The Californians

Back in 1850 Los Angeles was a small city not worth much of anything and that year that California was admitted as a state the action was up north. San Francisco was where the action was. Blessed with one of the finest natural harbors in the world, it was the Pacific gate way for people going around Cape Horn to get to the gold fields. San Francisco was as sleepy a place as Los Angeles was then until gold was discovered. The population grew exponentially so much so California achieved statehood in what was then record time.

I would think that a series about those brawling times in San Francisco was a natural. But the Californians failed after two seasons. The hero protagonist was Richard Coogan as upright marshal Matt Wayne who brought law and order to the place where vigilantism was perfected.

Sean McClory was in the series also as a newspaper editor and his Irish brogue fit right in because many a soul from Ireland was going there. The two were a good team.

Sad to say The Californians failed to find an audience. It debuted at a time when the three networks were deluged with westerns.

It got lost in the shuffle and it wasn't the best series, but not bad.