The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. - The Complete Series (1993)

A show better than other series out at the time - deserved better success

I enjoy satire, tongue-in-cheek sendups of various genres, and this series seemed poised to do just that when it first aired. Sadly, it may have missed the mark for other viewers, but I feel that it was in the same vein as the classic "Wild, Wild West" series. Good actor rapport and ensemble acting, just plain fun to watch. I also thought the stories were well-written on the whole. I am a fan of much of Bruce Campbell's work - he has the dry quips and retorts down pat. The sci-fi, almost H.G. Wells-like scenarios mixed with the Old West seemed to work for me. I wish it had been given more of a chance. June 17, 2008

Classic Bruce Campbell

I think this series is a must-have for the Bruce Campbell fan. I wish it would have run longer. I thought it was way too expensive to buy when it first came out on DVD, though. I'm glad to see that the price has finally come down. May 29, 2008

The best show on television. EVER.

Quick equation for you: Western + Sci-fi overtones + Snappy, witty dialogue + "STARRING BRUCE CAMPBELL" = Best television show EVER. No wonder it was cancelled after one season.

If you're a Brisco fan, you should pick this up for the sprinkling of commentaries alone. If you're not a Brisco fan, you should pick this up so that you can become one. May 17, 2008

Excellent Series!

It is nice to find the whole series in one collection. This is a western comedy that can be enjoyed by anyone. The actors were superb! Only wish the series would have lasted longer. May 9, 2008

A single word: Wow!

The pity of this series is that it was short-lived. Still, 27 episodes isn't a bad run.

The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. is a western series with a lot of humor, bizarre characters, and several bits of science fiction. If this mix sounds familiar, think "Wild, Wild West". However, this isn't just an imitation.

Brisco County Jr. is the son of Brisco County Sr., one of the great bounty hunters of the western territories toward the end of the 19th Century. Sr. is killed by the Bly Gang and Jr. (also an accomplished bounty hunter) swears revenge. (Sr. later shows up later, at least once, as a ghost.) Aside from the Bly gang, Brisco has a number of shoot-ups with the Swill brothers (Will, Phil, Bill, Gil, and Ed) - not to mention the Swill sister (Lil) - and of course the Swill mother (Ma). His companion through all this (first a rival bounty hunter and later a partner) is Lord Bowler. On occasion there are encounters with yet another bounty hunter, Dixie Cousins. There are also regular appearances by Briso's main contact with his employers (some western robber barons), Socrates Poole. Special mechanical needs in several episodes are met by Professor Albert Wickwire. And then of course there's Comet the Wonder Horse.

One of the reasons this series works is its casting. Brisco is played by the veteran actor Bruce Campbell. Campbell, who is vastly underrated (perhaps because he doesn't get asked to do Shakespeare or Scorsese), has before the age of 50 appeared in 92 films and TV series, produced 16, directed 7, written 3, and done just about everything else in film except sell the tickets. He brings to his role here a professional and keenly calculated sense of timing and of humor - not to mention very athletic performances.

Brisco's partner, Lord Bowler, is played by the accomplished Julius Carry. Barely over 50, Carry has appeared in 58 films and TV series (mostly the latter). His performance here is characterized by athleticism, bluster, humor, and authority. In addition to Carry's star turn, the producers of the series have regularly cast black actors in roles not tailored to nor requiring African-American actors. For a long time after black actors began to appear in mainstream films, they only got roles specifically race-oriented. It's Hollywood's great strength that they have done a lot toward moving away from that sort of pseudo Jim Crowism.

Third in the series' trilogy of stars, playing Socrates Poole, is the delightful and talented Christian Clemenson. Not yet 50, Clemenson has appeared in 60 films and TV series. He's currently doing a bang-up job in "Boston Legal" as the socially handicapped Jerry Espenson. As Poole, he's an Eastern tinhorn who's not doing a bad job of adapting to the rough-and-tumble of the Old West.

Other actors in smaller roles are talented and believable. As Professor Wickwire is the fabulous John Astin, whose 140 acting credits include various stints as Gomez Addams and Professor Gangreen (you know, the Killer Tomato movies). All of the people appearing here are a pleasure to watch; not a dud in the bunch. Billy Drago is outstanding as the crazed John Bly and manages to look every inch the psychopath Bly is. Drago is a well-represented film veteran, with 90 films (including some TV work) to his credit.

The various episodes are well plotted, full of action and humor, witty lines, good character byplay, and the Orb. The Orb (of which there are 3, although 1 is destroyed early in the series and another vanishes into the future) is an extraterrestrial spherical device consisting of a number of blue rods each with a gold end. The Orb has a number of interesting powers and can also confer powers and abilities. The attempts by Bly to get an Orb for himself and the efforts of Brisco to prevent this form the backdrop of many episodes.

The production values of this series are very high. Scenery, sets, costumes, livestock ... everything is exactly as it should be. Photography is clear and colorful. Most episodes are about 44 minutes; the pilot is 2 hours. The last 2 episodes constitute a 2-part series cap. The scripts display a good deal of originality, if one credits the amount the series owes to its predecessors. I'm not a big fan of westerns in general because of their predictability. "Wild, Wild West" (the series and the film) is of course an exception, and so is the Brisco County Jr. series. I highly, highly recommend you get this set. It's 22 ½ hours of pure entertainment.
March 21, 2008

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