Best Western TV Series

pwdennis · 08-25-2002, 01:53 PM

The day of the TV western was the mid-50s to the mid-60s although the genre lingers on. What would be your favorite TV western ? Why ? Feel free to give up to four runners-up

I must confess I loved most of them. Some of the shows I remember not in my poll choices were Branded, The Rifleman, Yancey Derringer, The Virginian, Broken Arrow, Cochise, Bat Masterson, F-Troop, Annie Oakley, Wyatt Earp, Roy Rogers, and The Man From Shiloh.

I'll give my favorites a bit later

poorme · 08-25-2002, 06:02 PM

They don't play them that much on tv anymore. When i was a kid i watched the lone ranger and the Cisco kid, although I wasn't a huge fan of either. Every sunday night I listen to "Gunsmoke" on the radio on an oldies radio program here in washington. Huge fan of that. A great radio show from the end of the radio era - late 50s. Funny how westerns aren't part of american culture like they used to be....unfortunately. nothing on tv interests me now. I have not seen a network tv show in years. literally at least 3 years. I only watch baseball and will glance at the tv when my wife has the foodnetwork or hgtv on.

Skip · 08-25-2002, 06:27 PM

Best Western I saw, although short-lived (no pun intended), was The Lazarus Man with Robert Urich in the mid nineties. It only lasted a season until he was diagnosed with cancer. I believe after he went into remission he sued for being dropped, but it all became moot when he became ill again.

I also liked the Rifleman, Hondo, and (if it counts, it really shouldnt - just Batman in Boots) Wild Wild West.

I've seen enough Gunsmoke and Bonanza episodes to know they were excellent shows, but I never had a time when I was a regular watcher of either show or its reruns.

Honorable mention to Briscoe County as an overlooked, good but not great, show which didnt get the run it deserved.

tortured angel · 08-25-2002, 06:35 PM

I prefered the more lighthearted ones like Maverick or Alias: Smith and Jones.

pwdennis · 08-25-2002, 09:55 PM

Maverick and Wild Bill Hickock escaped my first listing as did Wild Wild West. Maverick actually had two separate and distinct lives - the first run was the better.

Skip · 08-25-2002, 10:20 PM

Agreed on Maverick, I missed it too. But it got too cute, too fast. I hate to broad brush here, but looking back I think of Maverick as the Remington Steele of Westerns (or vice versa ...)

KCBOOMER · 08-26-2002, 04:32 PM

As a kid I just loved "The Lone Ranger" and to this day I still get a chill if I should see an episode and catch the last line, "Why, he's the Lone Ranger!".

pwdennis · 08-27-2002, 12:18 AM

My choices :

Laredo - especially the episodes starring Neville Brand

Gunsmoke - consistantly high quality story lines

Adventures of Brisco County Jr. - best tongue-in-cheek western. Bruce Campbell may be the best "B" actor of all time. John Astin's recurring role (in many ways similar to Gomez Addams) was a delight to behold. Witty scripts and dialogue.

TimmyB · 08-27-2002, 09:08 AM

This was all syndication-land for me.

Never got into Bonanza. My father swore by the Lone Ranger, but, that was before my time and not syndicated much after in the woods of NH.

At different time in my youth I liked Maverick and/or Wild, Wild West. Eventually Robert Conrad's mega-ego got on my nerves.

WiredTiger · 08-27-2002, 09:36 AM

I don't think I saw any of these on a semi regular basis except Briscoe County Jr. Not great but good nonetheless.

Skip · 08-27-2002, 10:14 AM

No love for Lazarus Man here? And I thought I was hangin' with an eclectic, intellectual bunch.

Oh yeah <hand upside the head> - baseball fans - if it wasnt in the distant past, I guess it isnt any good.

rcartman28 · 08-27-2002, 10:40 AM

I love to watch the "Lone Ranger" when I see it on. The only other ones I ever watched were "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza"....

Jim Rice · 08-28-2002, 06:29 PM

I can't believe the discussion has gone this far without mention of "The Big Valley". A young Lee Majors as the bastard son of a dead cattle baron, who somehow still manages to get taken in by the baron's widow (Barbara Stanwyck) and "legitimate" kids (including a young Linda Evans). And despite the fact that they were all young, rich and good-looking, not a single one of them was married (and they rarely even dated). I'm telling you, "The Big Valley" had to be the strangest premise for any successful TV western ever. Just classic.

Skip · 08-28-2002, 11:23 PM

You're right - I used to watch Big Valley reruns regularly. I can't believe I forgot that one. D'oh.

View Poll Results: Favorite TV Western
Gunsmoke	1	12.50%
Bonanza	0	0%
Adventures of Brisco County Jr.	1	12.50%
Sugarfoot	0	0%
Rawhide	0	0%
Wagon Train	0	0%
Have Gun Will Travel	0	0%
Laramie	0	0%
Laredo	2	25.00%
others (please specify)	4	50.00%
Voters: 8. You may not vote on this poll

08-25-2002, 01:53 PM	#1
pwdennis NetShrine All-Century Team Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Winter Springs, FL Posts: 2,503	Best Western TV Series The day of the TV western was the mid-50s to the mid-60s although the genre lingers on. What would be your favorite TV western ? Why ? Feel free to give up to four runners-up I must confess I loved most of them. Some of the shows I remember not in my poll choices were Branded, The Rifleman, Yancey Derringer, The Virginian, Broken Arrow, Cochise, Bat Masterson, F-Troop, Annie Oakley, Wyatt Earp, Roy Rogers, and The Man From Shiloh. I'll give my favorites a bit later __________________ "I would submit that if the world survives for a million years, perhaps its finest hour may be that in the last half of the 20th century, when the power to blow up the world rested in the hands of a few men in two very unsophisticated and suspicious countries, we didn't do it, and one American, Richard Nixon, moved the cold war away from permanent confrontation toward victory. How could any wrong that he did compare with that?" - John Sears Last edited by pwdennis : 08-25-2002 at 02:03 PM.

08-25-2002, 09:55 PM	#5
pwdennis NetShrine All-Century Team Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Winter Springs, FL Posts: 2,503	Maverick and Wild Bill Hickock escaped my first listing as did Wild Wild West. Maverick actually had two separate and distinct lives - the first run was the better. __________________ "I would submit that if the world survives for a million years, perhaps its finest hour may be that in the last half of the 20th century, when the power to blow up the world rested in the hands of a few men in two very unsophisticated and suspicious countries, we didn't do it, and one American, Richard Nixon, moved the cold war away from permanent confrontation toward victory. How could any wrong that he did compare with that?" - John Sears

08-26-2002, 04:32 PM	#7
KCBOOMER NetShrine All-Century Team Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Home of the T-Bones Posts: 11,116	As a kid I just loved "The Lone Ranger" and to this day I still get a chill if I should see an episode and catch the last line, "Why, he's the Lone Ranger!". __________________ KCBOOMER *Buck O'Neil: The Monarch of Baseball*

08-27-2002, 12:18 AM	#8
pwdennis NetShrine All-Century Team Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Winter Springs, FL Posts: 2,503	My choices : Laredo - especially the episodes starring Neville Brand Gunsmoke - consistantly high quality story lines Adventures of Brisco County Jr. - best tongue-in-cheek western. Bruce Campbell may be the best "B" actor of all time. John Astin's recurring role (in many ways similar to Gomez Addams) was a delight to behold. Witty scripts and dialogue. __________________ "I would submit that if the world survives for a million years, perhaps its finest hour may be that in the last half of the 20th century, when the power to blow up the world rested in the hands of a few men in two very unsophisticated and suspicious countries, we didn't do it, and one American, Richard Nixon, moved the cold war away from permanent confrontation toward victory. How could any wrong that he did compare with that?" - John Sears

08-25-2002, 06:02 PM	#2
poorme Guest Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: washington dc Posts: 2,625	They don't play them that much on tv anymore. When i was a kid i watched the lone ranger and the Cisco kid, although I wasn't a huge fan of either. Every sunday night I listen to "Gunsmoke" on the radio on an oldies radio program here in washington. Huge fan of that. A great radio show from the end of the radio era - late 50s. Funny how westerns aren't part of american culture like they used to be....unfortunately. nothing on tv interests me now. I have not seen a network tv show in years. literally at least 3 years. I only watch baseball and will glance at the tv when my wife has the foodnetwork or hgtv on.

08-25-2002, 06:27 PM	#3
Skip NetShrine Vagabond Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Louisville Posts: 7,866	Best Western I saw, although short-lived (no pun intended), was The Lazarus Man with Robert Urich in the mid nineties. It only lasted a season until he was diagnosed with cancer. I believe after he went into remission he sued for being dropped, but it all became moot when he became ill again. I also liked the Rifleman, Hondo, and (if it counts, it really shouldnt - just Batman in Boots) Wild Wild West. I've seen enough Gunsmoke and Bonanza episodes to know they were excellent shows, but I never had a time when I was a regular watcher of either show or its reruns. Honorable mention to Briscoe County as an overlooked, good but not great, show which didnt get the run it deserved.

08-25-2002, 06:35 PM	#4
tortured angel Guest Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: middle east Posts: 573	I prefered the more lighthearted ones like Maverick or Alias: Smith and Jones.

08-25-2002, 10:20 PM	#6
Skip NetShrine Vagabond Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Louisville Posts: 7,866	Agreed on Maverick, I missed it too. But it got too cute, too fast. I hate to broad brush here, but looking back I think of Maverick as the Remington Steele of Westerns (or vice versa ...)

08-27-2002, 09:08 AM	#9
TimmyB NetShrine's Magic 8-Ball Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Where the cops speak slow and the air is nice Posts: 2,591	This was all syndication-land for me. Never got into Bonanza. My father swore by the Lone Ranger, but, that was before my time and not syndicated much after in the woods of NH. At different time in my youth I liked Maverick and/or Wild, Wild West. Eventually Robert Conrad's mega-ego got on my nerves.

08-27-2002, 09:36 AM	#10
WiredTiger Guest Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: The city of Kaline, Cobb and Greenberg Posts: 3,395	I don't think I saw any of these on a semi regular basis except Briscoe County Jr. Not great but good nonetheless.

08-27-2002, 10:14 AM	#11
Skip NetShrine Vagabond Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Louisville Posts: 7,866	No love for Lazarus Man here? And I thought I was hangin' with an eclectic, intellectual bunch. Oh yeah <hand upside the head> - baseball fans - if it wasnt in the distant past, I guess it isnt any good.

08-27-2002, 10:40 AM	#12
rcartman28 NetShrine All-Century Team Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Hudson, WI Posts: 1,408	I love to watch the "Lone Ranger" when I see it on. The only other ones I ever watched were "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza".... __________________ I would have looked out for the water main. But that's just me..... Brett Favre

08-28-2002, 06:29 PM	#13
Jim Rice Inducted Into The NetShrine Assembly of Fame Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Shawnee, KS Posts: 783	I can't believe the discussion has gone this far without mention of "The Big Valley". A young Lee Majors as the bastard son of a dead cattle baron, who somehow still manages to get taken in by the baron's widow (Barbara Stanwyck) and "legitimate" kids (including a young Linda Evans). And despite the fact that they were all young, rich and good-looking, not a single one of them was married (and they rarely even dated). I'm telling you, "The Big Valley" had to be the strangest premise for any successful TV western ever. Just classic.

08-28-2002, 11:23 PM	#14
Skip NetShrine Vagabond Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Louisville Posts: 7,866	You're right - I used to watch Big Valley reruns regularly. I can't believe I forgot that one. D'oh.

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