Bonanza
Bonanza
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Bonanza

"America's Favorite TV Western"

7.5
Yr 1959
Rt 49m
Status Ended
Western Action & Adventure Drama Family
Series Brief

Overview

The High-Sierra adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their ranch while helping the surrounding community.

Why fans love it

Set in the 19th-century Nevada territory, this series roots its action in the operations of the Ponderosa ranch. The narrative centers on a single father and his sons, balancing their private responsibilities with the external pressures of early American frontier life. It treats family dynamics as a core component of the Western genre rather than a side effect of the setting.

Lorne Greene leads the Cartwright household, anchoring a format that shifts between intimate family drama and regional conflict. The episodes navigate the complications of managing a vast ranch while responding to the needs of the surrounding community. By focusing on the internal hierarchy of the brothers and their father, the show offers a persistent, low-stakes look at domestic life within a wild west environment.

Featured Players

Cast 75

Jack Elam
as Buford Buckalew
3 episodes
Charles Seel
as Banker Weems
4 episodes
Lorne Greene
as Ben Cartwright
431 episodes
Pernell Roberts
as Adam Cartwright
202 episodes
Dan Blocker
as Hoss Cartwright
415 episodes
Michael Landon
as Joe Cartwright
431 episodes
David Canary
as Candy Canaday
56 episodes
Tim Matheson
as Griff King
16 episodes
Mitch Vogel
as Jamie Hunter Cartwright
71 episodes
Guy Williams
as Will Cartwright
5 episodes
Al Bain
as Townsman (uncredited)
3 episodes
DeForest Kelley
as Tully
4 episodes
Ann Prentiss
as Wilhelmina Calhoun
3 episodes
Katie Sweet
as Peggy Dayton
4 episodes
Jim Davis
as Johnny
3 episodes
Melissa Murphy
as Nancy Wills
3 episodes
Mariette Hartley
as Lola Fairmont
4 episodes
Kathie Browne
as Laura Dayton
6 episodes
Eric Fleming
as Heber Clauson
3 episodes
Dub Taylor
as Luke Calhoun
6 episodes
Show all 75 cast
Claude Akins
as Col. Edward J. Dunwoody
4 episodes
R.G. Armstrong
as Nathan Clay
3 episodes
Jacqueline Scott
as Willa Cord
3 episodes
Bonnie Bedelia
as Alice Harper
3 episodes
James Coburn
as Elmer Trace
3 episodes
John Saxon
as Chief Jocova
3 episodes
Victor Sen Yung
as Hop Sing
89 episodes
Ray Teal
as Roy Coffee
83 episodes
Ford Rainey
as Capt. Arnholt
7 episodes
Bing Russell
as Deputy Clem Foster
41 episodes
Morgan Woodward
as Will McNab
7 episodes
Strother Martin
as Cole Younger
5 episodes
Rudy Doucette
as Townsman (uncredited)
15 episodes
Jack Gordon
as Townsman (uncredited)
59 episodes
Anna Navarro
as Consuela
4 episodes
Albert Salmi
as Marcus Alley
4 episodes
Victor French
as Jesse Potter
4 episodes
Dabbs Greer
as Doc Tasker Dunkatt
5 episodes
Russ Conway
as Dave Hart
4 episodes
Adam Williams
as Muller
4 episodes
John George
as Townsman (uncredited)
5 episodes
Dorothy Neumann
as Ouisey McFadden
4 episodes
Robert Foulk
as Seth Peterson
4 episodes
Herschel Graham
as Party Guest (uncredited)
8 episodes
Charles Maxwell
as Krug
9 episodes
Percy Helton
as Lafe
4 episodes
Lou Frizzell
as Dusty Rhodes
8 episodes
Ron Nyman
as Townsman (uncredited)
6 episodes
Denver Pyle
as Price Buchanan
4 episodes
Chick Chandler
as Judge Butler
6 episodes
Roy Engel
as Dr. Paul Martin
10 episodes
John Harmon
as Weasel
5 episodes
Robert J. Wilke
as Marshal Hollister
5 episodes
Robert Adler
as Stage Driver
6 episodes
Ted Gehring
as Grifty
4 episodes
Harry Carey, Jr.
as Corporal Burton
4 episodes
Raymond Guth
as Prosecutor Hiram
7 episodes
John Kellogg
as Sgt. Ordy
4 episodes
Gregory Walcott
as Ed Thornton
6 episodes
Russell Custer
as Party Guest (uncredited)
4 episodes
Stacy Harris
as Judge Simpson
4 episodes
Lane Bradford
as Lash's Foreman
5 episodes
Bill Quinn
as Doc Travis
5 episodes
Dan Riss
as Railroad Agent
4 episodes
Troy Melton
as Gunman (uncredited)
23 episodes
Norman Leavitt
as Telegrapher
9 episodes
Richard Devon
as Jake Rubidah
4 episodes
Sammy Shack
as Townsman (uncredited)
4 episodes
Warren J. Kemmerling
as Frank Slater
4 episodes
Jack Tornek
as Townsman (uncredited)
12 episodes
C. Lindsay Workman
as Kendall
6 episodes
Chalky Williams
as Townsman (uncredited)
4 episodes
Cosmo Sardo
as Bartender (uncredited)
17 episodes
George Ford
as Townsman (uncredited)
4 episodes
Joe Garcio
as Townsman (uncredited)
4 episodes
Keyword Cloud

Keywords

nevada ranch family single father cowboy wild west 19th century early america
Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

fuboTV
US
Philo
US
Pure Flix
US
FlixFling
US • CA
Best Westerns Ever Amazon Channel
US • UK
Great American Pure Flix Amazon Channel
US
The Roku Channel
US
Shout! Factory TV
US
Cineverse
US
Xumo Play
US
Mometu
US
Tubi TV
US • CA • UK
Hoopla
US
Plex
US • CA • UK
Plex Channel
US
Fawesome
US
Pluto TV
CA • UK
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
September 12, 1959
Status
Ended
Episode Runtime
49 minutes
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
466