"The Virginian" (World Premiere) on TNT, 8:00pm-10:00pm ET.

Owen Wister's "The Virginian", the seminal Western novel, is credited with introducing the cowboy as an archetypal folk hero. It is also the source of one of the most famous and - and most often misquoted - lines in the Western genre:

"When you call me that, smile. That way, I'll know we're still friends." Turner Network

Television's rich legacy of film continues with this faithful adaptation of Wister's classic 1902 novel. Bill

Pullman stars in, directs and produces the two-hour drama, which also stars Diane Lane, John Savage,

Dennis Weaver, Colm Feore, Haris Yulin and James Drury.

Pullman plays the title character, a man who has left his native state to test his fortunes in the new territories of the West. His strong bonds of friendship and his respect for freedom are matched by an unwavering sense of justice, all of which are soon put to the test.

In Wyoming, the Virginian falls in love with Molly Stark, a strong-willed schoolteacher who has recently moved west from Vermont. Despite their strong bond, she questions, and eventually takes a stand against, the vigilante violence that is tacitly practiced by the Virginian, and by all of the men who fight to find, and keep, their place in the emerging West.

"The Virginian" has an encore presentation immediately following the 8:00pm airing. Visit the TNT Movie Site for more info on this terrific presentation as well as additional broadcast dates.