cmclellan I've always been a fan of western such as Bonanza, The Big Valley, High Chaparral, Fury. These shows reflected the true American spirit of adventurism, bravery, good overcoming evil, families pulling together to overcome adversity, individuals standing up against the unruly mob to do the right thing. Westerns are truly an American art form. They are the essence of our cultural mores that, in recent decades celebrating self-interest and materialism, we have collectively lost touch with.Sadly, I missed the pilot and early episodes of The Ponderosa. Though late (December 2000) I was quickly drawn into the series and the characters. The Ponderosa revives one of America's favorite families, The Cartwrights, before they attained their wealth in the frontier west. The characters are well cast and the roles are well acted. True to the Western genre, The Ponderosa portrays a young family struggling to create a home in a wild, foreign frontier land while also struggling to define and maintain their moral values in an often harsh and unforgiving environment. In The Ponderosa, the Cartwright family has been renovated to reflect some of the best of our modern sensibilities: the character Hop Sing is a dignified intelligent man, rather than the stereotyped and ethnically miscast Hop Sing of Bonanza (a Japanese actor), Indians and Mexicans are also permitted dignity and intelligence notwithstanding the period reality of prejudices the majority of white settlers maintained against them. There are strong independent women. Six shooters are missing in The Ponderosa, which is historically accurate. In watching re-runs of Bonanza, it is amazing how quickly the Cartwrights resorted to shooting, and how easily they pointed a gun and pulled a trigger. There is much in Bonanza that just wouldn't fly in a modern series. The Ponderosa writers reflect a responsible maturity in their presentation while maintaining the heart and soul of what made Bonanza great.This show might not appeal to the die-hard fans of Survivor, The Osbornes, Fear Factor, or The Weakest Link, to name a few. But none of those shows will withstand the test of time. The Ponderosa has all the ingredients to become a television legacy in the tradition of Bonanza.There is a void to be filled in television today. Viewers, adults and children, need to see the roots of the American spirit and be reminded of what most Americans strive for: a better world for themselves and their children. The Ponderosa fills this void in returning viewers to a simpler time and reminding them of what really matters in life. The message transcends time and is one we all need to hear in an often chaotic and incomprehensible world.

desertcattle The Ponderosa is a well made show, that we looked forward to watching at our house. The stories were interesting and very well acted. The hard work of all who brought it together was quite apparent. Having a younger version of the Cartwrights is such a great idea, with so many possibilities. I was able to introduce my daughter to the characters and she really loved them. After one season, this show was really coming together and I hope to see more of it in the future.

bunwhisper Bonanza is my favorite show--and I looked forward to this pre-quel with some trepidation. I hoped that the producers would recapture what made Bonanza great--but I was sorely disappointed.Where do I start? The writing is abysmal, the acting wooden, the location dreary. The show is utterly without the charm Bonanza had. There is no chemistry between the actors. If it were not for the name of the family, there is nothing to tell you it was even related to the classic.Beth Sullivan infused this show with today's political correctness. The Cartwrights actually do not wear guns! Hop Sing has morphed into some sort of Asian Dr. Quinn.The series is filmed in Australia, where it appearantly rains 24/7.The Cartwrights slog through the mud with about as much enthusiasm as they slog through the terrible scripts. The location just makes the show even more depressing.Sullivan rewrote the original storyline to suit her needs, thereby guaranteeing fans of the original show would despise this one. But her greatest sin was the choice of actor Daniel Hugh Kelly as Ben Cartwright. He plays Ben with all the stiffness of a plank of wood. He lacks the warmth and commanding presence of Lorne Greene and instead comes across like Ben Cartwright, Corporate Clone. One can moe easily picture him in a boardroom than as a cowboy. Only Jared DeParis as Little Joe manages to capture anything of the original character--he is charming and fiery, and gives a believeable performance. Sadly, he is virtually ignored.Drew Powell, as Hoss, lacks the charm and comic timing of the great Dan Blocker. Matt Carmody is handsome as Adam, but lacks Pernell Roberts' dry wit.Early episodes centered on the townspeople, not the Cartwrights. There is little drama or exctement in the plots--in fact, they are so dull I can't really remember much of them. One episode was about rescuing a horse from a pit it had fallen into--as always, we got to see lots of mud!If you are looking for a family drama about the early days of this country, I would not recommend this one. Michael Landon did it with more humor and pathos with his Little House on the Prairie series. And of course, there is always the original show, which remains a classic for a reason!

crogers-4 This movie brought back our beloved Cartwrights. It brought anticipation and excitement for what the future would hold for Ben Cartwright as he brought up his three sons and attempted to build what we all knew would eventually become the famous Ponderosa. The characters had many qualities the older Cartwrights had, and I felt by watching this younger version of each (Ben, Adam, Hoss and Little Joe) we could watch them as they learned the ways of the west and see them as they struggled to survive and become the family we knew. The actors were well chosen for the parts. Diehard Bonanza fans, such as myself, knew Hoss immediately as protrayed by Drew. There was just no question that it was perfect casting. Little Joe (Jared) was a puzzle in the beginning but as he watched his mother die, the beginnings of the rebellious side of his character (which we all expect) appeared,Jared carried the part well. Pa was strict, yet loving, and Daniel was excellent. I had never seen him in previous roles yet I knew of him and some of the parts he had played and was a little concerned he wouldn't be right to play Ben Cartwright. But watching him as Pa interacted with his sons, I knew he was perfect. The mystery was who would portray Adam - my favorite Bonanza character. Matt totally exceeded my expectations for Adam. He portrays a sensitive, thoughtful, exciting, quick to anger when necessary Adam and those are all of the traits I expect to see in the eldest son. I'm sure as he delves further into the character and the history of Adam's life is brought in later episodes, people are going to see what type of versatile actor he appears to be.