''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'', often referred to as just ''Brisco'' or ''Brisco County'', is an American
weird western television series created by
Jeffrey Boam and
Carlton Cuse. It ran for 27 episodes on
Fox from August 27, 1993 to May 20, 1994. Set in the
American West
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is census regions United States Census Bureau
As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the mea ...
of 1893, the series follows its
title character, a
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
-educated lawyer-turned-
bounty hunter hired by a group of wealthy
industrialists to track and capture outlaw John Bly and his gang.
Bruce Campbell plays Brisco, who is joined by a colorful group of supporting characters, including
Julius Carry as fellow bounty hunter Lord Bowler and
Christian Clemenson as stick-in-the-mud lawyer Socrates Poole.
While ostensibly a Western, the series routinely includes elements of the science fiction and
steampunk
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...
genres.
Humor is a large part of the show; the writers attempted to keep the jokes and situations "just under over-the-top".
[Cuse, Carlton; Wirth, John; Kern, Brad; Chehak, Tom; Simkins, David; McNamara, John (2006). DVD extra. ''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series''. DVD. Disc 8. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. "A Brisco County Writer's Room".] A large number of episodes involve the Orb, a powerful device from the future.
John Astin plays Professor Wickwire, an inventor who assists Brisco with
anachronistic
An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common typ ...
technology including diving suits, motorcycles, rockets, and airships. The search for new technology and progressive ideas, what the writers of the show called "The Coming Thing",
[Cuse, Carlton (2006). DVD extra. ''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series''. DVD. Disc 8. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. "The History of Brisco County".] is a central theme throughout the series.
''Brisco'' was developed by Boam and Cuse at the request of Fox executive
Bob Greenblatt. Impressed by the duo's work on the script for the 1989 film ''
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' is a 1989 American action adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Jeffrey Boam, based on a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jone ...
'', Greenblatt suggested they develop a series that bore the tone and style of vintage
movie serials. The initial ideas and proposals from the show's writers were more often suited for film than television and had to be scaled down. ''Brisco'' was one of the last television shows to be filmed on the
Warner Bros. Western backlot.
Randy Edelman composed the distinctive theme music, which has been reused by
NBC during its coverage of the
1997 World Series and the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
.
During its broadcast run, ''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'' garnered a small but dedicated following and was well received by critics.
The series earned high ratings at the beginning of its season, but later episodes failed to attract a substantial number of viewers. Fox canceled the show at the end of its first and only season. In 2006,
Warner Home Video released a DVD set containing all 27 episodes. The series has been remembered fondly by critics, who praise its humor and unique blend of genres.
Plot
Background
''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'', is set in a fictional
American Old West of 1893.
Robber barons control the financial and industrial interests of the West from the boardrooms of San Francisco's Westerfield Club. The famous
U.S. Marshal Brisco County, Sr. (
R. Lee Ermey) has apprehended a gang of outlaws and its leader, the notorious John Bly (
Billy Drago). While transporting them to stand trial, County is murdered and the gang escapes. Meanwhile, in a nearby mine, a group of shackled Chinese workers unearths "The Orb", a large golden globe studded with rods. A worker draws one of the rods from out of the Orb, then touches several of his co-workers with it. As each worker is touched with the rod he is imbued with superhuman strength which they use to break the iron chains binding them, thus freeing themselves.
[David Simkins (writer) & Bryan Spicer (director), "Pilot". "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.", Fox. Episode 1. Aired August 27, 1993.] The murder of Brisco County, Sr., and the discovery of the Orb set into motion the major plots of the series.
Synopsis
Members of the Westerfield Club hire
Brisco County, Jr. (
Bruce Campbell), the son of the slain U.S. Marshal, to track and re-capture Bly and his gang.
The Westerfield Club's timid lawyer, Socrates Poole (
Christian Clemenson) relays instructions and financial support to Brisco. Another bounty hunter, Lord Bowler (
Julius Carry), who is known for his expert tracking skills, also hopes to capture Bly. Bitter over the elder County's fame, Bowler treats Brisco as a rival. The two men often find themselves reluctantly joining forces to achieve a common goal. Later in the series, Brisco and Bowler work together as partners and friends.
In the pilot episode, Brisco tracks John Bly's second-in-command, Big Smith (
M. C. Gainey). In a battle on a train car, Brisco knocks Smith off the train and into a river; he is assumed dead until he reappears later in the series. Brisco, Bowler and Socrates hunt the rest of Bly's gang in subsequent episodes. All ten of the gang members are captured or killed, and Brisco's pursuit of Bly, who is seeking the Orb for its supernatural power, frequently puts him into contact with the object.
Each encounter with the Orb reveals a fantastic effect on people who use it.
In the episode "The Orb Scholar", Bly shoots Brisco and leaves him to die. Professor Ogden Coles (
Brandon Maggart), a scientist who studies the Orb, heals Brisco with the device. In the episode "Bye Bly", it is revealed that Bly is a fugitive from the distant future who has traveled to 1893 to steal the Orb. Bly plans to use the Orb to travel back to his time and rule the world. Instead, Brisco uses the Orb to travel through time to save Bowler's life. Brisco eventually kills Bly by stabbing him with a rod from the Orb, causing Bly to disintegrate into a pile of ashes.
Series creator and executive producer Carlton Cuse said that the Orb represents faith and that depending on the intentions of those who use it, the object rewards or punishes them accordingly.
The pilot episode introduces several characters who make recurring appearances throughout the series. Big Smith's moll Dixie Cousins (
Kelly Rutherford) is a saloon singer and con artist who has a brief romantic encounter with Brisco.
In later episodes, Dixie becomes Brisco's primary love interest.
In his first mission, Brisco also meets Professor Albert Wickwire (
John Astin), an eccentric scientist who returns to help many times during the series. Wickwire's ideas and inventions play into Brisco's interest in technology and the future, something Brisco calls "The Coming Thing".
Pete Hutter (
John Pyper-Ferguson) is a hapless mercenary working for Bly. He has a compulsive attachment to his "piece" (pistol), and given any opportunity will pontificate about topics such as art and philosophy.
Pete appears throughout the series as a comic foil to trade barbs with the heroes.
He appears to be killed three times during the series, but returns each time with a comic excuse for why he didn't die.
The second half of the series includes many episodes with Whip Morgan (Jeff Phillips), a young
cardsharp whose attempts to assist Brisco and Bowler often end up causing trouble.
Signature show elements
The show features classic
Western motifs such as
train robberies
A train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by l ...
and
gunfighter showdowns, in combination with atypical elements. Much of the series is devoted to the science fiction plot surrounding the Orb, and it is this mix of the Western genre with fantasy that has helped ''Brisco'' maintain its cult status.
In almost every episode, the characters discover or are confronted by what is, for the time, fantastic technology. In the pilot episode, Brisco and Professor Wickwire modify a rocket to run on train tracks. In the episode "Brisco For the Defense", Brisco uses a
slide projector
A slide projector is an optical device for projecting enlarged images of photographic slides onto a screen. Many projectors have mechanical arrangements to show a series of slides loaded into a special tray sequentially.
35 mm slide p ...
to show a trial jury
fingerprint
A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfa ...
evidence. Professor Wickwire returns many times in the series to assist with technology, including tinkering with motorcycles and rescuing the heroes with a helium-filled
zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp. 155� ...
. Campbell told ''
Starlog'' magazine, "It's kind of
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright.
His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
meets ''
The Wild Wild West''."
The presence of futuristic technology in a
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...
Western places the series in the
steampunk
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...
genre; it is one of the few such shows to have aired on prime-time television.
At least one-third of the show's episodes contain steampunk or
Weird West elements.
Though "technology-out-of-time" frequently intrudes into the plots of ''Brisco'', the fantastic machines or methods rarely appear again. Some of these out-of-time technologies were archaic renderings of those prevalent in the 20th century, and two film researchers, Cynthia Miller and A. Bowdoin Van Riper, suggest that followers of the show may be puzzled that such inventions, so useful in their own lives, are not exploited further.
According to Cuse, the show was purposely set in 1893, exactly 100 years before the series premiered in 1993. Brisco is meant to be aware of the imminent changes in society and technology and actively looks for them. The writers of the show, and also the character of Brisco, refer to this concept as "The Coming Thing".
Elaborating on this theme, Campbell said, "Basically this show is about the turn of the century, when the Old West met the Industrial Era. Cowboys still chew tobacco and ride the range and states are still territories, but over the horizon is the onset of electricity, the first autos and telephones. Brisco is in the middle of a transition from the past to the future."
The collision of cowboy characters with puzzling technology and other
anachronisms generates humor throughout the series.
The writers made it a point to insert scenes mirroring the pop culture of the 20th century, from the apparent invention of the term "UFO" in the pilot episode to the appearance of a
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
who looks and acts like
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
. Speaking about the humor of the show, Campbell said, "I would say 30 percent of each episode is being played for laughs. But it's not a winking at the camera, ''
Airplane
An airplane (American English), or aeroplane (Commonwealth English), informally plane, is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, Propeller (aircraft), propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a vari ...
''-type of humor. We're funny like ''
Indiana Jones
''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...
'' is funny; the laughs come primarily from the wide variety of ridiculous, colorful characters that come in and out of this series."
Cast
Main
*Brisco County, Jr., portrayed by
Bruce Campbell, a Harvard-educated lawyer-turned-bounty hunter, hired by a group of
robber barons to track down notorious outlaw John Bly, who killed County's father, famous lawman Brisco County, Sr. (portrayed in the pilot by
R. Lee Ermey). Bruce Campbell went through five auditions for the role of Brisco before he was hired. In his first audition with the casting director, Campbell spontaneously did a standing flip. The stunt impressed the casting director so much that during each subsequent audition, Campbell was asked to do the flip again. In his final audition, Campbell assured the network executives that if hired for the role, he would work hard to make the show a success.
In an interview, Campbell said, "It's every actor's dream to play a cowboy, so when this opportunity came up, I mean, yeah, where do I sign?"
He added that working on ''Brisco'' provided him with acting opportunities he would not have otherwise had. Cuse said getting Campbell "was just one of those collisions between an actor and a script that was just perfect ... I can't imagine Brisco having ever existed without him."
*Socrates Poole, portrayed by
Christian Clemenson, a lawyer in the employ of the robber barons who hired County, sent to supervise him. Clemenson went to Harvard with Cuse but still went through the normal audition channels to get the part of Poole. Clemenson was apprehensive about pursuing one of the lead roles in a television show because of the long time commitments involved. He later said, "The similarities between this show and ''The Wild Wild West'', and my character to that show's Artemus Gordon, was an important hook for me. It was one of my favorite shows growing up, and as soon as I saw that ''Brisco County'' was based on the same kind of material and attitude as that show, I called my agent and said, 'I'll do anything I have to do to get this. Clemenson applied his experiences at Ivy League schools to play the uptight Poole. Praising Clemenson's work on ''Brisco'', Cuse said, "You can't give him anything he's not capable of doing. He adds the voice of intelligence and caution to balance our cast".
*Lord Bowler, portrayed by
Julius Carry, an ill-tempered bounty hunter who is a competitor and occasional collaborator with County. Carry saw great potential in the character of Bowler. He had researched black cowboys for a project in college and used that knowledge in his portrayal of Bowler. Carry said that Bowler was similar to the real-life black deputy U.S. Marshal
Bass Reeves, in that "Reeves always got his man and would often pull off incredible tricks to bring people in." Carry knew Clemenson from the time they worked together on the Western television pilot ''Independence''. He had no knowledge of Campbell, but approved of the choice for the leading man after watching ''
Army of Darkness
''Army of Darkness'' is a 1992 American dark fantasy comedy film directed, co-written, and co-edited by Sam Raimi. The film is the third installment in the Evil Dead, ''Evil Dead'' film series and the sequel to ''Evil Dead II'' (1987). Starring ...
''. He later told ''Starlog'', "I saw that he would be very good with the physical stuff and that he could deliver a one-liner. I knew the situation would be good."
The original direction for Bowler was to have him constantly oppose Brisco, but as the series progressed the writers saw the good-natured chemistry between the actors and decided to make Brisco and Bowler a team.
Bowler's race was never an issue in the show. According to Cary Darling, a television critic, this attitude is different from serious Westerns and "may hew more to the truth than one might think". He said historians have noted that black cowboys were common and that conflicts with white cowboys were rare.
*Dixie Cousins, portrayed by
Kelly Rutherford, a sultry saloon singer and con artist who serves as County's love interest. Rutherford's portrayal of Dixie Cousins, with her emphasis on innuendo and subtext, has been described as "less Miss Kitty (''Gunsmoke'') than Mae West".
Rutherford said that playing Dixie allowed her to fulfill her "fantasy of being
Madeline Kahn
Madeline Gail Kahn (''née'' Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. She was known for her comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks, including '' What's Up, Doc ...
in ''
Blazing Saddles''".
Recurring
*Professor Albert Wickwire, portrayed by
John Astin, an eccentric chemist, physicist, and "experimentalist" who assists County in is adventures and seeks to learn more about the Orb. Astin was cast he was best known for his portrayal of
Gomez Addams in
''The Addams Family''. Cuse said that he and the writers enjoyed paying homage to the television star of their childhoods: "For us, it was like, 'Oh wow, we get to meet John Astin in the guise of employing him on this show!
*John Bly, portrayed by
Billy Drago, a flamboyant and psychotic outlaw who turns out to be a fugitive from the distant future who has traveled to 1893 to steal the Orb.
*Peter Hutter, portrayed by
John Pyper-Ferguson, one of Bly's henchmen, often serving as a comic foil.
Production
Conception and development
In 1989, ''
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' is a 1989 American action adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Jeffrey Boam, based on a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jone ...
'' was released in the cinemas. It was a commercial success, earning its producers US$115 million from domestic screenings. The action-packed story, unfolding in a manner reminiscent of Saturday matinee
movie serials, about the adventures of an archaeologist was written by
Jeffrey Boam, with development and story help from
Carlton Cuse; this film was their third collaboration, after ''
Lethal Weapon 2
''Lethal Weapon 2'' is a 1989 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Richard Donner, and starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Joss Ackland, Derrick O'Connor and Patsy Kensit. It is a sequel to the 1987 film '' Letha ...
'' and ''
3''. According to Cuse,
Bob Greenblatt, an executive at
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, LLC (commonly known as Fox; stylized in all caps) is an Television in the United States, American commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast television broadcaster, television network serving as the flagship proper ...
, engaged him and Boam to develop a television series "because of ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade''". Greenblatt wanted a show that had a style similar to the ''Indiana Jones'' movies. Cuse started watching old serials and noticed that many fell into two genres: Westerns and science fiction. This gave Boam and Cuse the idea to combine the genres.
They decided to emulate the serials' style; for example, each
act within an episode begins with a
title
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...
, usually a
pun, and ends with a
cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...
.
Boam and Cuse did not intend for the series to be historically accurate. Their aim was to create an action-adventure with a modern feel. Cuse told ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'', "We're not approaching this show as if we were doing a period piece. We see it as a contemporary program. Our characters just happen to be living in the West with 1990s sensibilities. The ''Indiana Jones'' movies were period pieces too, but you never thought of them that way."
Anachronisms and pop culture references were intentionally inserted into the series.
The show was intended to be family friendly, so violence was minimized in favor of having Brisco think his way out of dangerous situations. Boam said, "In the two-hour pilot Brisco doesn't even once have to shoot his gun. Our violence is cartoonish. There is no pain and suffering."
Bruce Campbell was prominently featured in advertisements, billboards, and even a trailer shown in movie theaters.
[Cuse, Carlton; Campbell, Bruce (2006). Commentary. "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series". ''Pilot''. Screenplay by David Simkins, Jeffrey Boam, and Carlton Cuse. Directed by Bryan Spicer. Produced by David Simkins and Paul Marks. DVD. Disc 1. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.] When the series was being promoted in the summer of 1993,
Fox Entertainment
Fox Entertainment is an American entertainment company owned by Fox Corporation known for television production and distribution. The company was formed in 2019 after The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, with offices in ...
chief Sandy Grushow said that if Campbell "isn't the next big television star, I'll eat my desk".
Writing
Cuse served as
show runner and head writer. Boam, who served as executive producer, also contributed scripts for the show. The writing staff included
John Wirth,
Brad Kern, Tom Chehak,
David Simkins, and
John McNamara. They followed Cuse's informal instruction that the tone of the show remain "just under over-the-top": the series would be humorous but not too
campy. Every member of the staff participated in breaking down and analyzing the stories they conceived. Worth commented, "there was a very high percentage of ideas that worked in the room and got translated to paper that worked when you put them on film. That doesn't always happen."
Cuse described long hours writing the show, including several overnight sessions. Each episode of ''Brisco'' was filmed in seven days, so the turn-around time for scripts was one week.
McNamara said that he became a "student of TV history" while writing for ''Brisco'', reviewing old episodes of ''
Maverick'' for inspiration on using humor in the Western genre. He said the writing team felt the television audience was ready for a "trans-genre form", because much of the audience grew up with ''
Lethal Weapon
''Lethal Weapon'' is a 1987 American action film directed by Richard Donner and written by Shane Black. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darlene Love, and Mitchell Ryan. In ''Lethal Weapon'', a pai ...
'', ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'', and ''
The Wild Wild West''.
Researchers Lynnette Porter and Barry Porter acknowledge the writer's familiarity with
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...
's novel ''
Pudd'nhead Wilson''. Porter and Porter describe the novel as an "ancestor text", because the characters of Brisco and Bly both refer to it, and say that this type of
literary device is used again by Cuse in ''
Lost''.
One of the challenges the writers faced was scaling down their ideas to make them feasible for production. Cuse said that he let such ideas flourish because of his relative inexperience with writing for television series. An example given by the writers was Boam's idea for a full-sized "pirate ship on wheels". The writers quickly realized they needed to scale the idea down to something the
production designers could create. They settled on putting a full pirate crew on a stagecoach with cannons. Kern said it was better to "shoot past the mark, and come back to it, rather than start below it". He elaborated on this, saying, "if you envision the 40-foot galleon and go back from that, you'll always end up with more than if you start out with a pirate on a horse."
As the series progressed during its broadcast season, the writers received frequent notes and directives from Fox network executives calling for increases and decreases in the science-fiction, comedy and traditional Western elements. Cuse said, "I think we did a particularly good job of maintaining continuity with all the schizophrenic notes we were getting from the network."
However, midway through the first season, the writers made a thematic shift from science-fiction to more comedy and adventure. Cuse said, "We were biting off more than we could chew... we were trying to do a comedic action adventure Western, with tongue-in-cheek humor, genuine drama, plus science fiction. All these things added too many elements to serve simultaneously."
By the final third of the series, the writers had wrapped up the science-fiction plot with the Orb and focused more on traditional Western motifs.
Production design
''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'', was filmed primarily on the
Warner Bros. soundstages.
Town and street scenes were staged on the Western
backlot, known as Laramie Street. It was one of the last Western shows to use the backlot. Cuse said that logistics were a problem because so many of the Hollywood Western sets and towns had been torn down by the 1990s. Outdoor scenes were shot on the Warner Bros.
ranch
A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of landscape, land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often ap ...
in
Valencia, California;
Bronson Canyon in Los Angeles; and the Valuze Ranch in
Santa Clarita, California.
[Campbell, Bruce. ''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series'', DVD Booklet. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., 2006.] Some of the locomotive scenes from ''Brisco'' were filmed on location at
Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in
Jamestown, California. A painting used in the show as a backdrop to create
illusions of greater depth perspectives is exhibited at the park.
Comet was portrayed by five horses, each with a different talent. The main horse was Copper, chosen by veteran
wrangler Gordon Spencer because it was calm and gentle. Campbell nicknamed the horse "Leadbelly" due to its ability to remain calm during action or dialogue scenes. Another horse, Boss, was used for long-range shots, chase scenes, and elaborate stunts, such as leaps through windows. Ace was called in when the crew had to shoot scenes in which the horse reared. Near the end of the season, a horse named Comet was trained, its name chosen so that the horse would get used to hearing it on set.
The "true show horse" was Strip, which was adept at doing tricks, such as lip movements, head nods, and hoof stamping. According to Spencer, all those stunts "as well as tying the knots and opening the door and going into rooms and all of that" were done by Strip. For these scenes, Spencer would stand off-camera and use a stick to signal Strip. Campbell had a special pocket sewn into his costume and filled it with grain to reward Strip after every take.
No other horse had more scenes than Strip and Copper. With white colorings on his nose and legs, Strip's appearance was chosen for Brisco's steed; Copper and the other horses were touched up with "clown white" greasepaint to match Strip's markings.
Foley artist Casey Crabtree provided sounds for horse hoof movements, work that was praised by sounds effects industry expert
David Yewdall. He said of Crabtree's work on ''Brisco'', "Her horses sounded so natural and real – their hooves, the sound of their hooves on the texture of the ground, the sound of saddle movement, bridle jingles – it was as good as anything I would want for a feature film, and this was episodic television." The make-up on many of ''Briscos episodes was done by veteran artist Mel Berns Jr.
Two props of the Orb were made. One of the prop Orbs was used for stunts and had retractable rods. A second version was manufactured from cast bronze, making it heavy: "You really didn't want to have to handle it," Campbell said. The rocket car seen in the pilot episode was built by special effects coordinator Kam Cooney and was a working vehicle with an internal combustion engine and throttle controls. Some items used in the show had been repurposed from older productions, and some would later be used in other shows. For example, the steam locomotive seen in the pilot episode was the same as the one used in ''
Back to the Future Part III''.
Two of Carry's prop guns – rifles whose barrels were sawed-off in fashion of the
Mare's Leg – were later reused in the science fiction television series ''
Firefly''.
Music
Stephen Graziano and
Velton Ray Bunch composed original music for the series.
Composed by
Randy Edelman, the distinctive theme music gained recognition beyond the show's following; in the mid-1990s,
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is an American programming division for NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, that is responsible for sports broadcasts on their broadcast network NBC, the Cable television, cable channels NBC owns, and on Peacock (streaming service) ...
had commissioned Edelman to compose theme music for its
NFL coverage. At the time, NBC had often used excerpts from film scores as theme music for its sports broadcasts, and had used a portion of Edelman's ''
Gettysburg'' score for the
Breeder's Cup. A portfolio Edelman sent NBC included the ''Brisco'' theme, and by 1996 it was being used during coverage of the Olympics; the theme would be retired after the 2016 games. NBC used it again as the theme for their coverage of the
1996 World Series and
1997 World Series. Edelman said, "It was original, and it seemed to have the right spirit. It's got a very flowing melody, it's triumphant, and it has a certain warmth. And it has at the end of it, what all television things like this have, a 'button', an ending flourish that works really well if they need to chop it down into a 15-second thing."
Cary Darling said that the "booming" theme song was "part ''
Magnificent Seven'', part
Aaron Copland and as grand and wide as 'Big Sky Country' ".
Broadcast history
''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'', premiered on the Fox network at 8:00 pm on Friday, August 27, 1993, with a two-hour pilot movie. To bolster viewer interest in the show, Fox rebroadcast the pilot two days later at 7:00 pm. Both airings of the pilot returned strong ratings. ''Brisco's'' ratings for the pilot and first episode were high, particularly with the demographic of adults aged 18–49. The series was aired in Canada, including on
Global Toronto (channel 29).
The pilot movie was followed by 26 episodes, each 45 minutes long and airing at 8:00 pm on Fridays. Fox Entertainment chief Sandy Grushaw openly touted ''Brisco'' and its star Bruce Campbell. The network fully expected the show to be its breakout hit of the year, a distinction which eventually went to ''Brisco''s follow-up, ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...
''. Hoping that more viewers would follow ''Brisco'' as it progressed, Fox approved producing an entire season of the show, despite post-pilot low ratings. Subsequent episodes failed to attract more viewers and the show was cancelled at end of its first and only season. After the series ended, Fox retransmitted the show on Sunday nights at 8:00 pm during July and August 1994.
The show was later broadcast for a short time in
syndication, airing on the U.S. cable channel
TNT.
Episodes
Cancellation
As the season progressed, the ratings declined, greatly hurting the show's chances of being renewed. Writer John McNamara partially blamed ''Brisco''s low ratings on its
Friday 8:00 p.m. time slot. He said not many people watch television at that time, so "fighting for numbers" then was "like being stuck on Normandy beach". Grushaw acknowledged the high quality of the show and the vocal support from its small fan base. "Obviously the viewers are very passionate about the show... and when you read some of the things they have to say, it gives you real pause", Grushaw told ''USA Today'' in 1994. By May of that year, Grushaw said renewing ''Brisco'' was a 50–50 call. At the end of its season, ''Brisco'' was one of the lowest rated shows of the year, and Fox confirmed its cancellation in June.
''Brisco''s writers were planning for another season before the show's cancellation. They had not penned the ending of the first season as a finale for the series and had broad ideas for the second season, which would have featured Brisco settling in as the sheriff of a small town.
In his autobiography, Campbell mused, "To explain why a TV show is canceled is almost impossible. Ironically ''Brisco'', with its off-kilter humor, wouldn't have been developed on any other network, yet the appeal of 'Westerns' was still rural – not the side Fox's urban bread was buttered on."
Writer and supervising producer Brad Kern reflected on the show's cancellation, saying, "Ten years later, everybody you talk to... they all love the show. I think that was the biggest disappointment about the show not coming back. We knew we were doing something special."
Told of the show's success in the ''TV Guide'' "Save Our Shows" poll, Sandy Grushow said, "Obviously I'm happy and not entirely surprised", but added, "You can't dismiss a season's worth of ratings."
Kim Manners, director on nearly a third of the ''Brisco'' episodes, said working on the series gave him an opportunity to grow creatively. He told writer Joe Nazzaro, "It really woke me up as a director, almost spiritually", and that directing for ''Brisco'' was a large contributing factor to his success as a regular director on ''The X-Files''. Manners said, "When they didn't give it a second year, I was devastated", adding that he wished Cuse would have made a feature film based on ''Brisco''.
Considering the show's short life, Cuse later commented, "If the show could have survived into a second season, I think it could have ended up running for actually a long time. Some shows just sort of fall through the cracks in the right away and they kind of stay on the air long enough to aggregate an audience. I think if circumstances had been different, ''Brisco'' could have had a much longer life."
[Cuse, Carlton (2006). DVD extra. ''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series''. DVD. Disc 8. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. "Tools of the Trade".] Cuse also said the Friday night time slot hurt ''Brisco''s chances of building an audience, saying, "We were on at 8 p.m. on Friday night, which is sort of a death slot – I mean people do still go bowling – few shows have succeeded in that slot."
Home media
In 2005, Kirthana Ramisetti of ''Entertainment Weekly'' posted that ''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'', deserved to be released on DVD. Gord Lacey, the creator of the website
TVShowsonDVD.com, told the New York ''
Daily News'' that ''Brisco'' was among the five most requested shows on the site. Lacey spent several years lobbying industry contacts to get ''Brisco'' released on DVD. This led to correspondence with Cuse, who also wanted to get a DVD set produced.
On July 18, 2006,
Warner Home Video released ''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1, an 8-disc DVD set that contains all 27 episodes of the series. The release includes commentary tracks from Campbell and Cuse; an interactive menu of Brisco's signature references narrated by Campbell; ''The History of Brisco County, Jr.'', documentary; a feature called ''A Reading from the Book of Bruce''; and another gallery hosted by Campbell focusing on the gadgets from the show.
Reception
Pilot episode
In July 1993, ''Brisco''s two-hour pilot was screened for television critics in Los Angeles.
Initial critical reaction to the pilot was positive and focused on the humor and the science fiction plot points.
''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
''s Matt Roush enjoyed the campy humor and the cast of the show, saying it worked on many levels and would "please all but the family curmudgeon". Calling ''Brisco'' "one of the best shows of the fall season", Jennifer Stevenson of the ''
St. Petersburg Times'' praised the show's "intelligent, satirical asides". Kay Gardella wrote in the New York ''
Daily News'' that the pilot set itself "apart from others of genre" with its humorous script and sight gags. The ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' called ''Brisco'' "gratifying nonsense", and praised Campbell and the supporting cast for supplying humor without "going over the top". Some critics, such as Walter Goodman of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' and David Hiltbrand of ''
People
The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'', found the supporting characters "weakly cast" and not as strong as Campbell in the lead.
Other reviewers praised the overall look of the show, such as Todd Everett of ''
Variety'', who approved of the "strong comic-book visual style" and the pilot's high production values.
Writing in ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', Tom Shales said that the pilot's production was "more movielike than serieslike".
The pilot's science-fiction plot elements were appreciated by ''
New York'' magazine, which wrote favorably about the "
millenarianism" of the show, including Brisco's use of a rocket to travel on railroad tracks. While Rod Dreher of the ''
Washington Times'' liked the "nifty" Orb subplot, some critics responded negatively to the Orb. The ''Washington Post''s Shales called the Orb "hokey supernatural bunk".
Other reviewers complained generally about the broad mix of genres and number of subplots in the pilot. While ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
''s Jeff Jarvis roundly praised the quality of the pilot and called ''Brisco'' his favorite Fox show of 1993, he criticized the pilot for being "padded with outlaws and mysterious orbs". Diane Werts of ''
Newsday
''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
'' similarly said that ''Brisco'' "just about hits the bulls eye" with its "sharp wit" and "thrill a minute" action, although she noted that the pilot was over-packed with characters and subplots. Writing in ''The New York Times'', Goodman said, "The writers try everything, including some business involving raiders of a lost orb, without much of a payoff."
''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
''s
Ken Tucker enjoyed the "nervy attempt to do something different with the TV Western" in the pilot and said that "Brisco County is less a satire of the Western's cliches than a revitalization of them." Writing in the ''
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division.
...
'', Greg Quill said that the pilot introduced ''Brisco'' as "a western in the loosest use of the term". Quill noted that the pilot includes "every cliche in the western movie arsenal", but that "everything, from characters to plot turns, is skewed away from the norm", and that the pilot episode rose above the level of western
spoof to become an "outrageously confident tribute to... the best of the genre".
Broadcast run
During the broadcast run of ''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'', ''TV Guide'' featured a positive review of the show in its Couch Critic column and wrote, "It's as funny as it is exciting, which is not an easy combo to pull off... it's fresh and funny and different, and that's why we like it." The magazine twice listed ''Brisco'' as a family-friendly TV program: "Back when some of us grew up, Westerns were synonymous with great family entertainment, but – let's be honest – some of them were dull as dust. Not this one. ''Brisco'' is a Western with a sense of humor, filled with impish action for kids and adults."
''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' reviewed a host of Westerns from 1992 and 1993 and said that ''Brisco'' was "the most sheer fun of the bunch", calling it "a period piece with slick production values and a mix of drama and humor, fast pace and high camp". In an article on the 1993 television season, the ''Toronto Star''s Greg Quill wrote that ''Brisco'' was a program that represented "American TV craft at the top of its form". In contrast, Elvis Mitchell of ''
Spin'' magazine gave ''Brisco'' a scathing review, calling the show's premise a "tedious... rickety gimmick". Mitchell acknowledged the show's "quick reflexes", but said the humor was "uncomfortable" with a "cynical quickness". He added, "''Brisco County'' relieves us of the burden of laughing. It spends too much time looking at itself in the mirror, admiring its own adorable dimpled half-smile."
Viewership figures for ''Brisco'' fell as its season progressed and in 1994, it was listed in ''TV Guide''s annual "Save Our Shows" article. Readers were requested to write in and vote to save one of the four listed shows – one from each television network – that were in danger of being cancelled. ''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'', won with 34.7 percent of the 72,000 votes cast. Cuse said the vote "reaffirms for me a feeling I've had – namely that the Nielsens aren't accurately reflecting people's interest in this show", adding that, given Fox's then relatively small share of the market, it was notable that the show got more votes than any of the programs from NBC, CBS, and ABC.
Writing in ''USA Today'', Matt Roush encouraged readers to watch the low-rated show, saying that families should watch it rather than "that interchangeable
T.G.I.F. tripe". He said, "Brisco is mighty lavish but even more mightily loony, happily saddled with broad sight gags and tortured puns." Bruce Fretts of ''Entertainment Weekly'' speculated that mainstream success eluded the show because of its mixing of genres. He said, "''Brisco'' refuses to behave like a normal Western, mixing in sci-fi, slapstick, and... kung fu." ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
s Scott Williams praised ''Brisco'' for its "strong supporting cast" and "superb physical comedy and crisp dialogue". He said the show should have been a hit, but that the Friday night time slot hampered its ratings.
Level of violence
''Brisco'' was criticized early on for the violence it portrayed; meant to be comical, a scene in the pilot in which four villains accidentally kill each other in a crossfire troubled critics instead. Cuse insisted that the show was still appropriate for children, saying, "I think we're very conscious of violence and I think we've made an effort to avoid violence in the pilot and in the future episodes". Halfway through the season, U.S. Senator
Byron Dorgan singled out ''Brisco'' as the most violent show on television based on a study at Minnesota's
Concordia University
Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...
, in which students watched 132 hours of network and cable programming,
during the week of September 28 to October 4, 1993.
The students tallied each act of violence, and found that ''Brisco'' had 117 violent acts per hour.
The study deemed ''Brisco'' more violent than the film ''
Beverly Hills Cop'', which was also viewed for the study. Cuse called the criticism "patently ridiculous", noting that only one episode of the show was viewed, in which a boxing match takes place. Each punch and jab was counted as an act of violence. Cuse spoke out against legislation to curb television violence, saying that politicians were "chasing a false objective". He said it was the job of a show's producer to control the moral content of a television program and the parents' duty to monitor what their children watch.
The ''Los Angeles Times'' printed a story about Senator Dorgan's efforts to elicit a response from the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
(FCC) with the title "Fox Tops Tally of Violence on Major TV Networks Media: Study of a week of prime-time shows also lists 'Brisco County' as bloodiest series. Senator wants FCC to issue report card, name sponsors". Cuse responded by writing a letter to the editor. In the letter, entitled "'Brisco County' Is a Family-Oriented Series", Cuse objected to the newspaper story title labeling ''Brisco'' as the "bloodiest series". He said that Senator Dorgan's press release did not mention blood and that the show's violence should be viewed in context. Cuse added the show had been listed as family friendly in other publications, and that he read every viewer letter sent regarding the show. "The overwhelming majority praise "Brisco County" for being a show that the entire family can watch together. After 15 original airings, I have not received one single letter criticizing the show on the grounds of violence or violent content." When the
US Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
discussed forcing broadcast and cable networks to regulate violent programming, Cuse said that self-regulation within the industry was a positive move. As he operated on his "own internal moral principles", the measures would not affect his week-to-week work.
Post-cancellation
Writing in ''People'' magazine in 1995, Craig Tomashoff said the cancellation of ''Brisco'' was "one of the tragedies going into
he 1994–1995TV season". Tomashoff suggested that the show influenced
UPN's ''
Legend
A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...
'', another Western series with comedy and science fiction elements. Reflecting on the show in the ''
Orange County Register
''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily List of newspapers in California, newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digit ...
'' in 1996, critic Cary Darling lamented ''Briscos cancellation, saying that the show "stood way out from the rest of the broadcast pack". Darling reviewed the show, describing it as "a witty, multiracial Western that tempered its fisticuffs with fantasy, its innocence with irony, and its romantic vision of the Old West with an abiding New World faith in the future's infinite possibilities".
Writing in ''Entertainment Weekly'', Ken Tucker called the show a "one season wonder" that was "ahead of its time".
When the series was released on DVD, critics remembered it fondly. ''Video Librarian'' called ''Brisco'' "criminally short-lived" and "wildly entertaining". Ken Tucker of ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave the series an "A−", calling the show "smart-alecky and witty, suspenseful and absurd". ''IGN DVD'' called the DVD set "impressive" and said that the series was "a satisfying show that hits its mark".
''Auxiliary Magazine'' called ''Brisco'' "one of the greatest sci-fi/Western epics in television history" and compared it favorably to the more well-known sci-fi/Western shows, ''Firefly'' and ''The Wild Wild West''.
In its 2006 gift guide, the ''
Christian Science Monitor'' gave ''Brisco'' a positive review, saying, "Folks, there are so few comic sci-fi/Westerns, they should be celebrated, not canceled prematurely."
In a 2018 interview with ''Houston Chronicle'', Bruce Campbell voiced an interest in reviving the series. "I would actually be willing to do a Brisco revisited".
References
External links
Warner's Official DVD release Website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures Of Brisco County, Jr., The
1993 American television series debuts
1994 American television series endings
1990s American science fiction television series
1990s American time travel television series
1990s Western (genre) television series
American English-language television shows
Fiction set in 1893
Fox Broadcasting Company original programming
Science fiction Westerns
Steampunk television series
Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
Television series created by Carlton Cuse
Television series set in the 1890s
Television shows set in San Francisco
Science fiction franchises
Adventure franchises