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I’d be surprised if any readers remember the 1993 CBS comedy-Western “Harts of the West.” The show only lasted for one 15-episode season, going off the air in June of 1994, and spent its tenure sandwiched in between two other hit CBS Westerns, “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” and “Walker, Texas Ranger.” It wasn’t deeply beloved by critics — it only has a 55% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 11 reviews — but even a quick glance reveals a smart, funny, high-quality show that boasts an excellent cast and a fun, dramatic premise. The show starred Beau Bridges, who sci-fi fans will recognize as the actor who played General Landry on “Stargate SG-1.”
“Harts of the West” follows the experiences of the modern-day Hart family, natives of Chicago, led by the jovial patriarch Dave (Bridges). At the head of the series, Dave suffers a heart attack, which kickstarts a midlife crisis and inspires him to leave his boring city life and fulfill his dream of living on a ranch in Nevada — specifically, the Flying Tumbleweed Ranch. Dave has always loved Westerns, and even named his children after famous Western luminaries. He has a teen son named Zane (Sean Murray), after Western author Zane Grey. His teen daughter is named L’Amour (Meghann Haldeman) after author Louis L’Amour, and his youngest is named John Wayne “Duke” Hart (Nathan Watt). Dave’s very patient wife, Allie, is played by Harley Jane Kozak. Of those family members, only Duke actually wants to make the move to Nevada.
The series involves the culture shock of a city family acclimating to life on a ranch near the tiny town of Sholo, population 90. The ranch foreman, Jake, is played by the legendary Lloyd Bridges, Beau’s real-life father.
Harts of the West featured a strong ensemble cast and some wacky plot lines
“Harts of the West,” I should clarify, is a single-camera comedy with no soundtrack, not a goofy multi-camera sitcom. The show was funny, but it also took its drama seriously, allowing the characters to grow and seem human. The cast of “Harts of the West” also contained some recognizable stars. Stephen Root, so good as the character Fuches on HBO’s “Barry” years later, plays the local sheriff-slash-cafe owner R.O. Moon, and O-Lan Jones plays R.O.’s ex-wife, Rose. Mark Harmon shows up in one episode as a former rodeo champion, and Diane Ladd appears as Allie’s mother. The Ladd character finds herself intensely attracted to Lloyd Bridges.
Despite the simplicity of the premise, the stories were hardly down-to-Earth. In one episode, R.O. gets struck by lightning, survives, and thereafter thinks he can channel the dead. Another episode is a murder mystery of sorts after someone kills Irene, a ranch hand’s cow. In another episode, Dave finds that the ranch well is running dry, forcing him to take a last-minute gig at a lingerie convention in nearby Las Vegas. (Dave was a lingerie salesman prior to moving to the ranch.)
Other episodes were properly dramatic. When the Harts go on a brief vacation, Dave falls down a mineshaft, and the rest of the family are beleaguered by a tornado and a bear. The series ended with a subplot wherein Allie thought she was pregnant with the couple’s fourth child. Sadly, the show was canceled before anything interesting could be done with that story.
The theme song for “Harts of the West” was performed by Grammy-winning country star Clint Black.
What did critics think of Harts of the West?
Director Neal Israel worked on a few episodes of “Harts of the West,” and some may recognize his name from the screenplays for “Police Academy” and “Real Genius,” or as the writer/director of “Tunnel Vision,” “Bachelor Party,” or, eventually, the 1990s teen martial arts comedy “Surf Ninjas.”
“Harts of the West” is readily available on Prime Video, and you can watch it on the Roku Channel, Hoopla, Pluto TV, and Tubi. It may be relatively obscure, but at least “Harts of the West” can be found at a moment’s notice.
As mentioned, critics were kind of split on the show. Variety‘s Tony Scott reviewed the pilot, and noted that he hoped it would improve. He wrote:
“(The Harts’) reactions to the dilapidated ex-rancho are mediocre comedy; the first chapter doesn’t burn up any laugh meter. But Beau Bridges and Kozak do okay as city slickers confronted with discomforts. Director Robert Lieberman doesn’t demo much comedy timing, and the younger male actors play out their roles with little flair.”
Writing for The Los Angeles Times, Howard Rosenberg was more positive, feeling that the show was full of “quality fun,” even if the fish-out-of-water premise was a little thin. The general split seemed to run between critics who found “Harts of the West” to be harmless and enjoyable and those who were tired out by its premise and its lack of wit. From just a quick glance at a few episodes, I agree with the former assessment. This is a great vintage relaxation watch waiting to be rediscovered.