Bonanza was an awesome show, that really was ahead of its time(sometimes a bit too much, in its revisions of history). It featured some black and Asian ppl, and many other groups as a part of the magnificent tapestry of the West, and touched on many exciting frontier topics. To me, the show was more grounded and realistic in earlier episodes, and some later ones. There was a period(as the show went on for so damn long!) where the writers seemed to drop acid and then do a story at the last minute, and the gear was anachronistic and crazy at times. I always noticed that many episodes were supposed to be taking place before the Civil War, or around that time, yet every guy on the show has a lever-action rifle like a Winchester! I realize that the Henry rifle and others came out around that time, but it is very unlikely that every goofball and cattle thief on the Nevada frontier would have these things, as they were mainly used by US military units in small quantities.
Then there were a bunch of episodes where Hoss or Joe would meet some nutty inventor or leprechaun, or vampire, or gypsy, etc. and a bunch of campy silliness and cheesy music would ensue. The show was on for so many years that it undoubtedly ran into trouble with new ideas, but man, did it get super cheesy in places.
Another funny problem was that they never wanted to introduce a new character or love interest, and actually keep them! Seriously, I bet 5,000 women died or mysteriously left at the end of one or two episodes, leaving the brothers or Ben broken-hearted, but somehow "better" for the experience. Like, couldn't they just surprise us once, and have a new member join the cast and marry one of the brothers? If I was a woman, I wouldn't go anywhere near this family, as you are 99% likely to die, be kidnapped, or have to make a difficult life choice to leave and disappear. Cousin Will was one of the few exceptions to additional characters they kept, but he isn't a woman.
Another funny thing they played out was the way the town or state viewed the Cartwrights. On one episode, the whole state would be trying to get Ben elected to governor, or very supportive of his problems, and in debt to him for helping the entire community. On the next episode, the entire town would be trying to sabotage the family, and everyone hated them.
Other flaws-- Sheriff Roy Coffee(who replaced other earlier lawmen) was the most useless and comical old guy on the show. "Now Ben, I know you and your boys are great people, but we may have to just hang Little Joe if someone accuses him of a crime this week." Roy never got anything done, or solved a case-- it was always the Cartwright boys coming to his or the town's rescue, but he always had some "Dr. Phil" type wisdom or just plain dumb stuff to say about everything. He was so lame it was actually funny, in an unintentional way.
Overall, way better than many shows on TV, and it broke ground in many diverse areas, but some really cheesy years as well. Still, a guilty pleasure that delivers if you're bored, or want decent family entertainment with basically good morals.
Then there were a bunch of episodes where Hoss or Joe would meet some nutty inventor or leprechaun, or vampire, or gypsy, etc. and a bunch of campy silliness and cheesy music would ensue. The show was on for so many years that it undoubtedly ran into trouble with new ideas, but man, did it get super cheesy in places.
Another funny problem was that they never wanted to introduce a new character or love interest, and actually keep them! Seriously, I bet 5,000 women died or mysteriously left at the end of one or two episodes, leaving the brothers or Ben broken-hearted, but somehow "better" for the experience. Like, couldn't they just surprise us once, and have a new member join the cast and marry one of the brothers? If I was a woman, I wouldn't go anywhere near this family, as you are 99% likely to die, be kidnapped, or have to make a difficult life choice to leave and disappear. Cousin Will was one of the few exceptions to additional characters they kept, but he isn't a woman.
Another funny thing they played out was the way the town or state viewed the Cartwrights. On one episode, the whole state would be trying to get Ben elected to governor, or very supportive of his problems, and in debt to him for helping the entire community. On the next episode, the entire town would be trying to sabotage the family, and everyone hated them.
Other flaws-- Sheriff Roy Coffee(who replaced other earlier lawmen) was the most useless and comical old guy on the show. "Now Ben, I know you and your boys are great people, but we may have to just hang Little Joe if someone accuses him of a crime this week." Roy never got anything done, or solved a case-- it was always the Cartwright boys coming to his or the town's rescue, but he always had some "Dr. Phil" type wisdom or just plain dumb stuff to say about everything. He was so lame it was actually funny, in an unintentional way.
Overall, way better than many shows on TV, and it broke ground in many diverse areas, but some really cheesy years as well. Still, a guilty pleasure that delivers if you're bored, or want decent family entertainment with basically good morals.