The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

Without a doubt, THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY JR. was one of the most unusual shows on television at the time. One part Bond, one part Indiana Jones, one part western, and one part sci-fi, it was also one of the most fun shows. It had the right combination of cast, characters, comedy, action, and adventure. And unlike the shows that would try it later (HERCULES, XENA, and others), BRISCO knew how to make its contemporary stylings work. The show never took itself too seriously. Billy Drago was a great villain as John Bly, a character that appeared in a story arc running through the season. Whenever Brisco wasn't busy tracking Bly, he was busy searching for one of Bly's gang or some other bad guy. It was also interesting to see the buddy cop concept (one white, one black) in a western setting. Bruce Campbell and Julius Carry had great chemistry. The interplay between them was often hilarious. I also liked how Brisco and Bowler weren't friends at first, but rather were more like competitors, and only after several episodes of crossing paths and being forced to work together did they learn to like one another and partner up. Of course, Kelly Rutherford was hot as Brisco's on-again/off-again love interest, saloon singer Dixie Cousins. Many episodes featured some nice father/son moments as Brisco found himself talking with the ghost of his legendary bounty hunter/father, well-played by Lee Ermy. Those scenes, while sometimes brief, were always a nice addition. It's tame violence and family-friendly stories helped make it an audience favorite and develop a following that continues to this day, but Fox ultimately decided to pay attention to THE X-FILES instead, and they canceled BRISCO after just one season, despite it's big audience and decent ratings. But I'm glad the show was then and not now, as it would have been canceled after just the third episode to make way for some lame drama or comedy. Cudos to Carlton Cuse and (the late) Jeffrey Boam for creating such a good show.

THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY JR. was a really bizarre show, but I guess that's why I loved it so much. Bruce Campbell played the title character who was a Harvard-educated attorney turned bounty hunter that fought bad guys in the year 1893. Most of the episodes were focused on Brisco chasing after John Bly [Billy Drago], the criminal responsible for the murder of Brisco's father during a train robbery, though it was the episodes with more tongue-in-cheek humor that I liked the best. Sadly, Fox canceled this fantastic show after only one year on the air and in my opinion, it was the biggest mistake the Fox network has yet to make. The show will most likely never become available on video or DVD, which is a shame since this is possibly the most underrated show in the history of television.

I love this show ! I used to watch it every Friday night--my sister and I started watching it because it starred "that guy from EVIL DEAD", but it wasn't till "Brisco" that I considered myself a Bruce Campbell fan. The show also introduced me to another favorite actor, Billy Drago, who made John Bly the weirdest Old West villain in TV history. The camaraderie between Brisco, Bowler, and Socrates was great, and I loved the anachronisms and bad puns ("You got the sheriff!" "Yeah, but I didn't get the deputy."). Some great guest stars from earlier Old West shows, and John Astin as the recurring Prof. Wickwire. Sci-fi, Old West, slapstick--this show had something for everyone. Find it and check it out!

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!

I totally agree with the shape23's comments. I first saw TAoBCJ back in about 94/95 when it was first aired in the UK and really liked it. I have recently downloaded the series and watched it again 10 years later. I now see far more than I did then, the chemistry of the cast is superb between Brisco, Bowler, Socrates and Dixie. You can see how the relationships have formed due to the 'adventures' they have shared. If I had to give this series a liking, it would be an Indiana Jones cowboy series, where the violence is enough to set the scene but not graphic, the humour is enough but not distracting from the story, the stories & plots enough to ensure you forget the historical inaccuracies and see a really good family programme. Unfortunately only released on video shortly after its TV release, its gonna be released on DVD supposedly in the summer of 2006 ( follow this link for more details http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4615 ). I suspect this release will be on R1 only. A great pity unless you have a multiregion player, but then this series is worth the cost of investing in one.

I am now sitting down to watch it again, this time with my stepson who is curious to see "whats it all about". After all who doesn't enjoy a good cowboy.