The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. was a short-lived western television series with science fiction elements, starring Bruce Campbell as Brisco County Jr., an ex-Harvard lawyer turned bounty hunter. It could be considered a thematic descendant of the 1960s show The Wild Wild West, since it combined elements of the science fiction and Western genres. It was one of the few western shows aired in the 1990s.

Related Topics:
Western - Television - Science fiction - Bruce Campbell - Harvard - Bounty hunter - 1960s - The Wild Wild West - Science fiction and Western - Genre - 1990s

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For much of its run, the series revolved around County's quest to bring the criminal gang that murdered his father to justice. Along the way, he gets into a series of seriocomic adventures involving fantastic villains, beautiful women, and "the Orb," a mysterious sphere of gold-like matter that seems to possess supernatural power.

Related Topics:
Murder - Villain - Gold - Supernatural

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The series featured a mix of tongue-in-cheek, self-referential humor (A running joke throughout the series was that County could actually understand the neighing of his beloved horse, Comet) and real drama, usually centered around County's troubled relationship with his late father and his growing fear that he will never be able to settle down.

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In addition to Campbell, the show also starred Julius Carry as County's rival/partner Lord Bowler (a.k.a. James Lonefeather), and Christian Clemenson as his milquetoast sidekick Socrates Poole. Kelly Rutherford guest-starred in several episodes as County's love interest, Dixie Cousins, as did Billy Drago as his mysterious archnemesis John Bly, and John Astin as Professor Wickwire, an eccentric inventor who supplied him with wacky gadgets that were precursors to modern inventions, such as a motorcycle or a hot air balloon.

Related Topics:
Julius Carry - Christian Clemenson - Milquetoast - Kelly Rutherford - Billy Drago - John Astin - Motorcycle - Hot air balloon

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The series ran for 27 episodes from August 27, 1993 to May 20, 1994 on the FOX television network on Fridays at 8pm, otherwise known as the Friday night death slot, just before The X-Files which also made its debut in 1993.

Related Topics:
August 27 - 1993 - May 20 - 1994 - FOX television network - Friday night death slot - The X-Files

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Though the show only lasted one season, the series' majestic theme song composed by Randy Edelman found a new life as part of NBC's sports productions, namely during NBC broadcasts of the World Series and the Olympic Games.

Related Topics:
Randy Edelman - NBC - World Series - Olympic Games

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The show was later broadcast in syndication airing on the US cable channel Turner Network Television (TNT) from January 1996 to January 2001 although it is still broadcast occasionally. The series is scheduled to be released on DVD in 2005-2006.

Related Topics:
Syndication - US - Turner Network Television - 1996 - 2001 - DVD - 2005 - 2006

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The series featured several notable character actors in cameo roles, including: R. Lee Ermey as the ghost of County's father; Sheena Easton as a rival bounty hunter; Jane Sibbett as a Norman Bates-like murderess; Terry Bradshaw as a rogue colonel who gives orders to his men like a quarterback; and M.C. Gainey as Bly's right-hand man, who is seemingly killed in the pilot episode only to return later in the series with superhuman powers, courtesy of the Orb.

Related Topics:
Cameo role - R. Lee Ermey - Ghost - Sheena Easton - Jane Sibbett - Norman Bates - Terry Bradshaw - Quarterback - M.C. Gainey - Pilot episode

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