- Release Date: September 15, 2009
- Publisher: Paramount
- Price: Volume 1-$27.99
, Volume 2-$35.99 - Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: Volume 1-792 minutes, Volume 2-793 minutes
- Volume 1 Special Features: Archival Interviews with Creator-Producer David Dortort, Galleries and Behind-the-Scenes Photographs, 1953 Fireside Theater Episode “Man of the Comstock,” Original Episodic Promos, Credit Drawings
- Volume 2 Special Features: Archival Interviews with Creator-Producer David Dortort, Episodic and Behind-the-Scenes Photographs, Original Episodic Promos
- Starring: Michael Landon, Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker
- Genre: Drama, Western
“Bonanza” has been named as one of the greatest shows in TV history by pretty much every publication that has put out such a list. Because of that, I figured it would be a pretty safe bet that I would enjoy “Bonanza” even though I haven’t liked a lot of the older shows I’ve seen. After watching all 32 season one episodes (split up into two volumes, both of which were released on the same day), I will say that I did enjoy it but I don’t think I would put it on my list of top TV shows. The show has held up pretty well but it just can’t compare to newer shows in my opinion.
I’m sure 99% of readers have watched an episode of “Bonanza” or know what the show is about but for the few people out there who haven’t, “Bonanza” was the first western to be aired completely in color. The show featured the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family who lived on a ranch called Ponderosa in Nevada. Patriarch Ben had three sons (Adam, Eric aka “Hoss,” and Joseph or “Little Joe”) which were each born by a different wife. It’s pretty much your typical western except that more time is spent on stories involving the family and their relationships.
Even though I didn’t like the first season of “Bonanza” as much as most viewers do, I can definitely see why it is on most top TV shows of all-time lists. The show is extremely well-acted and written and is even quite original for a western. The characters are developed really well and you definitely start to care for them. The only reason I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as most critics lies in my age. I was born more than 25 years after the first episode aired so I don’t have any attachment to shows from the ’50s or ’60s. Since I grew up watching ’90s shows, I obviously like them a whole lot more. I’m not saying that “Bonanza” is a bad show (it is definitely a classic), I’m just saying that if you are a younger viewer like me, you might not enjoy it as much as you would think.
Paramount usually doesn’t put a lot of effort into video quality or special features on their older releases (since they usually don’t sell nearly as well as newer shows, I completely understand why they don’t) but they did a great job with these two “Bonanza” releases. Those who hate it when Paramount replaces music will be particularly happy since these two volumes have all the original music. Paramount also occasionally uses syndicated cuts for some episodes but in this case, they are all full-length episodes.
The video quality on this release is about as good as you could possibly expect for a 50-year old show. Paramount really did a good job restoring and remastering these episodes since there are only minor problems with the video. There are a few artifacts and some grain but the color is great and the video is reasonably clear overall. I didn’t exist when these episodes aired so I can’t confirm this but I suspect these episodes actually look better on DVD than they did when they first aired on TV.
In addition to the great video quality, Paramount has also done a very good job providing some great extras on both releases. There are tons of photo galleries on just about every episode, some of which are kind of fun to look at. A few episodes also have their original network promos. The main special features include a “Fireside Theater” episode on volume 1 and a series of 2002 interviews with David Dortort on both sets. There’s also an absolutely hilarious alternate pilot ending which features the main characters singing. I’m not going to go too in-depth into the extras except to say they are exceptional and well worth a watch.
“Bonanza” is a show you absolutely have to watch at least one episode of if you claim to be a TV fan. Even though I didn’t enjoy the show as much as I thought I would and I suspect most younger viewers will think the same, I still have no problem recommending it. Paramount did a great job on these DVDs so let’s hope they sell well.
