HISTORY� presents the true story of how the West was won - COWBOYS AND OUTLAWS

New limited series launches Sunday, November 22 at 9-11pm ET/PT With back-to-back episodes on Wyatt Earp and the Real McCoy

NEW YORK, NOV. 3 2009 - In Hollywood, cowboys are grizzly old men who lead boisterous trail drives, exchange gunfire in saloons, and spend their pay on booze and women. And while it's true that these men epitomized the American spirit, the life of the cowboy was actually one of unimaginable danger, incredible hardship, and - for a lucky few - unlimited opportunity. COWBOYS AND OUTLAWS travels back to the Wild West to reveal new details about the true stories of real people who wrangled, rode and risked it all during this formative chapter in American history. The new 6-hour series COWBOYS AND OUTLAWS premieres Sunday, November 22 at 9-11pm ET/PT on HISTORY.

With stunning cinematography evoking the epic qualities of the old West, COWBOYS AND OUTLAWS uses original journals and letters, recovered relics, forensic evidence, and expert commentary to help debunk the romantic myths about cowboy life. Each episode examines a particular person or event to paint a larger picture of the American West in the "Golden Era of the Cowboy," from the post-Civil War years through the 1890s. Some characters, like Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid, were larger-than-life legends. But contrary to Hollywood lore, most cowboys were unskilled teenage boys at the lowest rung of ranch life. The work was filthy and often deadly, and they earned about a dollar a day.

COWBOYS AND OUTLAWS is aired over three Sunday evenings, with two back-to-back episodes on November 22, November 29, and December 6. The schedule:

THE REAL WYATT EARP - Nov. 22 at 9pm / THE REAL MCCOY - Nov. 22 at 10pm

THE REAL BILLY THE KID - Nov. 29 at 9pm / THE REAL LONESOME DOVE - Nov. 29 at 9pm

FRONTIER HITMAN - Dec. 6 at 9pm / RANGE WAR - Dec. 6 at 10pm

Sunday, November 22: The Real Wyatt Earp looks at the man credited with spreading law and order in the Wild West - in reality, a complex character who straddled both sides of the law. He rarely used a pistol to kill a man, but when his little brother was shot, he embarked on a bloody vendetta that would seal his place in history - and obscure the real man behind the myth. The Real McCoy takes place at the dawn of the cowboy era, when a mysterious disease threatened to derail the dreams of Texas cattlemen and their cowboys. In a bold gamble, Joe McCoy built a city, the first "cow town" in the middle of nowhere: Abilene. Its legacy would reshape the West.

Sunday, November 29: The Real Billy the Kid is the true story behind one of the most notorious names from the Golden Age of the Wild West. Was he a cold-blooded killer who murdered 21 men? Or an orphaned teenager driven to avenge the death of a true friend? Welcome to gang warfare, Wild West-style. In The Real Lonesome Dove, two cattle partners set off to blaze a trail to reach new markets. Only one returns. The epic adventure of Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving defines the spirit of the American cowboy and the brutal reality of the West in the wake of America's Civil War.

Sunday, December 6: Frontier Hitman is the true story of Tom Horn, a pivotal figure in the taming of the Old West. A cowboy-turned-range-detective for big ranchers, he built a fearsome reputation as a professional hitman. Was he a cold-hearted assassin or a framed innocent man? Range War explores a brutal struggle that erupted between Wyoming cattle barons and homesteaders in 1889 - a campaign of terror pitting the wealthy cattle barons against the homesteaders. From barn burnings to lynchings to gangland slayings, the barons stopped at nothing to defend their claim to thousands of acres of government land.

Executive Producers for History are David McKillop and Paul Cabana. Produced for HISTORY by Half Yard Productions. Executive Producers for Half Yard Productions are Sean Gallagher and Abby Greensfelder.

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