The original Lonesome Dove was a milestone in cinema - a big budget epic, which was driven by developments in characters rather than events. So how to follow such an evocative drama? Well, surprisingly well as it happens - by continuing the coming of age of Newt, Captain Calls unacknowledged son. Events this time are more event driven, with a faster pace than Lonesome Dove. Following the death and burial of Gus in the first series, the Captain gathers a new crew to take a herd of horses North to his new ranch. Meantime, the ranch is having its own difficulties, and Newt falls in with a rancher played by Oliver Reed, not least due to the allure of his wife, played by a surprisingly young looking Reese Witherspoon. Events move on at a fair lick, smoothing over the occasional plot holes and helping disguise the fact that Jon Voight struggles to keep up a Tommy Lee Jones impersonation throughout. Rick Schroeder (Newt) is the star performer here, given the bulk of the character growth in the story. Apart from his role, the women in the story are well served, driving events as well as being victim to them.
If this series distinguishes itself, it is in portraying a fascinating period of history as the ranches and ranchers that formed them grew in a land struggling to find an identity and sense of order.
There is a big hole however in the absence of that delicate first hand understanding that Simon West the director and Larry McMurty the author brought to Lonesome Dove.. its feeling of realism is much diluted here. Notwithstanding this deficiency, this is still much superior to other mini series of the same ilk, and well worth a watch.
As for extras, when the DVD advertises chapter indexing as a DVD extra you know there is a problem - a short few pages of filmography for each of the principals, and a `Western Trivia quiz' which acts as a spoiler of the ending if you watch it before completing the show, and is hardly worth the effort.

I am such a massive fan of Lonesome Dove that I couldn't wait to watch RtLD, only to be hugely disappointed. To me it didn't capture the same magic or passion from the original - everything that shone in LD, was dull in RtLD. Yet again the story attracted an all-star cast but LD had set too high a standard that RtLD was never going to be able to reach. Having said that, if you watch RtLD as a stand-alone, the story is very strong with excellent acting. Maybe I had too high an expectation but sadly for me, this was yet one more example of why America needs to lose it's love of sequels...

this film continues on directly from the end of Lonesome Dove.we see many of the characters from the original - clara allen,july johnston, newt, woodrow call, etc - plus numerous new bad guys. throughout the film, Newt matures and towards the end there are changes even in Call. although played by a different actor, Call's distinctive personality remains visible. this is a compulsively watchable film, a brilliant sequel and not to be missed!

If you've seen Lonesome dove, then this follow-on is a must-see!
Full of panoramic country, and heartwarming characters, this is a classic in it's own right, and one that you'll want to watch time and time again.

Having seen the original Lonesome Dove film with Tommy Lee Jones playing one of the main central characters, I was somewhat daunted at the idea that Jon Voight would be able to fill his shoes. WRONG! within a few minutes of the film starting it is easy to forget that he did'nt feature in the first film.
I loved Lonesome Dove, the trials and tribulations of the cattle drive from Texas to Montana, I found it both exhilarating and heart wrenching. Return to Lonesome Dove follows on perfectly from where the first film left off, another tale of loyalties, hardships and lives entwined.
It is so very easy to lose yourself in this film, once started I had to sit through from start to finish, like a good novel I could'nt put it down, or should I say push the pause button.
A highly recommended sequel to a classic first film.