''Paradise'' (later renamed ''Guns of Paradise'') is an American family Western television series, broadcast by

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

from October 27, 1988, to May 10, 1991. Created by David Jacobs and Robert Porter, the series presents the adventures of fictitious

gunfighter Gunfighters, also called gunslingers () or in the late 19th and early 20th century gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in shootouts. Today, the term "gunslin ...

Ethan Allen Cord, whose sister left her four children in his custody when she died.

Synopsis

''Paradise'', set from 1890 and on, starred Lee Horsley as Cord, a professional gunfighter who was forced to take custody of the four children of his sister Lucy (

Kathryn Leigh Scott Kathryn Leigh Scott is an American television and film actress and writer who is best known for playing several roles on ''Dark Shadows''. Early life and education Kathryn Leigh Scott (born Marlene Kathryn Kringstad) was born of Norwegian de ...

), a

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

singer who was dying and unable to make any other arrangements for their care. Cord realized his profession was unsuitable to child rearing and decided to change, renting a farm from Amelia Lawson (

Sigrid Thornton Sigrid Madeline Thornton (born 12 February 1959) is an Australian film and television actress. Her television work includes ''Prisoner'' (1979–80), '' All the Rivers Run'' (1983), '' SeaChange'' (1998–2019) and '' Wentworth'' (2016–2018) ...

), who also owned the local bank in the small town of

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

, California (the origin of the title). Ethan tried to live a peaceful life, but was constantly haunted by his violent past and frequently called upon by the townspeople to defend them from lawlessness. Cord was close friends with John Taylor ( Dehl Berti), a Native American

medicine man A medicine man (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwinini'') or medicine woman (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwininiikwe'') is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Each culture has its own name i ...

, who often provided him with wise counsel and insights into human nature.

Cast

Main cast

* Lee Horsley as Ethan Allen Cord * Jenny Beck as Claire Carroll * Matthew Newmark as Joseph Carroll * Brian Lando as Benjamin Carroll * Michael Patrick Carter as George Carroll *

as Amelia Lawson * Dehl Berti as John Taylor * John F. Bloom III as Tiny

Guest cast

In a two-part episode,

Gene Barry Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass; June 14, 1919 – December 9, 2009) was an American stage, screen, and television actor and singer. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films '' The Atomic City'' (1952) and ''The War of the Worl ...

and

Hugh O'Brian Hugh O'Brian (born Hugh Charles Krampe; April 19, 1925 – September 5, 2016) was an American actor and humanitarian, best known for his starring roles in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Western (genre), Western television series ' ...

recreated their famous 1950s television roles of legendary gunslingers

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the late 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was bo ...

and

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman in the American West, including Dodge City, Kansas, Dodge City, Wichita, Kansas, Wichita, and Tombstone, Arizona, Tombstone. Earp was involved in the gunfight ...

. The special two-part episode briefly launched the ratings-challenged series into the top 10 of the Nielsen Ratings. Robert Harland, who co-starred in the 1960 television Western '' Law of the Plainsman'', made his last television appearance in 1988 on ''Paradise''.

Episodes

Production

Development

After the second season ended the show went on hiatus to make some changes. It returned to the air in January 1991 for its shortened and final third season. A new opening sequence introduced the series' new name, ''Guns of Paradise'', an apparent attempt to remind viewers that the program, despite its title, was in fact a Western. Cord and Amelia were now engaged and in the process of building a new house; and Cord was in the process of achieving an official appointment to be the town's

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

, the role he had essentially been fulfilling unofficially. In 1991, despite a loyal fan base and critical acclaim, the series was canceled after three seasons amid low viewer ratings. In the mid-'90s, The Family Channel ran ''Paradise'' in syndication.

Home media

On April 25, 2017, Warner Bros. released the first season of ''Paradise'' on DVD.

Awards and nominations

References

* Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, '' The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows'', p. 105

External links

* * {{epguides, id=GunsofParadise, title=Paradise 1980s American drama television series 1990s American drama television series 1988 American television series debuts 1991 American television series endings CBS original programming American English-language television shows Serial drama television series Television series by Lorimar Television 1980s Western (genre) television series Period family drama television series Television shows set in California Television series set in the 1890s 1990s Western (genre) television series Television series created by David Jacobs (writer) CBS television dramas