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''Hey Dude'' is an American
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comedy series Television comedy is a category of broadcasting that has been present since the early days of entertainment media. While there are several genres of comedy, some of the first ones aired were variety shows. One of the first United States television ...
that aired from July 14, 1989 to August 30, 1991 with a total of 65 half-hour episodes produced over five seasons. The show was originally
broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began wi ...
on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
. The series, aimed primarily towards a
teenage Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...
audience, is set on the fictional "Bar None Dude Ranch" near the city of
Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
. It portrays the lives of the ranch's owner, his son, a female ranch hand, and four teenage summer employees.


Premise

Ben Ernst, a
divorced Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving th ...
, good-natured, somewhat bumbling father from
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
, bought the Bar None Dude Ranch seeking escape from his high-pressure job as a
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
accountant. His son, Buddy, is displeased with the change of locale, primarily because he is unable to use his skateboard on the desert sand. For Season 1, the teenage staff consisted of two boys and two girls: Ted, an enterprising troublemaker; Danny, an easy-going
Hopi The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the United ...
teenager and Ted's best friend; girl-next-door Melody; and Brad, a rich girl from
Grosse Pointe, Michigan Grosse Pointe is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,421. Grosse Pointe is an eastern suburb of Metro Detroit along Lake St. Clair. It is located along East Jefferson ...
. Though Brad often wears dressy designer outfits at work, she is a competent horse rider. Her love-hate relationship with Ted is a plot thread during the first half of the series. After
David Lascher David Scott Lascher (born April 27, 1972) is an American actor best known for his roles in ''Blossom'', ''Sabrina, the Teenage Witch'', and the Nickelodeon show ''Hey Dude''. Life and career Lascher was born in Scarsdale, New York to a psycho ...
left the show during Season 3 in 1990, Ted was replaced by Ernst's nephew Jake, an eccentric slacker who likes to play the drums. Not long after, Kyle, a somewhat dim but handsome cowboy type, joined the ranch. When Ted returned to the show, he and Kyle became romantic rivals for Brad. The show's only other featured adult is Lucy, a tough, authoritative ranch hand. She is sometimes viewed as a mother figure and the teens often ask her for advice. Each episode begins with a cold open that usually ends with a pun. After that, the show's logo appears over the end of the cold open. Each character is then introduced as a
horseshoe A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human ...
flips, followed again by the show's logo, after which the opening sequence fades out. Each episode ends with an instrumental version of the show's theme song while the credits roll over stills from the episode.


Characters

* David Brisbin as Benjamin Ernst Sr., a ranch owner who is also a successful accountant in New Jersey. * Kelly Brown as Bradley "Brad" Taylor, a riding instructor from a rich
Grosse Pointe, Michigan Grosse Pointe is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,421. Grosse Pointe is an eastern suburb of Metro Detroit along Lake St. Clair. It is located along East Jefferson ...
family * Debra Kalman as Lucy, ranch hand foreman and supervisor *
David Lascher David Scott Lascher (born April 27, 1972) is an American actor best known for his roles in ''Blossom'', ''Sabrina, the Teenage Witch'', and the Nickelodeon show ''Hey Dude''. Life and career Lascher was born in Scarsdale, New York to a psycho ...
as Ted McGriff, senior staff *
Christine Taylor Christine Joan Taylor Stiller (born July 30, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for playing Marcia Brady in ''The Brady Bunch Movie'' and ''A Very Brady Sequel'', as well as roles in films like '' The Craft'', '' The Wedding Singer'', '' ...
as Melody Hanson, lifeguard and dance instructor from
Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 census. It is the fastest-growing major city in Pennsylvania ...
* Joe Torres as Danny Lightfoot, a Hopi teenager. * Geoffrey Coy as Kyle Chandler, Lucy's ex-boyfriend's son * Jonathan Galkin as Jake Decker, Mr. Ernst's nephew from
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
* Josh Tygiel as Benjamin "Buddy" Ernst Jr., Mr. Ernst's son who is spending the summer with his father in the ranch. * Cassie, Buddy's dog, was featured in Season 1, but was absent in Season 2
David Lascher David Scott Lascher (born April 27, 1972) is an American actor best known for his roles in ''Blossom'', ''Sabrina, the Teenage Witch'', and the Nickelodeon show ''Hey Dude''. Life and career Lascher was born in Scarsdale, New York to a psycho ...
and Joe Torres were nominated for a 1991 Young Artist Award in the Best Youth Variety or Game Show category for their roles on ''Hey Dude''.


Production

''Hey Dude'' was videotaped on location at the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch in
Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
. The show was produced by
Cinetel Productions CineTel can refer to: *CineTel Films, an independent film distributor *CineTel Productions, which became Scripps Productions after being bought out by E. W. Scripps Company The E. W. Scripps Company is an American broadcasting company founded ...
. Casting began in 1988 with local auditions held in Tucson. Josh Tygiel, who was cast as protagonist Buddy Ernst, was one of 120 Tucson-area boys who auditioned for the series. Joe Torres was cast as Danny Lightfoot after auditioning in Tucson for the role. While most of the show was technically shot on the property of the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch, the familiar "ranch" that was known to television viewers was actually built from scratch roughly a mile away from the main public areas. This was done so
ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most ofte ...
guests would not be bothered by the production and to create buildings with a more "western" look, which was not offered by the relatively modern and luxurious Tanque Verde. The main lodge, boys and girls bunks, guest lodge (which doubled as cast dressing rooms) and the stable were all built specifically for the production. After the show ended production, the buildings were abandoned and several are still standing to this day, albeit in much disrepair. The swimming pool that was frequently used on the show is the main pool for the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch and is still in use by guests. The set is located at , about fifteen miles east of Tucson, Arizona.


Episodes

The series ran for 65 30-minute episodes over two years from 1989 to 1991. Each season take place over the course of one summer in the lives of the ranch's staff, with cast members often recalling pranks and staff members from previous summers.


Series overview


Season 1 (1989)


Season 2 (1989–90)


Season 3 (1990)


Season 4 (1990)


Season 5 (1991)


Home media

The first season of ''Hey Dude'' became available for download from the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
on July 29, 2008. The second season of ''Hey Dude'' became available for download from the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
in August 2010. The third season of ''Hey Dude'' became available for download from the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
on November 29, 2011 (only containing 12 out of 13 episodes). All five seasons of the series are available for purchase as DVD or streaming episodes through Amazon.com. On April 11, 2011 it was announced that
Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
had acquired the rights to the series. They subsequently released the entire series on DVD in Region 1. The fourth season was released on DVD as a Shout Select title, available exclusively through Shout Factory's website and select Amazon.com sellers. The fifth and final season was released on July 16, 2013, also as a Shout Select title. On March 10, 2015, Shout! released ''Hey Dude: The Complete Series'' on DVD as a Walmart exclusive in full screen format. It is also available through Amazon.com. On May 9, 2017, the complete series was re-released as a general retail release. On March 24, 2021, the series (with the exception of "They're Back" from Season 4) was added to
Paramount+ Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Media Networks (formerly Viacom Media ...
. ♦—Shout! Factory Exclusives title, sold exclusively through Shout's online store


References


External links

* {{Former Nickelodeon original series 1980s American teen sitcoms 1990s American teen sitcoms 1980s American comedy television series 1980s Nickelodeon original programming 1989 American television series debuts 1990s American comedy television series 1990s Nickelodeon original programming 1991 American television series endings English-language television shows Television series about teenagers Television shows set in Pima County, Arizona 1980s Western (genre) television series 1990s Western (genre) television series