Wildside
GenreWestern
Created byTom Greene
Written by
  • Walter Brough
  • Tom Greene
  • Steve Johnson
  • Jonathan Torp
  • William Whitehead
Directed by
  • Tom Greene
  • Harvey S. Laidman
  • Richard C. Sarafian
Starring
ComposerJack Elliott
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • E. Arthur Kean
  • Tom Greene
ProducerWilliam F. Phillips
CinematographyRoland "Ozzie" Smith
Editors
  • Robert Florio
  • Michael Sheridan
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time48 mins.
Production companies
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseMarch 21 (1985-03-21) –
April 25, 1985 (1985-04-25)

Wildside is an American series aired by ABC from March to April 1985. The series stars William Smith, J. Eddie Peck, Howard Rollins, Sandy McPeak, Terry Funk, John D'Aquino, and Meg Ryan.[1]

The series aired for six episodes, from March 21 to April 25, 1985.[2]

Plot

Five outlaws once roamed the U.S. Western territories. The leader and organizer was J. Wendell Summerhayes, while the other members were Brodie Hollister, Varges de la Cosa, Bannister Sparks, and Prometheus Jones.[3] The five outlaws went straight and Summerhayes became the governor of California. The other four men became businessmen in the town of Wildside, CA, and form the "Chamber of Commerce." Brodie's son Sutton was raised in the East by Brodie's wife but traveled to Wildside to be with his father. Although Wildside is normally peaceful, trouble inevitably arises either when criminals come to town or when Summerhayes appeal to his former gang members for help. When their services are needed, the five men don their weapons and go on a "hunting party" to deal with the problem.

The series was produced by Touchstone Television, a then-new division of Walt Disney Productions. Although it featured several shootouts and fistfights per episode, there were very few on-screen deaths. Much of the violence was presented in a stylized and bloodless manner, similar to that of The A-Team.

Characters

Character Actor
Brodie Hollister, expert marksman. Works as a horse breeder and trainer William Smith
Sutton Hollister, also an expert marksman and learned fencing at an Eastern college. Works with his father raising horses J. Eddie Peck
Varges de la Cosa, expert with throwing weapons, favors bolos and knives. Works as a gun salesman, although he despises them personally John D'Aquino
Bannister Sparks, demolitions expert. Runs a mercantile business Howard Rollins
Prometheus Jones, extremely strong and expert with a lasso. Works as the town veterinarian Terry Funk
Cally Oaks, editor of the Wildside newspaper, attracted to Sutton Hollister Meg Ryan
Governor J.W. Summerhayes, governor of California Sandy McPeak
Alice Freeze the young and attractive town mortician. Romantically interested in Varges, and intrigued by death. Robin Hoff
Skillet, the long-suffering chef at the town's restaurant. Timothy Scott
Elliot Throgmorton, Cally Oaks' assistant editor. Kurt Fuller
Zeke, a local boy. Jason Hervey

Reception and cancellation

Wildside was aired as a mid-season replacement and put on Thursday nights against the popular The Cosby Show. Due to low ratings, the series was canceled after one month.

Episodes

Season 1

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Well-Known Secret"March 21, 1985 (1985-03-21)
A Confederate general and his men tear up California towns looking for a hidden cache of Union gold.
2"Delinquency of a Miner"March 28, 1985 (1985-03-28)
The villainous Pike advertises for miners and then forces them to slave for him.
3"The Crimea of the Century"April 4, 1985 (1985-04-04)
A rogue brigade of British cavalry come to Wildside to drive out farmers so they can obtain their oil rights.
4"Don't Keep the Home Fires Burning"April 11, 1985 (1985-04-11)
An arson gang arrives in Wildside and attempts to set the town afire if their "insurance" isn't paid.
5"Buffalo Who?"June 4 (4-18)
Buffalo Bill and his Traveling Show arrive in Wildside, but it's a ploy by imposters to assassinate the visiting Spanish ambassador.
6"Until the Fat Lady Sings"April 25, 1985 (1985-04-25)
A gunfighter who Brodie crippled comes to Wildside seeking revenge, and has designed a machine pistol to dispose of his enemy.

References

  1. ↑ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. New York: Ballantine Books. p. 1120. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  2. ↑ Cotter, Bill (1997). The Wonderful World of Disney Television. Hyperion Books. pp. 230–231. ISBN 0-7868-6359-5. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  3. ↑ Grenier, Richard (1985-03-21). "'Wildside,' a Western". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-05-24. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
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