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Ponderosa (2001)

WesternDrama

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.

First Air Date
September 9, 2001
Seasons
1
Episodes
20
Rating
7.0/10 (2 votes)

Cast: Daniel Hugh Kelly, Gareth Yuen, Bruce Dickinson, Brad Dourif, Jim Knobeloch, Jared Daperis, Nicki Wendt, Matt Carmody

Network: Pax TV
IMDb

Seasons

Full Cast (11 people)

Recommended Shows

Ponderosa

Ponderosa

7.0
60 min

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.

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Networks & Studios

Networks

Show Information
StatusEnded
TypeScripted
First Aired9/9/2001
Last Aired5/12/2002
Seasons1
Episodes20
LanguageEnglish
Creators & Crew

Produced by

1

Seasons

20

Episodes

60m

Per Episode

2001

First Aired

Content Ratings

Languages

External Links

Rate & Review

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Cast

DHK

Daniel Hugh Kelly

as Ben Cartwright

GY

Gareth Yuen

as Hop Sing

BD

Bruce Dickinson

as Big Dan Larson

BD

Brad Dourif

as Maurice 'Frenchy' Devereaux

JK

Jim Knobeloch

as Jack Wolf

JD

Jared Daperis

as Little Joe Cartwright

NW

Nicki Wendt

as Shelby Sterrett

MC

Matt Carmody

as Adam Cartwright

Images

Backdrop 1

Seasons

1 seasons
Watch Now

Season 1

2001

20 episodes

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ponderosa about?

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 …

How many seasons does Ponderosa have?

1

How many episodes does Ponderosa have?

20

Is Ponderosa still running?

No, it ended in 2002.

When did Ponderosa first air?

September 9, 2001

Who created Ponderosa?

Beth Sullivan

Who stars in Ponderosa?

Daniel Hugh Kelly, Gareth Yuen, Bruce Dickinson

What genre is Ponderosa?

Western, Drama