The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. 

A bounty hunter rides the Old West, fighting bad guys, many with futuristic-type gadgets.

Creators:

Jeffrey Boam, Carlton Cuse

Stars:

Bruce Campbell, Julius Carry, Christian Clemenson

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Bruce Campbell	...	Brisco County Jr. 27 episodes, 1993-1994
Julius Carry	...	Lord Bowler 27 episodes, 1993-1994
Christian Clemenson	...	Socrates Poole 27 episodes, 1993-1994
Comet	...	Comet 27 episodes, 1993-1994

Storyline

Hired by local robber barons, Harvard Law Graduate Brisco County, Jr. searches for the members of the infamous John Bly gang, the same men who killed his father, a famous marshal and western legend. Accompanied by his one-time rival and fellow bounty hunter Lord Bowler, Brisco rides through the West trying to bring his father's killers to justice. Along the way, he encounters mysterious golden orbs with strange abilities and colorful characters who help or hinder his mission as he hunts down the Bly gang one by one.

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Plot Keywords:

campy | bounty hunter | orb | gadget | magical object | 

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Taglines:

Smile. You're about to meet your new hero.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi | Western

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the Special Features DVD, writer Carlton Cuse said that when coming up with ideas for the series, he was studying various B-movies from the 50s and 60s, and noticed that many of them were Westerns or Sci-Fis. Cuse then decided to create the series as a combination of the two, creating it as a Western, but with sci-fi elements.

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Goofs

The show presents an idealized "should-have-been" version of the 1890s. One of the most obvious differences from the reality is that Lord Bowler, a proudly independent and defiant black man, never experiences any racism from whites who would have called him "uppity."

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Quotes

Brisco County Jr.: If I was gonna kill you, I'd be stepping over your body right now on my way out the door.

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Connections

Referenced in Joe of the Dead: Acting in a George Romero Classic (2010)

User Reviews

A great 1-season show!

There were a lot of Briscoe County fans who went postal when it was canceled. I had mixed feeling about it. Yes, it was one of the best TV series of all time, but I'd seen too many other great series turn mediocre after the creative well ran dry. Given a choice between ending where it did and seeing it slip into formulaic mediocrity, I was satisfied. The original story arc was neatly wrapped up with lots of diverting side trips along the way.

I've always been a big fan of shows that aren't easy to categorize. This was one such show. A western with elements of SF, overlaid with clever writing and wit without self-consciousness. Each character was eccentric in his/her own way and great fun to watch.

There isn't a bad performance in sight! Bruce Campbell as Briscoe is perfect, as always. It's to his credit that the late Julius Carry as Lord Bowler was able to routinely steal scenes from him. Kelly Rutherford as Dixie does the best Mae West since the original. John Astin as Professor Wickwire is excellent, as usual. Billy Drago as John Bly has to be one of the creepiest villains ever, and John Pyper-Ferguson as Pete Hutter has to be one of the funniest and most bizarre villains of all time. All of the "minor" roles, stating with Comet "the wonder horse" are equally excellent.

But what makes the characters stand out is uniformly excellent writing from a team of certifiable eccentrics in their own right. With the talent in front of and behind the cameras, everything just clicks!

WB finally brought out a boxed set of DVDs and it's great! I just watched it again and felt compelled to update this review. The only sad note was learning of the death of Julius Carry this year. Highly recommended!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 August 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

Filming Locations:

Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Boam/Cuse Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min (27 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1