It aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television network from February 6 to May 8, 1974.

The series starred Jim Davis, Diana Douglas, Moses Gunn, A Martinez, Robert Carradine and Clay O'Brien.

The Cowboys was conceived as an hour-long series, but ABC decided to reduce the running time to a half-hour format.

The format change did not lead to increased viewers, and the show was the victim of early cancellation.

Guest stars included Cal Bellini as Wa-Cha-Ka in "The Indian Givers", Kevin Hagen as Josh Redding in "Death on a Fast Horse", and Lurene Tuttle as Grandma Jesse in "Many a Good Horse Died".