Adventures of Brisco County Jr, The

1 9 9 3 – 1 9 9 4 (USA)
27 x 45 minute episodes

It’s 1893 and a group of wealthy San Francisco businessmen called ‘The Tycoons’ are having their business operations plagued by the notorious outlaw John Bly (Billy Drago) and his gang.

To resolve their problem, they hire the flamboyant bounty hunter Brisco County Jr (Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell) to bring Bly and his gang to justice (Brisco’s father, Brisco County Sr, had been murdered by John Bly).

The Tycoons also assign Socrates Poole (Christian Clemenson) – a spit-and-polish lawyer and general counsel for their club – to assist Brisco . . . who insists he doesn’t need any help.

Brisco attended Harvard University where he majored in English and law “but I mostly learned drinking songs and how to unbutton women’s unmentionables”.

After college, he became a lawyer but turned to bounty hunting two-years later, to follow in the footsteps of his father, who had been one of the most feared lawmen of the western territories.

Brisco is also looking for “the coming thing”, reasoning that “it’s 1893 and we’re only seven years away from the new century”. He constantly talks about the future and predicts there will be trolley cars, electricity “and rockets charting the stars.”

Brisco claims he can outshoot and outride anyone. He has a horse named Comet (“He don’t know he’s a horse. He thinks he’s human and has to go where I go”) who enjoys green apples for breakfast and when he becomes depressed, only green apples will cheer him up. Comet was portrayed onscreen by four different horses.

Lord Bowler (Julius Carry) is a fellow bounty hunter who is also seeking Bly for the reward. He rides with Brisco but he’s intent on capturing Bly before Brisco does.

Lord Bowler (pictured at right) was orphaned at the age of eleven when his mother died of scarlet fever (his father died when he was four years old).

Dolly (Elaine Hendrix) and Dixie (Kelly Rutherford) Cousins are sisters and friends of Brisco. Dolly is a singer who owns the Dolly Cousins Casino in Reno, Nevada while Dixie, also a singer, travels with her own roadshow “because I like where it takes me.”

The Adventures of Brisco County Jr was an unusual show. Ostensibly a Western with elements of science fiction thrown in, the series flipped comfortably between comedy, action and adventure.

Though the show only lasted one season, the majestic theme song (composed by Randy Edelman) found a new life as part of NBC’s sports productions, especially during NBC broadcasts of the World Series and the Olympic Games.

Brisco County Jr
Bruce Campbell
Lord Bowler
Julius Carry
Socrates Poole
Christian Clemenson
Dolly Cousins
Elaine Hendrix
Dixie Cousins
Kelly Rutherford
John Bly
Billy Drago
Peter Hutter
John Pyper-Ferguson