillon and Miss Kitty are never portrayed in a romantic relationship, it is apparent they care deeply for each other. Doc Adams is portrayed as a very competent and caring physician, but his conservative treatment methods often frustrate his patients who expect a quick recovery. Doc and both deputies are often used as comic relief over the course of the series.

===Cast===
{{Main|List of Gunsmoke cast members}}

* [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. Marshal]] [[Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke)|Matt Dillon]] (1955–1975): [[James Arness]]
* Galen "Doc" Adams (1955–1975): [[Milburn Stone]]
* Kathleen "Kitty" Russell (1955–1974): [[Amanda Blake]]
* Chester B. Goode (1955–1964): [[Dennis Weaver]]
* Festus Haggen (1964–1975): [[Ken Curtis]]

<gallery widths="150px" heights="150px" perrow="6">
File:James Arness Matt Dillon Gunsmoke 1969.JPG|Matt Dillon, 1969
File:Gunsmoke supporting cast 1960.JPG|Chester, Doc, and Kitty, 1960
File:Amanda Blake Milburn Stone Gunsmoke 1958.jpg|Kitty and Doc, 1958
File:Amanda Blake Kitty Gunsmoke 1966.JPG|Miss Kitty Russell, 1966
File:Dennis Weaver Chester Gunsmoke 1960.JPG|Chester Goode
File:Ken Curtis Milburn Stone Gunsmoke 1974.JPG|Festus Haggen and Doc Adams, 1974
</gallery>
[[File:Gunsmoke cast 1963.JPG|thumb|right|1963 cast with Burt Reynolds]]
[[File:Ken Curtis James Arness Gunsmoke 1968.JPG|thumb|right|[[Ken Curtis]] as Festus and Arness as Dillon, 1968]]
[[File:Gunsmoke main cast 1967.JPG|right|thumb|Clockwise from top: Ken Curtis (Festus), James Arness (Matt), Amanda Blake (Kitty), and Milburn Stone (Doc) in 1968]]
[[File:Dennis Weaver Mariette Hartley Gunsmoke 1962.JPG|thumb|right|Dennis Weaver and [[Mariette Hartley]], 1962]]
Chester and Festus Haggen are Dillon's [[sidekick]]s, though others became acting deputies for {{frac|2|1|2}}- to {{frac|7|1|2}}-year stints: Quint Asper ([[Burt Reynolds]]) (1962–65), Thad Greenwood (Roger Ewing) (1965–67), and Newly O'Brien (Buck Taylor) (1967–75), who served as both back-up deputy and doctor-in-training, having some studies in medicine through his uncle, which then continued under Doc Adams. Initially on the fringes of Dodge society, Festus Haggen was slowly phased in as a reliable sidekick and part-time deputy to Matt Dillon when Reynolds left in 1965. When Milburn Stone temporarily left for heart bypass surgery in 1971, [[Pat Hingle]] played Dr. John Chapman for several episodes.
* Sam Noonan (bartender; 1955–1959): Bert Rumsey
* Clem (bartender; 1959–1961): Clem Fuller
* Sam Noonan (bartender; 1961–1973): [[Glenn Strange]]
* Jim Buck (stagecoach driver; 1957–1962) and Floyd (bartender; 1974–75): [[Robert Brubaker]]
* Quint Asper (blacksmith; 1962–1965): [[Burt Reynolds]]
* Deputy Marshal Clayton Thaddeus "Thad" Greenwood (1965–1967): [[Roger Ewing]]
* Newly O'Brian (gunsmith/Deputy Marshal; 1967–1975): [[Buck Taylor]]
* Wilbur Jonas (storekeeper, 1955–1963): [[Dabbs Greer]]
* Howie Uzzell (hotel clerk, 1955–1975): [[Howard Culver]]
* Moss Grimmick (stableman; 1955–1963): [[George Selk]]
* Bill Pence (Long Branch owner/co-owner 1955?–56–?): [[Judson Pratt]]
* Bill Pence, (1958–1961): [[Barney Phillips]]
* Louie Pheeters (town drunk; 1961–1970): [[James Nusser]]
* Ma Smalley (boardinghouse owner; 1961–1972): [[Sarah Selby]]
* Hank Miller (stableman; 1963–1975): [[Hank Patterson]]
* Mr. Bodkin (banker; 1963–1970): [[Roy Roberts]]
* Barney Danches (telegraph agent; 1965–1974): [[Charles Seel]]
* Roy (townsperson; 1965–1969): [[Roy Barcroft]]
* Halligan (rancher; 1966–1975): [[Charles Wagenheim]]
* Mr. Lathrop (storekeeper; 1966–1975): [[Woodrow Chambliss|Woody Chambliss]]
* Nathan Burke (freight agent; 1966–1975): [[Ted Jordan]]
* Percy Crump (undertaker; 1966–1972): [[Kelton Garwood]] (also credited as Jonathan Harper)
* Ed O'Connor (rancher; 1968–1972): [[Tom Brown (actor)|Tom Brown]]
* Judge Brooker (1970–1975): [[Herb Vigran]]
* John Chapman (1971): [[Pat Hingle]]
* Miss Hannah (saloon owner; 1974–75): [[Fran Ryan]]

=== Episodes ===
{{Main|List of Gunsmoke (TV series) episodes}}

{{:List of Gunsmoke (TV series) episodes}}
{{notelist}}

=== Background and production ===

=== Filming ===
The television series was filmed at the present site of [[California Lutheran University]] (CLU) and nearby [[Wildwood Regional Park]] in [[Thousand Oaks, California]].<ref>Stone, Robert (2011). ''Day Hikes Around Ventura County''. Day Hike Books. p. 216. {{ISBN|978-1573420624}}.</ref><ref>Maulhardt, Jeffrey Wayne (2010). ''Conejo Valley''. Arcadia Publishing. p. 56. {{ISBN|978-0738580395}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Locally filmed Westerns 'Butch Cassidy,' 'Gunsmoke' part of Conejo film fest |url=http://archive.vcstar.com/news/local/conejo-valley/locally-filmed-westerns-butch-cassidy-gunsmoke-part-of-conejo-film-fest-ep-1367023848-351101171.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818202628/http://archive.vcstar.com/news/local/conejo-valley/locally-filmed-westerns-butch-cassidy-gunsmoke-part-of-conejo-film-fest-ep-1367023848-351101171.html |archive-date=August 18, 2018 |access-date=July 26, 2018}}</ref>

==== Music ====
The ''Gunsmoke'' radio theme song and later television theme is titled "Old Trails", also known as "Boothill". The ''Gunsmoke'' theme was composed by Rex Koury.<ref>[http://gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/shots/71-Lyrics.htm "The ''Gunsmoke'' Theme"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927163144/http://gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/shots/71-Lyrics.htm|date=September 27, 2010}}, GunsmokeNet.com.</ref> The original radio version was conducted by Koury. The television version was thought to have been first conducted by CBS west coast music director [[Lud Gluskin]]. The lyrics of the theme, never aired on the radio or television show, were recorded and released by [[Tex Ritter]] in 1955. Ritter was backed on that Capitol record by Rex Koury and the radio ''Gunsmoke'' orchestra.<ref>[http://gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/Music/Ritter.htm "Tex Ritter sings ''Gunsmoke''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124113447/http://gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/Music/Ritter.htm|date=November 24, 2010}}, GunsmokeNet.com.</ref>

Other notable composers included:
* [[Elmer Bernstein]]
* [[Jerry Goldsmith]]
* [[Bernard Herrmann]]
* [[Jerome Moross]]
* [[Franz Waxman]]

==== Format ====
From 1955 to 1961, ''Gunsmoke'' was a half-hour show, retitled ''Marshal Dillon'' in syndication. It then went to an hour-long format. The series was retitled ''Gun Law'' in the UK. The ''Marshal Dillon'' syndicated reruns of half-hour episodes lasted from 1961 until 1964 on CBS, originally on Tuesday nights within its time in reruns.

==== Cancellation ====
In 1975, CBS made the decision not to renew ''Gunsmoke'' for a 21st season, without making any public announcement or informing the producers or cast members ahead of time. The entire cast was stunned by the cancellation, as they were unaware that CBS was considering it. According to Arness:<blockquote>We didn't do a final, wrap-up show. We finished the 20th year, we all expected to go on for another season, or two or three. The (network) never told anybody they were thinking of cancelling.</blockquote>The cast and crew read the news in the trade papers.<ref>Associated Press, July 2, 2002, Bob Thomas.</ref>

=== Syndication ===
In syndication, the entire 20-year run of ''Gunsmoke'' is separated into three packages by [[CBS Media Ventures]]:
* '''1955–1961 half-hour episodes''': These episodes are sometimes seen in their original format and sometimes in the ''Marshal Dillon'' format. When first-run, prime-time episodes of ''Gunsmoke'' expanded to an hour in fall 1961, CBS-TV reran the half-hour episodes as ''Marshal Dillon'' on the network on Tuesday nights from 1961 through 1964. These were later rerun in syndication. General syndication ended in the 1980s, but they do air occasionally on cable television. Local stations would show the retitled ''Marshal Dillon'' version of the series, while the series under the original ''Gunsmoke'' title (with some episodes under the ''Marshal Dillon'' retitling) were seen in the late 1990s on [[TV Land]] and later [[Hallmark Channel]]. STARZ! [[Encore (TV channel)#Channels|Westerns]] Channel aired this version under the ''Marshal Dillon'' title. [[RetroPlex]] also aired two half-hour episodes under the original ''Gunsmoke'' title, although the episodes are advertised as ''Marshal Dillon'', on Saturday nights from 8 to 9 pm Eastern time. [[MeTV]] announced that it would begin the half-hour black-and-white episodes beginning on January 2, 2017.
* '''1961–1966 one-hour black-and-white episodes''': These episodes have not been widely seen in regular syndication since the 1980s, although selected episodes did air from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s on [[Freeform (TV channel)|CBN Cable/The Family Channel]], and later on Encore Westerns on a three-year contract that ended around 2006. As of January 2010, Encore Westerns was again airing the episodes. In October 2015, MeTV announced that it would begin airing the one-hour black-and-white episodes on October 26.<ref>[http://www.metv.com/lists/6-classic-black-and-white-episodes-of-gunsmoke Classic black and white episodes of ''Gunsmoke''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021235705/http://metv.com/lists/6-classic-black-and-white-episodes-of-gunsmoke |date=October 21, 2015 }} at MeTV.com</ref>
* '''1966–1975 one-hour color episodes''': The last nine seasons of the Western, the most widely syndicated episodes of the entire series run, are still aired on some local stations, and nationally on TV Land and MeTV.

The program currently airs on three major venues: [[TV Land]], which has carried the show since its inception in 1996, [[INSP (TV network)|INSP]], and [[Weigel Broadcasting]]'s [[MeTV]] [[digital subchannel]] network. Individual stations such as [[KFWD]] in Dallas also carry the series in their markets. It has also been shown on satellite channel CBS Action in the UK, Ireland, and Poland.

===Home media===
In 2006, as part of ''Gunsmoke''{{'}}s 50th anniversary on television, selected episodes were released on DVD in three different box sets. Twelve episodes, from 1955 to 1964, were selected for the ''Gunsmoke: Volume I'' box set, and another twelve episodes, from 1964 to 1975, were selected for the ''Gunsmoke: Volume II'' box set. Both sets are also available as a combined single "Gift Box Set". A third unique DVD box set, known as ''Gunsmoke: The Directors Collection'', was also released with 10 selected episodes from certain seasons throughout the series' 20-year history. All of these box sets are available on Region 1 DVD from [[Paramount Home Media Distribution|Paramount Home Entertainment]] and [[CBS Home Entertainment|CBS DVD]].

Additionally, Paramount Home Entertainment and CBS DVD have released the series in its entirety on DVD for 13 years between 2007 and 2020 in Region 1 (all of the seasons except for season one and seasons sixteen through twenty were split into two volumes). A complete series box set was released on May 5, 2020. All DVDs have been released with English audio and close captioning from season 1 to 5 and starting season 6 English SDH.

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ DVD releases&nbsp;– Seasons 1–20
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable"
!
! DVD Name
! Ep #
! Release Date
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#663300" |
| The First Season
| align="center"|39
| July 17, 2007
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#336699" |
| The Second Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|20
| January 8, 2008
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#336699" |
| The Second Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|19
| May 27, 2008
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#666667" |
| The Third Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|19
| December 9, 2008
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#666667" |
| The Third Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|20
| May 26, 2009
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#38B0DE" |
| The Fourth Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|19
| October 5, 2010
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#38B0DE" |
| The Fourth Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|20
| December 14, 2010
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#996600" |
| The Fifth Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|20
| October 11, 2011
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#996600" |
| The Fifth Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|19
| December 13, 2011
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#336666" |
| The Sixth Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|19
| August 7, 2012
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#336666" |
| The Sixth Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|19
| October 16, 2012
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#7fff00" |
| The Seventh Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|17
| December 11, 2012
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#7fff00" |
| The Seventh Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|17
| February 5, 2013
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#333333" |
| The Eighth Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|19
| May 7, 2013
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#773433" |
| The Eighth Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|19
| May 7, 2013
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#cd6660" |
| The Ninth Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|18
| August 6, 2013
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#cd6560" |
| The Ninth Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|18
| August 6, 2013
|}
|
{| class="wikitable"
!
!DVD Name
!Ep #
!Release Date
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#0000ff" |
| The Tenth Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|18
| August 12, 2014
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#0000ff" |
| The Tenth Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|18
| August 12, 2014
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#ffff00" |
| The Eleventh Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|16
| December 2, 2014
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#ffff00" |
| The Eleventh Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|16
| December 2, 2014
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#23238E" |
| The Twelfth Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|15
| September 20, 2016
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#23238E" |
| The Twelfth Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|14
| September 20, 2016
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#776660" |
| The Thirteenth Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|15
| May 22, 2018
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="776660" |
| The Thirteenth Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|10
| May 22, 2018
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#green" |
| The Fourteenth Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|15
| February 5, 2019
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#green" |
| The Fourteenth Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|11
| February 5, 2019
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#800080" |
| The Fifteenth Season, Volume 1
| align="center"|15
| October 1, 2019
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#800080" |
| The Fifteenth Season, Volume 2
| align="center"|11
| October 1, 2019 
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#FF0000" |
| The Sixteenth Season
| align="center"|24
| December 10, 2019
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#800000" |
| The Seventeenth Season
| align="center"|24
| December 10, 2019
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#FFD700" |
| The Eighteenth Season
| align="center"|24
| February 4, 2020
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#FAFAD2" |
| The Nineteenth Season
| align="center"|24
| February 4, 2020
|-
| width="15" bgcolor="#663300" |
| The Final Season
| align="center"|24
| May 5, 2020
|}
|}

=== Reception ===
''Gunsmoke'' was ranked television's number one show from 1957 to 1961, then it expanded to one hour and slipped into a decline. CBS planned to cancel the series in 1967 after the twelfth season, but widespread viewer reaction prevented its demise, including a mention in Congress and pressure from [[Babe Paley]], the wife of CBS's longtime president William S. Paley. ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'' producer [[Sherwood Schwartz]] states that Babe pressured her husband not to cancel ''Gunsmoke'' in 1967, so the network cut ''Gilligan's Island'', instead. The show continued in its new time slot at 8&nbsp;pm on Mondays. This scheduling move led to a spike in ratings that had it once again rally to the top 10 in the [[Nielsen ratings]], which again saved the series when CBS [[Rural purge|purged most of its rural content]] in 1971. The series remained in the top 10 until the 1973–74 television season.<ref>{{cite web |title=ClassicTVguide.com: TV Ratings > 1970's |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1973.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203011147/https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1973.htm |archive-date=February 3, 2011 |access-date=April 20, 2015}}</ref> After its last original airing on March 31, 1975, ''Gunsmoke'' was canceled after a 20-year run (with reruns continuing to air until September), even though it still ranked among the top 30 programs in the ratings; the ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show|Mary Tyler Moore]]'' spin-offs ''[[Rhoda]]'' (which was going into its second year in the Fall-1975 season) and ''[[Phyllis (TV series)|Phyllis]]'' (a fall-1975 freshman) would be scheduled for the 8 pm hour previously occupied by ''Gunsmoke'' that fall. Thirty television Westerns came and went during its 20-year tenure, and ''Gunsmoke'' was the sole survivor, with ''[[Alias Smith and Jones]]'' and ''[[Bonanza]]'' both leaving the airwaves {{frac|2|1|2}} years earlier in January 1973.[[File:Amanda Blake Jack Albertson Gunsmoke 1969.JPG|thumb|Amanda Blake and Jack Albertson, 1969]]
[[File:James Arness Amanda Blake Bette Davis Gunsmoke 1966.JPG|thumb|Guest star Bette Davis, 1966]]
[[File:Anne Helm John Drew Barrymore 1964.JPG|thumb|Guest stars [[Anne Helm]] and [[John Drew Barrymore]], 1964]]

==== Accolades ====
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | Year{{efn|Indicates the year of ceremony.}}
! scope="col" style="width:31%;" | Category
! scope="col" style="width:34%;" | Nominee(s) / Work
! scope="col" style="width:8%;" | Result
! scope="col" style="width:4%;" class="unsortable" | {{Abbr|Ref(s)|References}}
|-
| [[8th Primetime Emmy Awards|1956]]
| Best Action or Adventure Series
| Gunsmoke
| {{Nominated}}
|
|-
| [[9th Primetime Emmy Awards|1957]]
| Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Series
| James Arness
| {{Nominated}}
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | [[10th Primetime Emmy Awards|1958]]
| Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic or Comedy Series
| James Arness
| {{Nominated}}
| rowspan="5" |
|-
| Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic or Comedy Series
| Dennis Weaver
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| Best Dramatic Series with Continuing Characters
| ''Gunsmoke''
| {{Won}}
|-
| Best Editing of a Film for Television
| Mike Pozen for "How to Kill a Woman"
| {{Won}}
|-
| Best Teleplay Writing (Half-Hour or Less)
| John Meston for "Born to Hang"
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| rowspan="4" | [[11th Primetime Emmy Awards|1959]]
| Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series
| James Arness
| {{Nominated}}
| rowspan="4" |
|-
| Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series
| Dennis Weaver
| {{Won}}
|-
| Best Supporting Actress (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series
| Amanda Blake
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| Best Western Series
| ''Gunsmoke''
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| [[18th Primetime Emmy Awards|1966]]
| Individual Achievements in Music - Composition
| Morton Stevens for "Seven Hours to Dawn"
| {{Nominated}}
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[20th Primetime Emmy Awards|1968]]
| Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition
| Morton Stevens for "Major Glory"
| {{Nominated}}
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama
| Milburn Stone
| {{Won}}
|-
| [[22nd Primetime Emmy Awards|1970]]
| Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing
| Norman Karlin and Richard E. Raderman
| {{Won}}{{efn|Tied with Alex Bamattre, Michael Colgan, Douglas H. Grindstaff, Joe Kavigan, Bill Lee, and Josef E. Von Stroheim for ABC Movie of the Week: The Immortal}}
|
|}
{{notelist}}
* In ''[[TV Guide]]''′s April 17, 1993, issue celebrating 40 years of television, the all-time-best-TV programs were chosen. "No contest, this [''Gunsmoke''] was ''the'' TV Western."<ref>[http://www.gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/shots/20-THE.htm April 17 – 23, 1993, issue of ''TV Guide''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425235355/http://www.gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/shots/20-THE.htm |date=April 25, 2016 }} that celebrated the 40th anniversary of television and the best television programs of all time.</ref>
* ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' (February 19, 1999, issue) ranked the premiere of ''Gunsmoke'' as No. 47 in the "100 Greatest Moments in Television".<ref>[http://gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/shots/70-47InGreatness.htm "100 Greatest Moments in Television"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100928081920/http://gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/shots/70-47InGreatness.htm |date=September 28, 2010 }}, GunsmokeNet.com</ref>
* ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', in 1998, ranked ''Gunsmoke'' as No. 16 in The 100 Greatest TV Shows of all time.<ref>[http://gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/shots/57-etw.htm "The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831005417/http://www.gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/shots/57-etw.htm |date=August 31, 2010 }}, GunsmokeNet.com.</ref>
* In a 1998 ''[[TV Guide]]'' poll of 50,000, ''Gunsmoke'' was ranked as CBS's best Western and James Arness was ranked as CBS's best "Gunslinger".<ref>[http://gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/shots/55-tvgd98.htm "CBS's best western"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100928034516/http://gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/shots/55-tvgd98.htm |date=September 28, 2010 }}, GunsmokeNet.com.</ref>
* In 1997, the episode "The Jailer" was ranked No. 28 on [[TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time|''TV Guide''{{'}}s 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Special Collector's Issue: 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time |work=[[TV Guide]] |date=June 28 – July 4, 1997}}</ref>
* In 2002, ''[[TV Guide]]'' ranked ''Gunsmoke'' as No. 40 in the 50 greatest television shows of all time.<ref>[http://www.gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/collectables/TVGuide/TV-Guide-020504/index.htm "''TV Guide'' Names Top 50 Shows"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426002053/http://www.gunsmokenet.com/GunsmokeTGAW/Marks-Stuff/Gunsmoke/collectables/TVGuide/TV-Guide-020504/index.htm |date=April 26, 2016 }}, ''TV Guide'', May 4, 2002.</ref>
* In 2013, ''TV Guide'' ranked it as #27 on their list of the 60 Best Series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-guide-magazine-60-best-series-1074962/|title=TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time|date=December 23, 2013|website=TV Guide|access-date=October 18, 2015|archive-date=September 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160906075520/http://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-guide-magazine-60-best-series-1074962/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In 2013, the [[Writers Guild of America]] ranked ''Gunsmoke'' – and ''[[The Defenders (1961 TV series)|The Defenders]]'' – #84 on their list of the 101 Best Written TV Series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-best-written-tv-series/list|title=101 Best Written TV Series|website=Writers Guild of America West|date=June 2, 2013|access-date=June 13, 2023|archive-date=April 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429170702/https://www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-best-written-tv-series/list|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In 2019, the radio episode "The Cabin" was selected by the [[Library of Congress]] for preservation in the [[National Recording Registry]] for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{cite news |last=Andrews |first=Travis M. |date=March 20, 2019 |title=Jay-Z, a speech by Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and 'Schoolhouse Rock!' among recordings deemed classics by Library of Congress |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/jay-z-a-speech-by-sen-robert-f-kennedy-and-schoolhouse-rock-among-recordings-deemed-classics-by-library-of-congress/2019/03/19/f7eb08ea-4a58-11e9-9663-00ac73f49662_story.html? |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 25, 2019 |archive-date=April 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406000403/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/jay-z-a-speech-by-sen-robert-f-kennedy-and-schoolhouse-rock-among-recordings-deemed-classics-by-library-of-congress/2019/03/19/f7eb08ea-4a58-11e9-9663-00ac73f49662_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>