Bret Maverick

1981

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1

EP1 The Lazy Ace (1) Dec 01, 1981

In what may very well be the last of the great poker games in the Old West, Bret wins ownership of the saloon and decides to settle down in the town of Sweetwater in the Arizona Territory. (Part 1 of 2)

EP2 The Lazy Ace (2) Dec 01, 1981

Former sheriff Tom Guthrie joins Bret as partner in the Red Ox saloon, to the dismay of the townspeople who just booted the old-fashioned lawman out of office.

EP3 Welcome to Sweetwater Dec 08, 1981

Maverick's reluctance to sell his ranch, the Lazy Ace, is the major stumbling block to bringing the railroad into Sweetwater.

EP4 Anything for a Friend Dec 15, 1981

A barn-raising celebration at Maverick's ranch helps him conceal Billy the Kid from authorities.

EP5 The Yellow Rose Dec 22, 1981

Women's suffrage catches fire in Sweetwater and no one feels the heat more than Maverick, who's just won a Chinese girl in a poker game.

EP6 Horse of Yet Another Color Jan 05, 1982

Teddy Roosevelt comes to town to present an Indian chief with a horse from the president, but Maverick ends up winning the stallion.

EP7 Dateline: Sweetwater Jan 12, 1982

Eastern financial interests attempt a takeover of Sweetwater businesses.

EP8 The Mayflower Women's Historical Society Feb 02, 1982

It looks like Maverick is going to be hanged, unless he agrees to sell his life story to an ambitious historian.

EP9 Hallie Feb 09, 1982

An old flame of Bret's shows up in Sweetwater, pursued by two homicidal brothers she swindled.

EP10 The Ballad of Bret Maverick Feb 16, 1982

A stranger arrives in town, claiming to be in the process of finishing an epic ballad on the life and death of Bret Maverick.

EP11 A Night at the Red Ox Feb 23, 1982

Vigilantes take over the Red Ox saloon and put former sheriff Tom Guthrie on trial for crimes he allegedly committed in the past.

EP12 The Not So Magnificent Six Mar 02, 1982

Six men who each want to gain a reputation as the one who killed the famous Bret Maverick have followed a western pulp writer to Sweetwater.

EP13 The Vulture Also Rises Mar 16, 1982

When a stagecoach is attacked by Apaches and a woman is killed, the angry townspeople want to call in the cavalry.

EP14 The Eight Swords of Dyrus and Other Illusions of Grandeur Mar 23, 1982

Bret exposes a crooked magician who is performing at the Red Ox.

EP15 Faith, Hope and Clarity (1) Apr 13, 1982

A religious charlatan dupes the townpeople so that he can obtain the rights to their land.

EP16 Faith, Hope and Clarity (2) Apr 20, 1982

Bret masterminds a con to get back the townsfolk's land, which was legally stolen by the clever leader of a religious cult.

EP17 The Rattlesnake Brigade Apr 27, 1982

Maverick and Guthrie are suckered into agreeing to protect a shipment of gold from a ruthless band of outlaws.

EP18 The Hidalgo Thing May 04, 1982

Tom Guthrie, who is trying to get re-elected as sheriff, tries to get Maverick to keep a low profile, but Bret is working on the biggest con of his life and isn't going to stop now.
7.5| 0h30m| TV-PG| en| More Info
Released: 01 December 1981 Ended
Producted By: Warner Bros. Television
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Bret Maverick is a 1981-82 American Western television series starring James Garner in the role that made him famous in the 1957 series Maverick: a professional poker player traveling alone year after year through the Old West from riverboat to saloon. In this sequel series, Maverick has settled down in Sweetwater, Arizona Territory, where he owns a ranch and is co-owner of the town's saloon. However, Maverick is still always on the lookout for his next big score, and continues to gamble and practice various con games whenever the chance arises. The series was developed by Gordon Dawson, and produced by Garner's company Cherokee Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

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Reviews

Thomas Chacko On the heels of his fabulous series THE ROCKFORD FILES, James Garner took the risk of reviving the character that made him a household name. However little faith NBC placed in this series, it remains a treat for Garner fans, far superior to the previous effort, THE NEW MAVERICK (starring Charles Frank), and thoroughly enjoyable for anyone who appreciates a Western done with style and class. Fortunately the prints are in good shape, helping us to appreciate the colour photography and production design.The main attraction, of course, is the star, who once again had a series tailored to his own unique and very likable persona. Some have dismissed this as Jim Rockford in the Old West, but I consider that an asset. As an older, slightly heavier actor - and former stuntman plagued by injuries - Garner could not simply replay the Maverick of 25 years earlier. Instead he made the attempt to gear more lighthearted plots and characters to a 1980s audience. (Perhaps the attempt was futile, considering what most of '80s television turned out to be!) Garner is aided by a good cast, among them Richard Hamilton, as his "Lazy Ace" ranch hand; Ramon Bieri, as the snooty bank president; Darleen Carr, as the thorn-in-the-side reporter; and Stuart Margolin, his "Rockford" colleague, as a half-Indian con-man. Country singer Ed Bruce plays Maverick's taciturn partner in the Red Ox Saloon, and lends his writing and singing talents to the delightful theme song ("Maverick Didn't Come Here to Lose").Pity that this series lasted only for one year. My thanks, however, to the Encore Westerns Channel for providing a pleasant, uninterrupted 50 minutes of television. It sure as shootin' brightens my day!
Bob-45 James Garner created two unforgettable television characters. As Bret Maverick, Garner portrayed a flawed, but essentially lovable winner. As Jim Rockford, Garner played a flawed, but essentially lovable loser. However, the "Bret Maverick" portrayed in the 1981 series was nothing more than "Jim Rockford" in western garb. On "Bret Maverick," nobody respects Jim Garner's character, and that's the biggest problem. Other problems include a not particularly likable supporting cast (Ed Bruce, excepted), and plodding scripts. No wonder "Bret Maverick" lasted but one season, as I'm sure many other "Maverick" fans were as disappointed as I. Still, I watched, hoping the series would improve. At least we got a glimpse of an aging Jack Kelly, as "Bart Maverick," in the last episode.
P_Cornelius What would you get if you imported the cast and scripts from the Rockford Files into Maverick's Old West? Answer: Bret Maverick, a fairly good Western that occasionally misses a beat here and there. The latter circumstance occurs, alas, in an episode such as "Faith, Hope and Clarity," which not only recycles a Rockford script but imports some of the same guest stars as well. But that's alright, because the series has Garner, who always generates enjoyable performances, especially when he brings along his usual co-stars, such as Stuart Margolin. (Aside: What is it about the Western that it brings to the fore actors such as Garner, Tom Selleck, and Sam Elliott, all of whom at least from a distance appear to be steady, decent, stable, well grounded people? This in contrast to . . . well, just about everyone else in Hollywood.) I suspect that NBC made a tremendous error in not giving this series a chance to breathe and find its own feet. (Wasn't this during the Fred Silverman era at NBC, when the inventor of "jiggle TV" was busy trashing anything that appealed to an IQ above 50 and bringing to the schedule such gems as Hello, Larry and Supertrain?) Too bad, really.
Carson-15 The 1957 version of this series is the Holy Grail of episodic television, with actor James Garner and writer Roy Huggins creating an unforgettable character. This noble attempt at a revival falls far short of the original, but then so does practically everything else, so perhaps in fairness it should be judged on its own terms. The problem is with the scripts, starting with the poorly paced pilot, an hour's worth of script padded to two hours and resorting to a sequence featuring an Indian guide tediously and endlessly leading Garner around in circles in the desert. This scene is trimmed to good effect for the current version making the rounds as a TV-movie. A gambling sequence earlier on misses a boat by not focusing on the other players at all. The Dandy Jim Buckley character with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. would have been ideal to have been revived for these scenes had that been possible. Some of the celebrities of the day incorporated into various episodes are weirdly the wrong age, with such eye-opening curiosities as an elderly Doc Holiday, and Theodore Roosevelt presented as a spherical figure of comic relief at a point when he would actually have been a wiry young rancher venturing west to recover from the double deaths of his young wife and mother. The worst aspect of the show, though, is the premise of Maverick settling down in one spot, when nonstop drifting is such a signature part of his identity. One of the scripts in particular is embarrassingly bad while some of the others are quite good, and Garner himself is always a vast entertainment to watch, particularly in his best role. Another revival, this time as a one-shot TV movie, should be in the offing while Garner is still around to play the part. Jack Kelly, who played his brother Bart in both series, is dead now, and it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to check in on Maverick at a more advanced age. "Bret Maverick" is a good series on its own merit, but not as good as Garner's other three major series, "Nichols," "The Rockford Files," or especially the original "Maverick," which remains the gold standard in the annals of both Garner and series television. This series stands as a footnote to the original and an intriguing curio. NBC obviously jumped the gun by cancelling it too soon.