Marshall Matt Dillon is responsible for keeping the law and respectability in Dodge City in this western action-drama. Gunsmoke captured the courage, character and spirit of the Western Frontier.
Ratings
| Year | Rank | Audience |
| 1956 | 8 | 12,720,300 |
| 1957 | 1 | 18,067,520 |
| 1958 | 1 | 17,404,200 |
| 1959 | 1 | 18,437,250 |
| 1960 | 1 | 17,605,600 |
| 1961 | 3 | 13,741,065 |
| 1962 | 10 | 13,581,000 |
| 1963 | 20 | 12,126,000 |
| 1964 | 27 | 11,910,200 |
| 1965 | 30 | 11,470,050 |
| 1967 | 4 | 14,450,850 |
| 1968 | 6 | 14,504,250 |
| 1969 | 2 | 15,151,500 |
| 1970 | 5 | 15,325,500 |
| 1971 | 4 | 16,146,000 |
| 1972 | 8 | 15,292,800 |
| 1973 | 15 | 14,630,200 |
| 1974 | 28 | 14,042,500 |