Ready for battle: New season of 'Billy the Kid' takes viewers inside the Lincoln County War

Oct. 21—Michael Hirst and Donald De Line couldn't wait to travel back to the late 1800s and the Wild West.

As the screenwriter and producer, respectively, Hirst and De Line, were looking forward to continuing the story in the TV series, "Billy the Kid."

The first part of season two began airing on Oct. 15, on MGM+. The four episodes will air on Sundays through Nov. 5.

Then the second part of the season will air in 2024.

"For this season, Michael had all the episodes written, and we were on track to get the season done," De Line says. "By the time we hit the fourth episode, the SAG-AFTRA strike was in place, and we had to stop production. When the strike is over, we'll be back in Canada shooting the next four episodes."

"Billy the Kid" is an epic romantic adventure inspired by the life of America's most infamous outlaw.

In season two, as Billy and his allies square off against his oldest friend Jesse Evans and the corrupt powers of the Santa Fe Ring.

When shots are fired, the conflict erupts into the bloody Lincoln County War.

Amidst the fighting, Billy will struggle to hang onto his soul — and to the love of his life.

The series stars Tom Blyth as William H. Bonney and Daniel Webber as Jesse Evans.

Hirst says getting into season two was very exciting because season one prepared viewers for the Lincoln County War.

Because of history, most viewers know the end result, which is why he spent most of the first season telling Bonney's story.

"I wanted viewers to get to know Billy," Hirst says. "Who he was and the tragedies that he lived through. He was on this journey that took him to Lincoln County. And he's still only 19 years old. He's walking into this fight which spreads into mayhem and insanity. Along with murders, he has to take a leadership role."

De Line and Hirst filmed the production in Calgary, Canada.

Though they recall trying to film in New Mexico in 2021.

"There are variables with productions that come into play," De Line says. "We looked at New Mexico and there was no room for the production. We also had to deal with filming during a pandemic."

Hirst says writing this project has been a labor of love, and the production navigated the strikes as smoothly as they could.

"Facing obstacles is what life is about," Hirst says. "Filmmaking is the same. There are so many moving parts and any of these parts can fall out and you have to be prepared. We will get back to Calgary once the strikes are over and we will come back with renewed vigor."