Ponderosa

2001

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1
5.9| NR| en| More Info
Released: 09 September 2001 Ended
Producted By:
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Ponderosa is a television series developed by Bonanza creator David Dortort for PAX-TV 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. The show should not be confused with Ponderosa, the title used for Bonanza reruns aired on NBC during the summer of 1972.

Genre

Drama, Western

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Ponderosa Audience Reviews

Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place
UnowPriceless hyped garbage
Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
Cooktopi The acting in this movie is really good.
lonnadams As I watched the ponderosa, I noticed a few things. First was the way they explained how Hoss and Little Joe got their nicknames. The next thing which struck me as interesting was how one ranch was named the Green (Lorne Greene) Ranch, how the big guy has the name 'Big Dan' Larson (Dan Blocker), Mr. Orowitz is the owner of the store (Eugene Orowitz was Michael Landons real name!), and another character with the last name Roberts (Pernell Roberts). I thought the show was interesting to see, especially how Hoss was cast to be very similar to the original Hoss. I wish there were more than 20 episodes, but it is interesting to see how they are explaining how Ben Cartwright gained his fortune, is widowed, and other simple hints of the original unanswered questions of Bonanza.
kpavlish I have been a fan of Bonanza most of my life. When I first heard about a new television show that would take us back to the beginnings of the Ponderosa, I couldn't wait to see it. I was not disappointed. The Ponderosa instantly became my favorite show on Television. I planned my Sunday nights around the airing of the show. In a time when so much of what we see on television centers around sex and/or finding new ways to degrade our fellow human beings, The Ponderosa showed us what television was meant to be as a medium of entertainment. Respect, honestly, hard work, responsibility, concern for our neighbors, doing what's right, solid moral values...how often are these values at the core of the plot of a television show? I was so impressed with the writing of the show and the talent of the actors. I applaud the way in which actors portraying the Cartrights were able to transcend their characters back to the beginning of the Ponderosa. I have been around ranching all of my life and I have dreamed of being able to raise my children on one....even if it means having to struggle. This type of environment allows you a greater chance to teach your children responsibility and show them that hard work has it's rewards and even if we aren't always successful, we are better people because of it. My dream of a ranch of my own will probably never become a reality. However, The Ponderosa gives me a medium to show my 2 young children about how we should live our lives...how we can become a positive influence to those around us. It's rare that television today can help reinforce the values that we want our children to learn and grasp as their own. I grew up with The Waltons, Little House On The Prairie and so many other television shows that you could watch as a family and not be embarrassed or disgusted to see. They made you feel good and maybe brought us closer together. The Ponderosa gave me that same feeling. It was like seeing an old friend. When I saw that the show was not on any of the program schedules for this fall, it felt that I had lost that old friend again. I dearly hope that we will see a 2nd season of The Ponderosa. This is exactly what American television needs.
jdavery20012001 My family and I have watched The Ponderosa since its beginning. We all love the show and is the only show that the whole family (including two children under the age of 10) watch together. All of us looked forward to new episodes during the first season and even look forward to repeats just as much.The Ponderosa is a wonderful show. The casting of the four main characters is right on. The actors who portray younger Cartwrights have incredible acting abilities and through not only their lines, but their body language and facial gestures have completely captured the essence of the Cartwrights as they appeared in Bonanza.As the first season went on, The Ponderosa became more and more like Bonanza. Although some of the details of the Bonanza story were changed early on, the later episodes kept almost exclusively to the Bonanza storylines and characterization.All of my family look forward to the return of The Ponderosa, in whatever format, so that we can enjoy this special family show together again. As a longtime Bonanza fan, I can't wait to see the Cartwright legend live again in this new, aswesome show!
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.