The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

"Brisco County" redirects here. For the place, see Briscoe County, Texas.
"Brisco County, Jr." redirects here. For the character, see Brisco County, Jr. (character).

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
Title card from The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., showing a cowboy riding towards the viewer, with the show's title across the screen.
Created by
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes27
Production
Running time45 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseAugust 27, 1993 (1993-08-27) –
May 20, 1994 (1994-05-20)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., often referred to as just Brisco or Brisco County,[1] is an American weird western television series created by Jeffrey Boam and Carlton Cuse. It ran for 27 episodes on the Fox network starting in the 1993–94 season. Set in the American West of 1893, the series follows its title character, a Harvard-educated lawyer-turned-bounty hunter hired by a group of wealthy industrialists to track and capture outlaw John Bly and his gang. Bruce Campbell plays Brisco, who is joined by a colorful group of supporting characters, including Julius Carry as fellow bounty hunter Lord Bowler and Christian Clemenson as stick-in-the-mud lawyer Socrates Poole.

While ostensibly a Western, the series routinely includes elements of the science fiction and steampunk genres.[2] Humor is a large part of the show; the writers attempted to keep the jokes and situations "just under over-the-top".[3] A large number of episodes involve the Orb, a powerful device from the future. John Astin plays Professor Wickwire, an inventor who assists Brisco with anachronistic technology including diving suits, motorcycles, rockets, and airships. The search for new technology and progressive ideas, what the writers of the show called "The Coming Thing",[4] is a central theme throughout the series.[5]

Brisco was developed by Boam and Cuse at the request of Fox executive Bob Greenblatt. Impressed by the duo's work on the script for the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Greenblatt suggested they develop a series that bore the tone and style of vintage movie serials. The initial ideas and proposals from the show's writers were more often suited for film than television and had to be scaled down. Brisco was one of the last television shows to be filmed on the Warner Bros. Western backlot. Randy Edelman composed the distinctive theme music, which has been reused by NBC during its coverage of the 1997 World Series and the Olympic Games.

During its broadcast run, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. garnered a small but dedicated following and was well received by critics.[6] The series earned high ratings at the beginning of its season, but later episodes failed to attract a substantial number of viewers. Fox canceled the show at the end of its first and only season. In 2006, Warner Home Video released a DVD set containing all 27 episodes. The series has been remembered fondly by critics, who praise its humor and unique blend of genres.

  1. ^ The series is referred to as just Brisco or by Brisco County by the creator Carlton Cuse, actors in the show, and by many critics, e.g.:
    Cuse, Carlton (2006). "Disc 8 DVD extra: Tools of the Trade". The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. I think if circumstances had been different, Brisco could have had a much longer life.
    Shapiro, Marc (June 1994). "The Adventures of Socrates Poole". Starlog: 55–58. I saw that Brisco County was based on the same kind of material and attitude as that show...
  2. ^ Klaw, Rick (2008). "The Steam-Driven Time Machine: A Pop Culture Survey". In Ann VanderMeer & Jeff VanderMeer (eds.). Steampunk. San Francisco, CA: Tachyon Publications. p. 352. ISBN 978-1-892391-75-9.
  3. ^ Cuse, Carlton; Wirth, John; Kern, Brad; Chehak, Tom; Simkins, David; McNamara, John (2006). DVD extra. The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series. DVD. Disc 8. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. "A Brisco County Writer's Room".
  4. ^ Cuse, Carlton (2006). DVD extra. The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series. DVD. Disc 8. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. "The History of Brisco County".
  5. ^ Porter, Bartley; Porter, Lynnette (2010). "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.". In David Lavery (ed.). The essential cult tv reader. Lexington, Kentucky: The University of Kentucky Press. pp. 15–21. ISBN 978-0-8131-2568-8.
  6. ^ Hickey, Neil; Martinez, Jose; Schwed, Mark (April 23, 1994). "Brisco County Jr. Wins TV Guide's S.O.S. Poll". TV Guide. 42 (17): 41.