Retroist Podcast Episode 329 (The Adventures of Brisco Country Jr.)

In the 1990s, I fell in love with the western genre because an amazing show premiered on FOX, The Adventures of Brisco Country Jr., starring Bruce Campbell. This show was expected to be a big hit and widely praised, but failed to find a home and sadly had only one season. Despite this, or maybe because of it, the show developed a cult following.

I start the show talking about the closest thing we had to the old west in New Jersey, Wild West City. It was a place where I could finally shine like the star that I was, but unfortunately my attempts at improv on the stagecoach did not go over well with the people trying to do their jobs and my creative urges were stifled. Which explain why I am a blogger podcaster and not a Hollywood superstar nowadays.

After I tell my story, I move onto the show itself. I explore the talented people both in front of and behind the camera, how the lead was cast, the writing came together and the shows stirring music. I also reference some interesting newspaper ads and articles I came across while researching the film’s impact and history. For those interested, I’ll be sharing those clippings over on my Patreon tomorrow.

This show was ahead of its time and attempted to reinvent the western. Unfortunately the world wasn’t ready for it and we only got the single season. Still at least we have that, and it holds up well even after all these years.