List of Bonanza episodes#Season 8 (1966–67)

File:Bonanza main cast 1959.JPG in 1959]]

Bonanza is an American western television series developed and produced by David Dortort and broadcast in the United States for 14 seasons on the NBC network. The entire run of the series' 431 hour-long episodes was produced in color.{{sfn|Shapiro|1997|pp=5, 65–157}} The premiere was on September 12, 1959, and the final episode broadcast on January 16, 1973.{{sfn|Shapiro|1997|pp=65, 157}} In its initial season, Bonanza aired on Saturday evenings and placed at number 45 in the Nielsen ratings. During its second season, the series moved up to number 17.{{cite web |url=http://bonanzaworld.net/quickfacts.php?s=#ratings |title=Ratings |work=Bonanza World |publisher=Bonanza Ventures, Inc., and NBC, Inc |date=2002–2010|access-date=September 28, 2010}} Bonanza was moved to Sundays at 9:00 PM Eastern Time at the start of its third season. In that time slot, the ratings soared and the series become second only to Wagon Train as the most popular program on American prime time television. It remained in the top ten of the ratings through its twelfth season and ranked at number one in its sixth, seventh, and eighth seasons. Bonanza also became a worldwide success as it was broadcast in nearly 50 countries, including Canada, Brazil, Yugoslavia, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Australia, and Japan.{{cite web |url=http://bonanzaworld.net/article4.php |title=The Worldwide Lure of "Bonanza" |first=John |last=Poppy |publisher=Look magazine |date=December 1, 1964 |access-date=October 12, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101013601/http://bonanzaworld.net/article4.php }}

Bonanza is set around the Ponderosa Ranch near Virginia City, Nevada and chronicles the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, consisting of Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) and his three sons (each by a different wife), Adam (Pernell Roberts), Eric "Hoss" (Dan Blocker), and Joseph (Michael Landon). Veteran actor Victor Sen Yung played the ranch cook, Hop Sing. In 1964, Pernell Roberts began expressing a desire to leave the series, and so prospective replacements were introduced via Barry Coe as Little Joe's wayward maternal half-brother Clay, and Guy Williams as Ben's nephew Will Cartwright. However, Roberts was persuaded to complete his contract, and remained through season six. The characters of Clay and Will were discontinued. In the ninth season, David Canary was added to the cast as ranch hand/foreman Candy Canady. After four years with the series, Canary left due to a contract dispute. In the twelfth season, Mitch Vogel joined the cast as Jamie Hunter, a teenage orphan who is adopted by Ben Cartwright.{{cite web |url=http://bonanzaworld.net/index.php?s= |title=Bonanza World Home |work=Bonanza World |publisher=Bonanza Ventures, Inc., and NBC, Inc|date=2002–2010 |access-date=September 28, 2010}}{{cite web |url=http://allmovie.com/work/bonanza-tv-series-132988 |title=Bonanza |first=Hal |last=Erickson |work=AllMovie |date=2010 |publisher=Rovi Corporation |access-date=September 28, 2010}} Following Dan Blocker's death in May 1972 after season thirteen ended, Greene, Landon, and Vogel continued the series into a fourteenth season, with Canary returning as Candy (reportedly approached by Landon) and Tim Matheson was introduced as ex-prisoner and newly hired ranch-hand Griff King. The program was moved to Tuesday nights where it slipped badly in the ratings to number 52 and was subsequently cancelled. Bonanza has, however, continued to be popular in syndication. From 1964 to 1967, Bonanza became the most watched show in the U.S.

All 14 seasons have been released on DVD in Region 1, both individually, and as a complete series box set.

Series overview

{{Series overview

|caption = Overview of Bonanza seasons

| infoA = Rank

| infoB = Rating

| infoC = Average viewership (in millions)

| infoD = Timeslot (ET)

| color1 = #7e2304

| link1 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 1 (1959–60)

| episodes1 = 32

| start1 = {{Start date|1959|9|12}}

| end1 = {{End date|1960|4|30}}

| infoA1 = {{n/a}}

| infoB1 = {{n/a}}

| infoC1 = {{n/a}}

| infoD1 = Saturday 7:30 p.m.

| infoD1span = 2

| color2 = #264766

| link2 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 2 (1960–61)

| episodes2 = 34

| start2 = {{Start date|1960|9|10}}

| end2 = {{End date|1961|6|3}}

| infoA2 = 17

| infoB2 = 24.8

| infoC2 = 11.7{{Cite web |title=TV Ratings: 1960-1961 |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1960.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=classictvguide.com}}

| color3 = #360731

| link3 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 3 (1961–62)

| episodes3 = 34

| start3 = {{Start date|1961|9|24}}

| end3 = {{End date|1962|5|20}}

| infoA3 = 2

| infoB3 = 30.0

| infoC3 = 14.6{{Cite web |title=TV Ratings: 1961-1962 |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1961.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=classictvguide.com}}

| infoD3 = Sunday 9:00 p.m.

| infoD3span = 11

| color4 = #6fcbe0

| link4 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 4 (1962–63)

| episodes4 = 34

| start4 = {{Start date|1962|9|23}}

| end4 = {{End date|1963|5|26}}

| infoA4 = 4

| infoB4 = 29.8{{refn|Tied with The Lucy Show|group=lower-alpha}}

| infoC4 = 15.0{{Cite web |title=TV Ratings: 1962-1963 |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1962.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=classictvguide.com}}

| color5 = #4C5F2D

| link5 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 5 (1963–64)

| episodes5 = 34

| start5 = {{Start date|1963|9|22}}

| end5 = {{End date|1964|5|24}}

| infoA5 = 2

| infoB5 = 36.9

| infoC5 = 19.0{{Cite web |title=TV Ratings: 1963-1964 |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1963.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=classictvguide.com}}

| color6 = #DA853B

| link6 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 6 (1964–65)

| episodes6 = 34

| start6 = {{Start date|1964|9|20}}

| end6 = {{End date|1965|5|23}}

| infoA6 = 1

| infoB6 = 36.3

| infoC6 = 19.1{{Cite web |title=TV Ratings: 1964-1965 |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1964.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=classictvguide.com}}

| color7 = #710900

| link7 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 7 (1965–66)

| episodes7 = 33

| start7 = {{Start date|1965|9|12}}

| end7 = {{End date|1966|5|15}}

| infoA7 = 1

| infoB7 = 31.8

| infoC7 = 17.1{{Cite web |title=TV Ratings: 1965-1966 |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1965.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=classictvguide.com}}

| color8 = #02152a

| link8 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 8 (1966–67)

| episodes8 = 34

| start8 = {{Start date|1966|9|11}}

| end8 = {{End date|1967|5|14}}

| infoA8 = 1

| infoB8 = 29.1

| infoC8 = 16.0{{Cite web |title=TV Ratings: 1966-1967 |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1966.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=classictvguide.com}}

| color9 = #4C5761

| link9 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 9 (1967–68)

| episodes9 = 34

| start9 = {{Start date|1967|9|17}}

| end9 = {{End date|1968|7|28}}

| infoA9 = 4

| infoB9 = 25.5{{refn|Gunsmoke and Family Affair|group=lower-alpha}}

| infoC9 = 14.5{{Cite web |title=TV Ratings: 1967-1968 |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1967.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=classictvguide.com}}

| color10 = #000

| link10 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 10 (1968–69)

| episodes10 = 30

| start10 = {{Start date|1968|9|15}}

| end10 = {{End date|1969|5|11}}

| infoA10 = 3

| infoB10 = 26.6

| infoC10 = 15.5{{Cite web |title=TV Ratings: 1968-1969 |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1968.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=classictvguide.com}}

| color11 = #40e0d0

| link11 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 11 (1969–70)

| episodes11 = 28

| start11 = {{Start date|1969|9|14}}

| end11 = {{End date|1970|4|19}}

| infoA11 = 3

| infoB11 = 24.8

| infoC11 = 14.5{{Cite web |title=TV Ratings: 1969-1970 |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1969.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=classictvguide.com}}

| color12 = #0BDA51

| link12 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 12 (1970–71)

| episodes12 = 28

| start12 = {{Start date|1970|9|13}}

| end12 = {{End date|1971|4|11}}

| infoA12 = 9

| infoB12 = 23.9

| infoC12 = 14.4{{Cite web |title=TV Ratings: 1970-1971 |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1970.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=classictvguide.com}}

| color13 = #C0C0C0

| link13 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 13 (1971–72)

| episodes13 = 26

| start13 = {{Start date|1971|9|19}}

| end13 = {{End date|1972|4|2}}

| infoA13 = 20

| infoB13 = 21.9

| infoC13 = 13.6{{Cite web |title=TV Ratings: 1971-1972 |url=https://classictvguide.com/tvratings/1971.htm |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=classictvguide.com}}

| color14 = #c5b358

| link14 = List of Bonanza episodes#Season 14 (1972–73)

| episodes14 = 16

| start14 = {{Start date|1972|9|12}}

| end14 = {{End date|1973|1|16}}

| infoA14 = 50{{Cite web|url=http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2020/02/1972-73-ratings-history.html|title=The TV Ratings Guide: 1972-73 Ratings History}}

| infoB14 = 17.0{{Cite web|url=http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2020/02/1972-73-ratings-history.html|title=The TV Ratings Guide: 1972-73 Ratings History}}

| infoC14 = {{n/a}}

| infoD14 = Tuesday 8:00 p.m.

}}

Episodes

=Season 1 (1959–60)=

=Season 2 (1960–61)=

=Season 3 (1961–62)=

=Season 4 (1962–63)=

=Season 5 (1963–64)=

=Season 6 (1964–65)=

=Season 7 (1965–66)=

=Season 8 (1966–67)=

=Season 9 (1967–68)=

=Season 10 (1968–69)=

=Season 11 (1969–70)=

=Season 12 (1970–71)=

=Season 13 (1971–72)=

=Season 14 (1972–73)=

TV movies

{{Episode table |caption=Bonanza television movies |background=#006400 |title= |director=21 |writer=23 |airdate=17 |episodes=

{{Episode list

|RTitle=Bonanza: The Next Generation

|DirectedBy=William F. Claxton

|WrittenBy=Paul Savage

|OriginalAirDate={{start date|1988|03|3}}

|ShortSummary= This is the continuing saga of the Cartwrights, only none of the original Cartwrights are here anymore but their sons appear. Ben and Hoss have died, Little Joe is MIA; he joined up with Teddy Roosevelt and is currently missing and Adam has emigrated to Australia. Ben's brother, Aaron (John Ireland) is now in charge of the Ponderosa, and Little Joe's wife, Annie also lives there. His son, Benjamin (Michael Landon Jr.) has come back from the East. Charlie Poke is a man who owes his life to Ben Cartwright. He is now the ranch foreman and is not exactly on good terms with Aaron. Aaron has allowed a mining company access to the Ponderosa, but the man in charge has other ideas. Hoss' son, Josh (Dirk Blocker), whom no one has seen before, has come to the Ponderosa to kill Hoss because he thinks Hoss deserted him and his mother - not knowing that Hoss died before he could go back to bring Josh's mother to the Ponderosa.

|LineColor=006400

}}

{{Episode list

|RTitle=Bonanza: The Return

|DirectedBy=Jerry Jameson

|WrittenBy= Michael Landon Jr.

|OriginalAirDate={{start date|1993|11|28}}

|ShortSummary= A man with a grudge against the late Little Joe seeks revenge on the Cartwrights and attempts to take over the Ponderosa, A.C. thinks about writing a letter to his father.

|LineColor=006400

}}

{{Episode list

|RTitle=Bonanza: Under Attack

|DirectedBy=Mark Tinker

|WrittenBy=Denne Bart Petitclerc

|OriginalAirDate={{start date|1995|01|15}}

|ShortSummary=A reimagining of the next generation of Cartwrights, three cousins Benji, A.C., and Josh join together to fight off forces to save the Ponderosa. Under the guidance of old friend Bronc Evans, they learn the meaning of family.

|LineColor=006400

}}

''Ponderosa'' prequel series

References

=Footnotes=

=Bibliography=

{{cite book |title=Bonanza: The Definitive Ponderosa Companion |first=Melany |last=Shapiro |publisher=Cyclone Books |date=1997 |isbn=978-1-890723-18-7 }}

External links

{{IMDb episodes|0052451|Bonanza}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20051027000628/http://bonanzaworld.net/ Bonanza World]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20030902210349/http://www.tvland.com/shows/bonanza/ Bonanza on TVLand.com]
[http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/bonanza.htm Bonanza at Fiftiesweb.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414122237/http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/bonanza.htm |date=2012-04-14 }}
{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060720154333/http://www.episodeworld.com/show/Bonanza Bonanza at EpisodeWorld.com]}}
[http://ponderosascenery.homestead.com/ Bonanza: Scenery of The Ponderosa]
[http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/39220/bonanza-the-official-first-season-vol-one/ Season 1 DVD review and production history]

Category:Lists of American action television series episodes

Category:Lists of American Western (genre) television series episodes

Category:Bonanza

List of Bonanza episodes#Season 8 (1966–67)

Series overview

Episodes

=Season 1 (1959–60)=

=Season 2 (1960–61)=

=Season 3 (1961–62)=

=Season 4 (1962–63)=

=Season 5 (1963–64)=

=Season 6 (1964–65)=

=Season 7 (1965–66)=

=Season 8 (1966–67)=

=Season 9 (1967–68)=

=Season 10 (1968–69)=

=Season 11 (1969–70)=

=Season 12 (1970–71)=

=Season 13 (1971–72)=

=Season 14 (1972–73)=

TV movies

''Ponderosa'' prequel series

See also

References

=Footnotes=

=Bibliography=

External links