Sci Fi TV Genre Gems: Forgotten magic and hidden treasures from the worlds of sci fi TV
What Is It? This western with touches of sci fi follows bounty hunter Brisco County Jr. who travels through the old west seeking the outlaw John Bly (who killed his father) as well as answers to the mysterious and powerful “Orb” which Bly is also looking for. Frequently joining him in his travels is fellow bounty hunter Lord Bowler, who is also looking for Bly, and con-artist and romantic interest Dixie Cousins shows up from time to time as well.
Aired: FOX, 1993-94, 1 Season Totaling 27 Episodes
Created By: Jeffrey Boam, Carlton Cuse
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Julius Carry, Kelly Rutherford, Christian Clemenson, John Astin
Why It Stands Out: This western with hints of steam punk and sci fi delivered a little bit of Wild Wild West, a little bit of Indiana Jones, and a whole lot of fun.
Is It Must-Watch Sci Fi TV? Yes. This genre-crossing series has wide appeal and its sense of fun as well as its two leads make it a show that is worth seeking out.
The Skinny: In 1993, FOX was trying to stake its claim on the Prime Time schedule after several years of struggling, and it offered two genre entries that definitely stood out. One was The X-Files which had a multi-season run and would go on to be considered a sci fi TV classic. The other faded much more quickly, but it is still well-remembered by those who watched it during its original run and for many years in syndication. The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. came from Jeffery Boam (The Lost Boys, The Dead Zone) and Carlton Cruse (Lost, Locke & Key) who had written the script for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. FOX execs wanted thier own Indiana Jones-type show on the schedule, and they figured who better to hand the project to than the men who worked on the 1989 hit film.
As with Indiana Jones, Brisco County was a genre-crossing affair. It was a western series first, but it had elements of sci fi and steam punk as well. Some episodes were pure western action-adventure tales, while some–particularly those that focused on the mysterious orb–went heavy on the sci fi including adding time travel to the mix. But all of the episodes had a good sense of fun, making this a show that appeals to fans no matter what their genre preference is.
But what really brought this show together was its excellent cast. Fan-favorite Bruce Campbell delivered a career highlight performance in the lead role, which is saying a lot considering his very storied career (he later claimed this was one if his favorites). But Campbell did not do it all on his own. Julius Carry as Lord Bowler often came close to stealing the show, and the two actors demonstrated a palpable chemistry on screen. Even the recurring roles stood out with Kelly Rutherford as the untamable Dixie Cousins, Christian Clemenson as the ever-flustered Socrates Poole, and John Astin stopping by to ham it up as the eccentric Professor Albert Wickwire. They helped the show stand out as more than just by-the-numbers Prime Time fare, and even though Brisco County lasted only one season, it is definitely worth seeking out for those who enjoy sci fi, westerns, or just good television.
Buy The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. on DVD from Amazon.com
Cancelled Too Soon? Yes. Brisco County kicked off the 1993 season for FOX with impressive ratings, but its numbers quickly began to drop, blamed in part on its Friday night 8 PM EST timeslot. By the end of the season, it was one of the lowest-rated shows on the broadcast networks and FOX decided to cancel it because it was also expensive to produce. FOX originally expected Brisco County to be a breakout hit and they kept it going for a full season hoping it would build its audience. The numbers did not improve and they ended up taking chance on their other low-rated sci fi series The X-Files which was much cheaper to produce. Within a few years, that sci fi procedural had turned into a Top 20 hit.
Should It Be Rebooted? No. When Bruce Campbell was younger and Julius Carry was still alive (he passed in 2008), a revival of the show would have been welcomed. But an aging Campbell is avoiding the more physically demanding roles like this now, and the show would just not be the same without Carry. Perhaps it could be rebooted with new actors, but it would be very difficult to reproduce the same chemistry and enthusiasm that the original cast shared.
Interesting Fact: Despite only lasting one season, Brisco County had an extensive number of episodes released on VHS (which was rare for the time) and had a healthy syndication run on TNT through most of the 90’s. Fans even lobbied that cable channel to produce new episodes, but it would have been too expensive for a cable network at that time, so nothing came of that.
Where Can You Watch It? The entire series is available on DVD, though it has yet to receive the Blu-ray treatment. It is not currently available for streaming, but you can purchase the complete series VOD. I would expect that it would show up on HBO Max at some point because it is owned by Warner Bros.
Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com
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