Films such as "Heaven's Gate" (1980) and "The Johnson County War" (TV-movie, 2002) painted the wealthy ranchers as the "bad guys". "Heaven's Gate" was a dramatic romance loosely based on historical events, while "The Johnson County War" was based on the 1957 novel "Riders of Judgment" by Frederick Manfred. The range war was also portrayed in an episode of Jim Davis's syndicated western television series "Stories of the Century", with Henry Brandon as Nate Champion and Jean Parker as Ella Watson. American Heroes Channel presented the Johnson County War in the sixth episode of their "Blood Feuds" series documentary.