''The Ponderosa'' is a television series developed by ''Bonanza'' creator

David Dortort David Dortort (born David Solomon Katz; October 23, 1916 – September 5, 2010) was a Hollywood screenwriter and producer, widely known for his role as producer in two successful NBC television series: ''Bonanza'' (1959–73) and '' The High Ch ...

for

PAX TV Ion Television (referred to on-air as simply Ion) is an American terrestrial television, broadcast television network and Free ad-supported streaming television, FAST television channel owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scri ...

that ran for the 2001–2002 television season. Envisioned as a prequel to the NBC series ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'', covering the time when the Cartwrights first arrived at the Ponderosa, when Adam and Hoss were teenagers and Joe a little boy, 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. ''The 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. The series should not be confused with ''Ponderosa'', the title used for ''Bonanza'' reruns aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

in mid-1972.

Premise

Territory of Nevada The Territory of Nevada (N.T.) was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until October 31, 1864, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Nevada. Prior to the creation of the Nevad ...

, year 1849: ten years before the original ''Bonanza'' starts, the Cartwright family moves onto some scrub land. In this new land Ben Cartwright, a new widower, tries to raise his three young sons – at their late teens Adam and Hoss, and a pre-teen Joseph, commonly known as Little Joe.

Cast

Main

* Matt Carmody as Adam Cartwright * Daniel Hugh Kelly as Ben Cartwright * Drew Powell as

Hoss Cartwright ''Bonanza'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-runnin ...

* Jared Daperis as Little Joe Cartwright

Recurring

Brad Dourif Bradford Claude Dourif (; born March 18, 1950) is an American actor. He is known for voicing Chucky in the ''Child's Play'' franchise (1988–present), portraying Gríma Wormtongue in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series, and his Academy A ...

as Frenchy *

Josephine Byrnes Josephine Byrnes (born 1966) is an Australian actress best known for her work in television, including a lead role in '' Brides of Christ'' for which she won a Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an an ...

as Margaret Green * Fernando Carrillo as Carlos Rivera de Vega * Sara Gleeson as Tess Greene * Nicky Wendt as Shelby Sterritt * Gareth Yuen as Hop Sing * Marcella Toro (episodes 6–7) and Jaqueline Aries (episodes 10–16) as Isabella Maria Rivera de Vega * Peter Stefanou as Jorge

Guests

* Christopher Kirby as Samuel Newborn * Eddie Baroo as Virgil / Smitty *

Eliza Szonert Eliza Szonert is an Australian actress, known for her role as Danni Stark in ''Neighbours''. Career Born in Victoria, Australia, Szonert acted in a stage production of Cinderella at the Children's Oxford Theatre and appeared in a television ...

as Myra

Episodes

Home release

Shortly after the series first aired, four episodes were released on two DVDs. The first DVD featured both parts of the pilot episode, while the second featured "Brother vs. Brother" and "Treasure". On May 25, 2004, The ''Ponderosa: Season 1: Volume 1'' was released. This set collects the first ten episodes of the series. No plans have been announced yet to release the last ten episodes of the series on DVD.

Continuity

A number of minor (or perceived) inconsistencies exist between ''Ponderosa'' and ''Bonanza'', and a few glaring

retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...

s are present. * Most notable among these is the fate of Little Joe's mother. In the original series, her death was depicted in the episode "Marie, My Love" (''4x20'') as a result of falling off a horse in front of the Ponderosa ranch house.Bonanza: Marie, My Love – TV.com
/ref> In the new series, she is killed in Virginia City by a miner who is trying to murder Eli Orowitz.
/ref> Making the situation even more confusing, the pilot for the original series identifies Little Joe's mother as ''Felicia'' and not ''Marie'' as in the original. * The Hop Sing character is depicted not only as a cook, but also a family counselor and herbal healer.

References

External links

*
Matt Carmody's Official Website

Drew Powell's Official Website
{{Bonanza PAX TV original programming 2000s Western (genre) television series 2000s American drama television series 2001 American television series debuts 2002 American television series endings American prequel television series American English-language television shows Period family drama television series Television shows set in Nevada Television shows filmed in Australia Television series set in the 1840s Fiction set in 1849 Bonanza