Ponderosa (2001-2002)

Information from IMDb

Plot Summary
It it 1849 and the Cartwright family has moved onto some scrub land in the territory of Nevada.
As a widower Ben Cartwright tries to raise his sons Adam, Hoss and Little Joe in this new land.

Series Cast
Drew Powell ... Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright (20 episodes, 2001-2002)
Matt Carmody ... Adam Cartwright (20 episodes, 2001-2002)
Daniel Hugh Kelly ... Ben Cartwright (19 episodes, 2001-2002)
Jared Daperis ... Little Joe Cartwright (19 episodes, 2001-2002)
Gareth Yuen ... Hop Sing (15 episodes, 2001-2002)
Sara Gleeson ... Tess Green (14 episodes, 2001-2002)
Nicky Wendt ... Shelby Sterrett (13 episodes, 2001-2002)
Bruce Dickinson ... Big Dan Larson (11 episodes, 2001-2002)
Fernando Carrillo ... Carlos Rivera De Vega (10 episodes, 2001-2002)
Abbe Holmes ... Ruth Orowitz (8 episodes, 2001-2002)
Brad Dourif ... Maurice "Frenchy" Devereaux / ... (8 episodes, 2001-2002)
Jacqueline Pinol ... Isabella (7 episodes, 2001-2002)
Jim Knobeloch ... Jack Wolf (5 episodes, 2002)
Josephine Byrnes ... Margaret Green / ... (4 episodes, 2001-2002)
Don Halbert ... Jack Roberts (2 episodes, 2001)
Eddie Baroo ... Smitty / ... (2 episodes, 2001-2002)
Christopher Kirby ... Samuel Newborn (2 episodes, 2001-2002)
David Ross Paterson ... Cal Pritchett (2 episodes, 2001)
Cecelia Specht ... Louise (2 episodes, 2002)

Series Directed
Kevin James Dobson (6 episodes, 2001-2002)
Declan Eames (3 episodes, 2002)
Simon Wincer (2 episodes, 2001)
Chris Thomson (unknown episodes)

Series Produced
Beth Sullivan .... executive producer (4 episodes, 2001-2002)
Jan Bladier .... producer (2 episodes, 2001)
David Lee .... producer (2 episodes, 2001)
Glenn Aveni .... executive producer (unknown episodes)
David Dortort .... executive producer (unknown episodes)
Timothy O. Johnson .... executive producer in charge of production (unknown episodes)
James Romanovich .... executive producer in charge of production (unknown episodes)

Series Writing Credits
Jeanne C. Davis (2 episodes, 2001)
Beth Sullivan (2 episodes, 2001)
David Dortort (unknown episodes)
Kathryn Ford (unknown episodes)
Robert Hamilton (unknown episodes)
Jennifer Tait (unknown episodes)
Joe Viola (unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography
Brendan Lavelle (unknown episodes)
Henry Pierce (unknown episodes)

Trivia
This show is a prequel to the hit TV series Bonanza.

While a number of minor (or perceived) inconsistencies exist between Ponderosa and Bonanza,
a few glaring retroactive consistencies are present.
Most notable among these is the fate of Little Joe's mother, Marie.
In the original series, Marie's death was depicted in the episode "Marie, My Love"
as a result of falling off a horse in front of the Ponderosa ranch house.
Meanwhile in the new series, Marie is killed in Virginia City by a miner
who is trying to murder Ben Cartwright.
Making the situation even more confusing, the pilot for the original series identifies
Little Joe's mother as "Felicia" and not Marie.

Filming Location
Daylesford, Victoria, Australia

Ponderosa is a television series developed by Bonanza creator David Dortort for PAX-TV
(now known as ION) 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.

User Review

Quote

Excellent prequel of the Cartwright Legacy
21 November 2002 | by KathleenONeill (El Paso, Texas)

This is a show that a huge number of people have been trying to save for nearly a year.
The values of integrity, honest, compassion, love of family, community spirit, patriotism,
love of the land, making mistakes and learning from them are beautifully and movingly
portrayed in this majestic return to the Cartwrights and their home, The Ponderosa.

The writing, acting and production have captured what so many Bonanza fans have loved,
the strength and love of a good family building their dream, working together.
It is a show that generations can watch together and come away from it feeling
that their own values have been fortified. That, yes, other people believe
and feel the way you do about family, injustice, honesty and hard work.

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