''Paradise'' (later renamed ''Guns of Paradise'') is an American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

family television series, broadcast by

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

from October 27, 1988 to May 10, 1991. Created by David Jacobs and Robert Porter, the series presents the adventures of fictitious

gunfighter Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the t ...

Ethan Allen Cord, whose sister left her four children in his custody when she died.

Synopsis

''Paradise'', set from 1890 and on, starred

Lee Horsley Lee Arthur Horsley (born May 15, 1955) is an American film, television, and theater actor known for starring roles in the television series ''Nero Wolfe'' (1981), '' Matt Houston'' (1982–1985), and ''Paradise'' (1988–1991). He starred in the ...

as Cord, a professional gunfighter who was forced to take custody of the four children of his sister Lucy (

Kathryn Leigh Scott Kathryn Leigh Scott (born Marlene Kringstad;Biography:Kathryn Leigh Scott". Retrieved on September 28, 2010 January 26, 1943) is an American television and film actress and writer who is best remembered for playing several roles on ''Dark Shadows ...

), a

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

singer who was dying and unable to make any other arrangements for their care. Cord realized his profession was unsuitable to child rearing and decided to change, renting a farm from Amelia Lawson (

Sigrid Thornton Sigrid Madeline Thornton (born 12 February 1959) is an Australian film and television actress. Her television work includes '' Prisoner'' (1979–80), '' All the Rivers Run'' (1983), '' SeaChange'' (1998–2019) and '' Wentworth'' (2016–2018 ...

), who also owned the local bank in the small town of

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

, California (the origin of the title). Ethan tried to live a peaceful life, but was constantly haunted by his violent past and frequently called upon by the townspeople to defend them from lawlessness. Cord was close friends with John Taylor (

Dehl Berti Dehl Berti (January 17, 1921 – November 26, 1991) was a Chiricahua ApacheSandy Greer. 1990. "Native Americans Still Battling Stereotyping". Broadcast Weekly. April 21, 1990. accessed a/ref> actor who often appeared in Westerns. One of his mor ...

), a Native American

medicine man A medicine man or medicine woman is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Individual cultures have their own names, in their respective languages, for spiritual healers and ceremo ...

, who often provided him with wise counsel and insights into human nature.

Cast

Main cast

as Ethan Allen Cord * Jenny Beck as Claire Carroll * Matthew Newmark as Joseph Carroll * Brian Lando as Benjamin Carroll * Michael Patrick Carter as George Carroll *

as Amelia Lawson *

as John Taylor * John F. Bloom III as Tiny

Guest cast

In a two-part episode,

Gene Barry Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass, June 14, 1919 – December 9, 2009) was an American stage, screen, and television actor and singer. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films ''The Atomic City'' (1952) and ''The War of The World ...

and

Hugh O'Brian Hugh O'Brian (born Hugh Charles Krampe; April 19, 1925 – September 5, 2016) was an American actor and humanitarian, best known for his starring roles in the ABC Western television series ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' (1955–196 ...

recreated their famous 1950s television roles of legendary gunslingers

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...

and

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which law ...

. The special two-part episode briefly launched the ratings-challenged series into the top 10 of the Nielsen Ratings.

Robert Harland Robert John Yurgatis is an American stage and television actor. He is known for playing Jack Flood in the American crime drama television series '' Target: The Corruptors!''. Harland attended St. James High School for Boys, later graduating i ...

, who co-starred in the 1960 television western ''

Law of the Plainsman ''Law of the Plainsman'' is a Western (genre), Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on NBC from October 1, 1959, until September 22, 1960. The character of Native Americans in the United States, Native American United St ...

'', made his last television appearance in 1988 on ''Paradise''.

Episodes

Production

Development

After the second season ended the show went on hiatus to make some changes. It returned to the air in January 1991 for its shortened and final third season. A new opening sequence introduced the series' new name, ''Guns of Paradise'', an apparent attempt to remind viewers that the program, despite its title, was in fact a Western. Cord and Amelia were now engaged and in the process of building a new house; and Cord was in the process of achieving an official appointment to be the town's

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

, the role he had essentially been fulfilling unofficially. In 1991, despite a loyal fan base and critical acclaim, the series was canceled after three seasons amid low viewer ratings. In the mid-'90s, The Family Channel ran ''Paradise'' in

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

Home media

On April 25, 2017, Warner Bros. released the first season of ''Paradise'' on DVD.

Awards and nominations

References

* Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, ''

The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', p. 105

External links

* * {{epguides, id=GunsofParadise, title=Paradise 1980s American drama television series 1990s American drama television series 1988 American television series debuts 1991 American television series endings CBS original programming English-language television shows Serial drama television series Television series by Lorimar Television 1980s Western (genre) television series Period family drama television series Television shows set in California Television series set in the 1890s 1990s Western (genre) television series Television series created by David Jacobs (writer)