Overview
Dale Brisby uses social media savvy and rodeo skills to keep cowboy traditions alive and now he's teaching the world how to cowboy right, ol' son.
Seasons
- Status
- Returning Series
- Seasons
- 1 season
- Episodes
- 6 episodes
- First aired
- Sep 1, 2021
Reviews
4 min readThe Last Roundup: Reality TV and the Myth of the Modern Cowboy
I’ll admit it: I came to How to Be a Cowboy with low expectations. Reality television about cowboys? The phrase alone conjures images of scripted drama, exaggerated conflicts, and a sanitized version of Western life—think The Bachelor on horseback.
But what I found was something more complicated: a show that’s equal parts tutorial, cultural preservation project, and unintentional elegy for a way of life that’s fading faster than a sunset over the prairie.
At its core, How to Be a Cowboy follows Dale Brisby, a rodeo veteran and social media personality, as he attempts to teach the world “how to cowboy right, ol’ son.” The premise is simple, almost deceptively so. Brisby isn’t just demonstrating how to rope a calf or break a horse; he’s performing a kind of cultural transmission, one that’s increasingly mediated by algorithms and viral videos.
The show’s six episodes unfold like a hybrid of Dirty Jobs and Queer Eye, with Brisby as the affable, mustachioed guide leading novices through the physical and philosophical rigors of cowboy life. There’s a quiet urgency to it all, as if Brisby knows the clock is ticking—not just for his students, but for the traditions he’s trying to preserve.
What makes the series compelling isn’t just the skills on display (though watching someone learn to brand cattle is oddly mesmerizing). It’s the way Brisby frames cowboying as both a craft and a mindset. In one episode, he takes a group of city slickers to a ranch, where they’re tasked with moving a herd of cattle.
The sequence is less about the mechanics of the job and more about the psychology of it: the patience required, the way fear and confidence dance around each other, the unspoken communication between rider and animal. Brisby’s lessons often veer into the philosophical. “Cowboying ain’t about being tough,” he says at one point. “It’s about being present.” It’s a line that could’ve been lifted from a self-help podcast, but delivered in Brisby’s drawl, with the weight of decades spent in the saddle, it lands differently.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsNetflix’s "How to Be a Cowboy" Rides Into the Spotlight—But Who’s Holding the Reins?
Netflix’s 2021 series How to Be a Cowboy promised viewers a fresh take on the modern cowboy lifestyle, blending rugged tradition with contemporary storytelling. Yet, despite its intriguing premise, details about the show’s creators, cast, and behind-the-scenes magic remain frustratingly scarce. What little we do know comes from trailers, rumors of a second season, and a soundtrack that—confusingly—shares a name with another Netflix project. Here’s the lowdown on what’s confirmed, what’s speculated, latestnetflix.com maintains, and why this series is still a mystery.
A Trailer-Fueled Mystery
The most concrete evidence of How to Be a Cowboy’s existence comes from its trailers. Netflix released multiple previews, each offering glimpses of the show’s tone and visual style. The official Season 1 trailer showcases sweeping landscapes, cowboy culture, and a mix of humor and grit—suggesting a docuseries or reality-style format. A shorter teaser highlights Dale Brisby, a social media-famous cowboy, hinting he might play a central role. However, the trailers reveal little about the show’s structure, episode count, or even its director.
What’s clear? The series leans into authenticity, with real cowboys and ranching life at its core. But without official cast or crew credits, it’s unclear who’s shaping the narrative—or whether Brisby is a host, subject, or something in between.
Soundtrack Confusion: A Case of Mistaken Identity?
Here’s where things get messy. The only "soundtrack" linked to How to Be a Cowboy in the evidence is actually tied to Cowboy Bebop, Netflix’s 2021 live-action adaptation of the anime classic 
. The album, titled COWBOY BEBOP (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series), has no obvious connection to How to Be a Cowboy—yet it’s the only music-related result that pops up in searches for the latter.
This overlap suggests either a bizarre coincidence or a mislabeling issue. If How to Be a Cowboy has its own score, it hasn’t surfaced in the evidence. For now, the soundtrack remains a red herring—or a sign of how little official material exists for the series.
Season 2: Renewed or Just Wishful Thinking?
Rumors of a second season have swirled since the show’s debut, but Netflix has yet to confirm anything. A YouTube video titled "How to Be a Cowboy Season 2: Is It Confirmed To Renew?" frames the renewal as an open question, not a done deal. Without an official announcement, it’s all speculation.
The lack of clarity extends to the show’s reception. There are no visible ratings, reviews, or audience metrics in the evidence, making it hard to gauge whether How to Be a Cowboy found its footing—or if it’s already fading into obscurity.
Why the Silence?
For a Netflix original, How to Be a Cowboy is unusually opaque. Most of the platform’s shows come with press releases, cast interviews, or at least a TMDB page with basic credits. Yet, the series’ TMDB entry is bare-bones, listing no director, writer, or cast members. Even the episode count is a mystery.
Possible explanations:
- Limited release: The show might have been a low-priority project, rolled out without fanfare.
- Docuseries quirks: If it’s reality-based, Netflix may have avoided traditional marketing, relying instead on organic interest from cowboy culture fans.
- Behind-the-scenes shake-ups: Delays or creative changes could explain the lack of updates.
Until Netflix breaks its silence, How to Be a Cowboy remains a tantalizing enigma—more rumor than reality.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.