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TV series
Poster for Ponderosa

Ponderosa

2001–2002 · 1 season

A gentle, old-fashioned family western that ambles along with soft edges and little gunplay.

Created by
Beth Sullivan
Genres
Western, Drama
Starring
Daniel Hugh Kelly, Gareth Yuen, Bruce Dickinson
Overview
Ponderosa is a television series developed by Bonanza creator David Dortort for PAX-TV that ran for the 2001–2002 television season. Envisioned as a prequel to the long-running NBC series Bonanza, it had less gunfire, brawling and other traditional western elements than the original. Bonanza creator David Dortort approved PAX TV's decision to hire Beth Sullivan, creator and executive producer of Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman to oversee scripts and executive produce, which some believe gave the series a softer edge. Ponderosa was canceled after one season, in part because of disappointing ratings and high production costs. Although Sullivan had hoped to film the series in and around Los Angeles, PAX decided to film in Australia to reduce costs. Series "show runner" Sullivan sustained severe injuries in a car crash only twelve days after the airing of the first season's last episode. The show should not be confused with Ponderosa, the title used for Bonanza reruns aired on NBC during the summer of 1972.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Created by
Beth Sullivan
Genres
Western, Drama
Starring
Daniel Hugh Kelly, Gareth Yuen, Bruce Dickinson
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
    Pacing
    measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
    Attention
    easy-watch, 2 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
    Themes
    • family
    • parenthood
    • survival
    • coming-of-age
    • grief
    Places
    • countryside
    • home
    • small town
    Era
    period
    Audience
    family
    Form
    • serialised
    Content intensity
    • Gore none
    • Language none
    • Violence mild
    • Sex none
    All scales, 0 to 10
    Scales, 0 to 10
    ScaleValue0 to 10
    Action2
    Horror0
    Humour3
    Realism6
    Romance2
    Tension3
    Darkness3
    Complexity3
    Emotional weight5

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    Where to watch in the UK

    No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

    Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

    Details

    Genres
    western, drama
    Created by
    Beth Sullivan
    Written by
    David Dortort
    Starring
    Daniel Hugh Kelly, Gareth Yuen, Bruce Dickinson, Brad Dourif, Jim Knobeloch, Jared Daperis, Nicki Wendt, Matt Carmody
    Length
    1 seasons, 20 episodes, 60 min each
    Network
    Pax TV
    Country
    United States of America
    Languages
    English

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