Robert Taylor in LongmireImage via A&E
By
Michael John Petty
Published Jan 24, 2026, 8:09 PM EST
Michael John Petty is a Senior Author for Collider who spends his days writing, in fellowship with his local church, and enjoying each new day with his wife and daughters. At Collider, he writes features and reviews, and has interviewed the cast and crew of Dark Winds. In addition to writing about stories, Michael has told a few of his own. His first work of self-published fiction – The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain – became a #1 Best Seller in "Religious Fiction Short Stories" on Amazon in 2023. His Western short story, The Devil's Left Hand, received the Spur Award for "Best Western Short Fiction" from the Western Writers of America in 2025. Michael currently resides in North Idaho with his growing family.
Sign in to your Collider account
Add Us On
Summary
Generate a summary of this story
follow
Follow
followed
Followed
Like
Like
Thread
Log in
Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
Try something different:
Show me the facts
Explain it like I’m 5
Give me a lighthearted recap
Although there may be a lot of issues with the idea that Netflix is seeking to purchase Warner Bros., fans of the beloved A&E-turned-Netflix series Longmire may find this potential merger as good news. While it leaves the future of the famed Hollywood studio in question, its purchase could very well open the door for the neo-Western drama to make its way back to the forefront of Netflix's digital catalog. For many, including this author, the prospect of seeing Robert Taylor reprise his role as Sheriff Walt Longmire is a good one, no matter how it plays out.
If Netflix Bought Warner Bros., the Streamer Would Own 'Longmire' In Its Entirety
Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) and Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips) walking in Longmire.Image via Netflix
Back when the show was still living and active, Longmire aired on A&E before it moved to Netflix during the second half of its six-season run. The network cancelled the series prematurely after its third season, but the show still had plenty of life left in it. So, how would Netflix buying Warner Bros. (a company with no stake in A&E or Netflix) open the door for more Longmire? It's simple. Despite airing on both cable television and streaming, Longmire is actually owned by Warner Bros., specifically through its Warner Horizon Television imprint. In fact, the reason Longmire was cancelled first by A&E and later by Netflix is because both attempted to buy Longmire from Warner Bros., though the studio refused. While A&E chose to mercilessly cancel the program on a cliffhanger, the streaming giant still saw the potential in Absaroka County and gave Longmire a single season to wrap things up before closing it out. Longmire has since moved streaming homes from Netflix to Paramount+.
But all of this could change if Netflix were to buy Warner Bros. Considering the streamers' success with Godless and more recently, The Abandons and American Primeval, it would be a tragedy if Netflix didn't pursue the Western genre further. With the merger, there would be nothing stopping the streamer from bringing Walt and his supporting cast back for more. Of course, many of the cast have moved on to other things, with Zahn McClarnon and A Martinez on Dark Winds, Cassidy Freeman just finished up on The Righteous Gemstones, Katee Sackhoff is busy with the Star Wars universe, and both Adam Bartley and Lou Diamond Phillips have been bouncing around between projects. Nevertheless, many of these cast members have expressed their interest in returning for more, provided there was enough interest in it.
Author Craig Johnson Sees a Future in 'Longmire'
Considering that the annual Longmire Days festival in Buffalo, Wyoming has been a recurring event since the show first launched in 2012, and there are still Longmire novels released annually by author Craig Johnson, it's clear that there still is an interest in the fictional Absaroka County. Indeed, both A&E and Netflix were previously interested enough in the near-perfect neo-Western to attempt a purchase.
In speaking to Cowboy State Daily earlier this month, Johnson expressed his thoughts on the potential for Longmire's revival. "As far as I can tell, that deal [between Netflix and Warner Bros.] looks like it has kind of gone through," the author explained. "So, if Netflix is in possession of all Warner Bros. shows, then that would mean Longmire now does belong to Netflix, which was just what they wanted 10 years ago." While Netflix is undoubtedly attempting to get a hold of Warner Bros. for more reasons than just Longmire, that would certainly be a major benefit in the merger. After all, fans have been hoping for a revival of the show for quite some time, and it wasn't exactly the streamer's idea to end things.
What's better is that Netflix wouldn’t even have to bring back the drama full-time or for a long-form series return. With Warner Bros. under its belt, Longmire could follow the lead of traditional Western TV shows like Gunsmoke or Bonanza and produce either a series of made-for-streaming film continuations or perhaps even a theatrically released feature to carry on the Longmire legacy. In any event, we can hope that Walt will someday return to Absaroka County — and it sounds like the best way to do that is through Netflix.
Subscribe to our newsletter for Longmire revival coverage
Curious about a Longmire comeback? Subscribe to the newsletter to get focused coverage and analysis of the Netflix-Warner Bros. situation, potential revival scenarios, cast interest, and what it could mean for Longmire's future on streaming. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Longmire is currently available for streaming on Paramount+.
Longmire
TV-14
Western
Crime
Drama
Thriller
Release Date
2012 - 2017
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
-
Longmire
-
Netflix
What To Watch
July 20, 2025
The 72 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now
Trending Now
Audiences Can’t Stop Watching Netflix’s New 82% RT Action Thriller That “Hooks You From the Start”
Netflix Finally Decides the Fate of Its Groundbreaking Sci-Fi Series
'The Rip' Review: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Phone it In for Netflix's By-the-Book Cop Thriller