Well, for my first review on the site I debated about what to review. Since I agreed to do movies and TV I thought about reviewing District 9 since my wife and I saw that this weekend. It was decent, but it’s also new and there are tons of reviews for new flicks. So I decided to go with one of the old TV shows I’ve been watching on Netflix: The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Now before I go on I should point out that I watch a lot of shit. A lot of what I Netflix has shitty fx, shitty stories, and shitty acting. Occasionally I will stumble across a good (if low budget) flick, but it usually ends up being pretty shitty. I often think it’s the same compulsion that drives people to watch shit like Friends, but I could never stomach that fucking cultural abortion so I don’t know. Anyway, this show is not one of those shitty SciFi/zombie/action flicks I usually watch. This was the best western scifi adventure show ever made.
Now, most people have probably never heard of this show. It had a brief run in the 90’s and features that master of the B flick Bruce Campbell as the lead character Brisco County Jr. It also frequently featured John Astin, Julius Carry, Kelly Rutherford and Billy Drago. Set in the 1880’s, the basic plot of the series is that John Bly (Drago) and his gang is responsible for killing Brisco’s father and in turn Brisco is hired by a group of wealthy businessmen to track down Bly and his gang. Pretty basic series premise, and one that carried out through its run. But what set this series apart was the constant anachronistic references and ideas used in the show. It’s a nice show that’s entertaining even with the occasional plot hole and predictable storyline.
I loved this series. I loved it in the 90’s and I love it now. This is some of Campbell’s best stuff prior to Burn Notice. The stories were usually solid enough for a show of this type and the mix of western and occasional weird was cool. It’s nice to see it held up over the years.
Popularity: 5% [?]
I never watched the show “back then” because “back then” I thought all westerns were crap. Since I have somewhat matured I enjoy all different types of genres now, so I might give these a shot. You need to buy these on DVD so I can borrow them.
I loved this freaking show, though it was no Crooklyn. Thanks for reminding me of another awesome Friday night sci-fi show that FOX axed. I do not know how the X-Files made it past that chopping block.
Good first post Kevin, now maybe the rest will f-ing post something.
Is that “Tiny” Lister in that picture?
No, that is Sho Nuff from the Last Dragon, aka Julius Carry.
I loved the 1st season of this show but I didn’t catch the 2nd season. FOX is so strange, they either hit it right on the head with shows like this or “X Files” or “Firefly” or they just take a big video shit in your living room with stuff like “Whoops! Apocalypse” or “That 80’s Show” or…Scott forgive me..”Hermans Head”. Scott LOVED “Hermans Head”…but it sucked.
I bitch a lot about FOX, particularly over canceling “Firefly” before its time, and a slew of other sad events. But I also have to give them some props for at least trying some sci-fi and horror stuff. Until recently the only thing we could get from the majors was another version of “CSI,” “Law and Order” or another show set in a hospital!
What the heck is “Whoops! Apocalypse”?!!!
F Fox, thouse retarded ass clowns are actually considering canceling 24 after the next season. They canceled Terminator, which was the best f-ing network show on tv. They canceled Firefly beause they were spiteful it was not Buffy. I hope those tards do cancel 24 along with the inevitable Dollhouse and Fringe axe, so I can NEVER watch another FOX show again.
Their f-ing rational for canceling Terminator was that the Dollhouse fans would have left more mean emails. WTF? Just keep both f-ing shows and drop a couple of 30 min time slots of some shitty reality shows. I am convinced the only reason X-Files got to stay around was because all the network heads went on a 7 year coke bender and couldn’t be bothered to cancel it.
FOX greenlights a bunch of GREAT shows but I don’t care anymore because I don’t want to watch those shows for just a season and a half. When they canceled Terminator, right as it would be a great time to have it so that they could promote a movie franchise, I decided then that I would not watch anymore new FOX shows. Once 24, Dollhouse, and Fringe have run their course, FOX and I are done.
I agree with Jake that Fox and I will be done; except I will wait until they cancel Bones and House; I can’t give up my shows!!
Dude, Herman’s Head was the bomb!!! I thought I was the only one that watched that show! Unless Steve is teasing me and I really was the only person that watched it.
Oh, you should sit down for a long talk with Scott about Herman Head. That dude would watch it without fail every week.
I was in error, the show was simply titled “Whoops” it ran in 1992
Whoops! was a fox tv show that must have started out as a bar joke:
A Black, a liberal, a feminist, a republican,a blonde and a homeless guy all meet up at farm after World War 3. Wackiness ensues.
Thats it. Really.
It was terrible.
How the hell did I miss that show? Surely they have it out on Blu Ray with all kinds of awesome extras.
Let’s not forget about “Babes” with the late, great Wendie Jo Sperber. It’s about 3 chubby gals and their daily misadventures. Lotsa fat jokes and, “Girl I needs a man!”
Part of the shtick was that were enough shows with hot chicks, so its time to give some real women a show.
Ahh, Wendie Jo… We hardly knew ye…
Love this show and love Bruce Campbell!!! Although I must disagree that “This was the best western scifi adventure show ever made”. That title goes to Joss Whedon’s Firefly. Briscoe was awesome, but he is no Mal Reynolds or Jayne Cobb! Ah, Jayne, how I love thee…”I’ll be in my bunk”
Perhaps somebody(ies) forgot about Outlaws? It wasn’t Fox, but it was a pretty good show where 5 guys from the old west got zapped by lightning into the future and ducked when airplanes flew over.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlaws_(1986_TV_series)
I don’t think it would hold up all too well, but it was fun to watch back in the Knight Rider, Dukes of Hazard, various helicopter shows, Fall Guy era.
LOL! I love the phrase “various helicopter shows”!
I must agree with Andrea on Firefly being the best western scifi adventure show ever made, although Kevin/Vic argues that it wasn’t a western. That leads me to wonder what constitutes a “western,” although I should know. I took a western civ class in college called “The History of the American West as Seen Through Film.” All we did was watch westerns and talk about them. Best class EVER! But I digress. Firefly, to me, is a western scifi. They have horses, 6-shooters, western-style settlements, cowboy duds, hick accents and spaceships. What more do you need?
All that and its setting really is antebellum America with a SciFi (sorry SyFy) skin so that it would be immediately interesting. It may have spaceships and Reavers but it is really about the Confederacy assimilating into the Union and all the problems that came with Reconstruction, and those are the things that westerns are about after all.