Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series (DVD)

"The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." was one of the most entertaining and unusual shows to ever air on Fox or any other network for that matter. Led by the always affable Bruce Campbell, "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." was a highly entertaining western-adventure-comedy-sci fi series that borrowed elements from many different sources, such as 1930's serials with cliffhangers, "Mavarick", "Gunsmoke", "The Wild Wild West", and science fiction elements as well that focus mostly on the mysterious "Orb" which was introduced in the pilot episode.Another unusual element was that the show only lasted one season, yet had a large 27 episode order which meant that at some point Fox, the network where the show aired had a great deal of faith in it, yet that disappeared at some point since they rather quickly renewed another show from that time, "The X Files". Why "Brisco" was cancelled is not very well explained, even in the DVD extras although I would have to figure that the sheer cost of producing a period television show in Hollywood played a role with the ratings not being very good.As for us, we are left with 27 highly entertaining episodes that feature a wide range of characters, situations, action and adventure along with some good comedic moments as well. The focus of the season was Brisco tracking down the Bly Gang who killed his father (played ably by R. Lee Ermey). Brisco is hired by a group of wealthy men to find the gang and many of the episodes center on his bringing to justice each gang member. However, there are also other run-ins that Brisco has along the way.Bruce Campbell is simply perfect as Brisco County, Jr., bringing with him his sharp wit, good looks and dry sense of humor. He is ably supported in the series by Christian Clemenson as Socrates Poole, Brisco's go-between with the wealthy group, Julius Carry who plays Lord Bowler, a rival bounty hunter who rather quickly becomes Brisco's friend and partner, and Kelly Rutherford as Dixie Cousins, Brisco's would-be love that manages to heat up the screen quite easily and has a wonderful rapport with Campbell.Others worthy of mention are Billy Drago who plays Bly, the leader of the gang, John Astin, as crazy as ever playing Dr. Wickwire who invents all sorts of contraptions, John Pyper-Ferguson as Pete, a notorious outlaw whose piece you do not touch and Comet, Brisco's horse who is arguably the smartest character in the series.Virtually all the episodes are excellently produced, well-written and wonderfully entertaining so much so that it is difficult to choose the "better" ones, although the pilot episode is very good. "No Man's Land" which introduces us to the unforgettable Swill Brothers and the Schwenke Sisters, "Riverboat" which feels like an old episode of "Maverick", and the two-part finale "High Treason" with Terry Bradshaw (yes, that Terry Bradshaw) playing the bad guy.If I had a bone to pick, it would be about the sci-fi elements surrounding the "Orb" a mysterious object that may or may not be from the future which seemed to have powers of whatever was required from the script that week. However, the show did manage to effectively tweek many of the conventions of today with sly references that are very funny and helped keep the series fresh. If I have a single favorite scene, it would be the freeing of Brisco and others from a large safe by...well, let's just say he's even smarter than you might think...and Campbell's line just after they discover who their benefactor is after their release is one for the ages.The DVD package itself is really nice, although one of the disc holders had lost a few of the holding pieces which means it slides around inside. Still, this series does come with plenty of good extras including the following;- A booklet with episode recaps written by none other than Bruce Campbell himself- "Brisco's Book of Coming Things" which shows off all the "futuristic" inventions of the series- "The History of Brisco County" with interviews of Campbell, series creator Carlton Cuse, Clemenson, Rutherford and the now sadly departed Julius Carry.- "Tools of the Trade" which is a short featurette gallery.- "A Reading from the Book of Bruce" This is Bruce Campbell reading from the chapter from his book, "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor" that recounts his experiences on Brisco. A really nice extra in the DVD.- "A Brisco County Writer's Room" This features all the writing staff along with Cuse discussing their time on Brisco County.All of the extras help make this a wonderful DVD package and one of the better ones on the market today. All of the episodes are wonderfully produced and still hold up very well.As I was watching the episodes with a couple of friends, they could not believe that such an entertaining show was cancelled. I would have to agree, "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." remains one of the absolute best television series to never make it past a single season. If you enjoy westerns with a light comedic touch, then this is the one for you.

Loved this series when it was on TV. Had to buy the DVD. Every bit as good as I remember.

If you like Bruce Campbell, then you will pretty much like this show has some supernatural elements along with being a Western, I love it.Disks were clean box was undamaged!

I was one of the fans that signed the online petition some years before this was released to get Brisco County on DVD. Like my review for the DVD release of The Pirates of Penzance, waiting finally worked! And just in time too, my VCR tapes were about to snap. I bought it as soon as I was able.There is no loss of quality in the transfer to DVD like I have experienced on other shows that were short-lived, intelligent and doomed to cancellation. The most obvious one that comes to mind is Due South. We finally got that on DVD and the transfer is so bad it makes me want to cry.Not so here. The only technical flaw is the packaging, where the discs are one on top of the other. You must lay it down on a flat surface to take the discs in back out with any measure of care. Not a big deal - as I waited so long for this show - but still.The graphic design of the packaging itself is very nice. So glad they didn't cheap up on that part.As far as reviewing the show goes - what can you say? Part western, part drama, part Steampunk, part history lesson, part comedy, part sci-fi. A host of celebrities that fell off the map, now showing up here in little gems of guest-star roles (Timothy Leary was a hoot), and still more relatively unknown character actors that left a big impression (John Pyper-Ferguson as Pete Hutter - OMG).Not to mention the regulars - perfectly casted and talented. I was a Bruce fan before this show started, which is why I was able to tune in from the beginning... but the second Julius Carry showed up I screamed "Omigawd it's Sho'nuff!!" and had a grin plastered on my face for the rest of the series. What a team Campbell and Carry made... More from them in other shows would have been welcomed. Rest in peace, Julius.Christian Clemenson, John Pyper-Ferguson, Kelly Rutherford, John Astin, Billy Drago, Jeff Phillips and of course Comet, served to fill out the regular cast with more reliable talent than I have seen gathered on one show since.Like many shows & movies of it's kind - Twin Peaks, the aforementioned Due South, movies like Buckaroo Banzai, The Monitors and Until the End of the World... weird, captivating, out-there stuff that is nearly impossible to put into one genre and leave it there - Brisco County is hard to nail down. I suppose that's part of it's appeal.. but I have so many good memories of this show it is hard to describe why.And it has Bruce. We *LOVE* Bruce. 'nuff said.Either you get Brisco County, or you don't. If you get it, you love it, and if you don't... well, there's always reality TV and Friends reruns for those folks. ;)

Cuite

Love Briscoe

This show was waaay ahead of its time. A Sci-fi/Action/Western with great acting, quirky characters, and even serious drama. It especially works great as a one-shot series as the finale closes with your classic ride off into the sunset and the adventures beyond it.

Bruce Campbell is excellent as Briscoe County, his father was killed and he is after the gang that murdered him. Trusty horse Comet and he has a couple of friends to assist him, Socrates and Bowler. A touch of science fiction with the orb that has powers. Lots of action with humor,

Toll, lange gesucht und endlich gefunden

Je cherchais cette série depuis fort longtemps et l'ai trouvé fort facilement sur Amazon (que je ne connaissais pas avant). Le seul "hic" est qu'il n'y a pas de version en français mais seulement une version sous-titrée. Mais c'est très instructif, car on entend les acteurs parlaient en anglais. C'est une série pour toute la famille, même mon mari qui ne la connaissait pas est fan à présent.

Die (komplette) Serie (zwei Staffeln mit 15 und 12 Folgen) wurde in Deutschland meines Wissens nie vollständig gesendet - bis Folge 15 ja, die restlichen Folgen könnten mir natürlich auch entgangen sein - und war wohl auch, wenn ich der Wikipedia glauben kann, bei uns nicht ganz so der Renner.Das wiederum ist verständlich, einerseits, andererseits aber auch nicht.1. Der Serie fehlt (ganz klar) ein Konzept. Vielleicht hat sie ja eines, als Zuschauer würde ich das dann aber auch gerne erfahren. Angeblich dreht sich alles um die ominöse Kugel (the orb"), deren Geheimnis zu entschlüsseln ist. Die meisten Episoden befassen sich aber nicht im mindesten mit der Kugel und dem Erzschurken John Bly, sondern mit allen mehr oder weniger damit zusammenhängenden (oder auch nicht) Nebenkriegsschauplätzen: die große Linie alias der rote Faden fehlt. Wo die Serie hinwill, erschließt sich bis zum Schlußpunkt nicht so richtig.2. Die Serie parodiert. Schön. Aber wen? Die Court-Martial-Trilogie der 5. Staffel "A-Team" habe ich aus eigener Kraft in Folge 26 dingfest machen können, "Indiana Jones" (den ich nur flüchtig kenne; die Filme geben mir leider nicht viel) legt das Logo schon nahe. Aber sonst? Vom meisten habe ich nur vage Vorstellungen: Kung-Fu-Filme manchmal, Science Fiction, mit Ausnahme der genialen "Psycho"-Adaption in Folge 25 verlieren sich die Anspielungen im nebulös-allgemeinen.3. Aber trotzdem: wie ein Haufen genialer und genial besetzter Darsteller aus dem Material das wirklich letzte rausholt, der Wortwitz der Serie und die Situationskomik sind zum Schreien, einzelne Folgen brillieren durch höchst unerwartete Wendungen: das macht es schade, daß sich das Vergnügen auf 27 Folgen beschränkt, in deutscher Sprache nicht erhältlich und hierzulande praktisch unbekannt ist.

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., is an American Western/science fiction television series. It ran for 27 episodes on the Fox network starting in the 1993–94 season. The series follows Brisco, played by Bruce Campbell, a Harvard-educated lawyer-turned-bounty hunter hired by a group of wealthy industrialists to track and capture outlaw John Bly and his gang. A large number of episodes involve the Orb, a powerful device from the future. Included with this set is a 24 page colorful booklet, containing photos and complete episode listings and guides.The show features classic Western scenarios such as train robberies and gunfighter showdowns. Much of the series is devoted to the science fiction plot surrounding the Orb, and it is this mix of the Western genre with fantasy that has helped Brisco maintain its cult statusJulius Carey costars as Lord Bowler, Comet plays his horse, actually his real name, Billy Drago is John Bly, the key villain and Kelley Rutherford as Dixie Cousins is the alluring siren, looks a lot like Marilyn Monroe in River Of No Return. Some of the notable guest stars include John Astin, Paul Brinegar, Robert Fuller, James Drury, Terry Bradshaw, Sheena Easton, Robert Picardo, David Warner, Morgan Woodward, Wolf Larson, Stuart Whitman and Terry Funk.This is a Cult Classic remembered fondly by critics, who praise its humor and unique blend of genres – Highly Recommended.