"Comanche Moon," Jan. 13, 15 and 16, CBS

NEW YORK (CNS) -- The formal establishment of the Texas Rangers in 1835 (the force had existed unofficially since 1823) marked an important milestone in the ongoing struggle between white settlers and Native American tribes in the Southwest. "Comanche Moon," a lavish fictionalized account of the Rangers' adventures in the years leading up to the Civil War premieres on CBS Sunday, Jan. 13, and continues Tuesday, Jan. 15, and Wednesday, Jan. 16, 9-11 p.m. EST each night.

Based on the fourth and final novel in the popular sequence by Larry McMurtry that began with "Lonesome Dove" -- the first volume was made into a miniseries in 1989 -- this installment follows both the professional and personal fortunes of a band of Rangers under the command of Capt. Inish Scull (Val Kilmer).

A Yankee by birth, Scull is wealthy and aristocratic, but by no means effete. Having proved his mettle by heroic service in the Mexican-American War, he now boasts an unbroken string of victories over a newer set of adversaries: marauding Indians. That record is in jeopardy, however, as he sets out to track and punish the renowned Comanche horse thief, Kicking Wolf (Jonathon Joss).

Joining him on this expedition are two temperamentally ill-sorted subordinates, taciturn Woodrow F. Call (Karl Urban) and garrulous Augustus "Gus" McCrae (Steve Zahn). As they pursue their prey, guided by their scout, Famous Shoes (David Midthunder), they find themselves contending with two other formidable opponents. Chief Buffalo Hump (Wes Studi) wanders the region at will, far from resigned to defeat by the whites, while sadistic Mexican bandit Ahumado (Sal Lopez) remains holed up in his lair across the border.

Back on the home front in Austin -- no more than a straggling frontier town -- three women await the Rangers' return. Scull's wife, Inez (Rachel Griffiths), takes advantage of her husband's absence to set her sights on an unpolished young Ranger (Ryan Merriman) who's been left behind. Clara Forsythe (Linda Cardellini), a shopkeeper's daughter, is the object of McCrae's slavish infatuation. Call's far calmer affections, by contrast, are directed at local prostitute Maggie Tilton (Elizabeth Banks).

The series shows the Old West in a thoroughly unromantic light, idealizing neither its lawmen nor its native warriors. Only the scenery through which they pass remains traditionally vast and captivating.

Although some of the leading characters, especially Scull, are genuinely intriguing, much of the intended humor falls flat. The series nonetheless provides enough action to maintain interest.

Given a number of adult thematic elements, including torture and sexual activity, this sprawling epic is only recommended for older viewers. They, however, will find "Comanche Moon" both historically balanced and dramatically engaging.

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops