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| The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. - The Complete Series | 
 enlarge | Directors: James A. Contner, Kevin Bright, Andy Tennant, Rob Bowman, Joseph L. Scanlan
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $99.98
Buy New: $59.72
You Save: $40.26 (40%)
New (42) Used (14) Collectible (1) from $51.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  175 reviews
Sales Rank: 6407
Format: Box Set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 8
Running Time: 1385
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.6 x 1.5
MPN: 76833
UPC: 012569768338
EAN: 0012569768338
ASIN: B000F7CMPE
Theatrical Release Date: August 7, 1993
Release Date: July 18, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
A science fiction-Western and comedy-drama with echoes of The Wild Wild West and Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.: The Complete Series is uniquely entertaining. Anchored by the comically heroic style of likable B-movie actor Bruce Campbell, Adventures lasted one television season in 1993-94. But it left behind a full 27 episodes (including two two-part stories) full of classic TV Western production values and a running storyline that resembles The X-Files after awhile. Campbell plays Brisco County Jr., a bounty hunter and son of a legendary U.S. marshal (R. Lee Ermey) gunned down by the villainous John Bly (Billy Drago) and his band of misfits. The younger Brisco is hired by a consortium of businessmen to protect their interests from the likes of Bly, and while he's dedicated to that cause, Brisco is also determined to avenge his father's murder. Helping him do a little of both is a fussy attorney, Socrates Poole (Christian Clemenson); a rival bounty hunter, Lord Bowler (Julius Carry); a wacky inventor, Professor Wickwire (John Astin); and a sultry saloon singer, Dixie (Kelly Rutherford). Rockets, mysterious orbs, and superhuman strength are some of the delightfully out-of-their-element phenomena that find themselves alongside more conventional cowpoke ingredients, including a horse so smart he can chew the ropes binding Brisco's hands. For the most part, the stories stand alone. But as the season progresses, a lot of things get weirder, albeit in a good way: the truth about Bly and his connection to a golden orb everyone wants, for example, are certainly unexpected. But the show is always dazzling, often satiric ("Oy!" Dixie exclaims when Brisco outlines the steps involved in stopping a runaway wagon they're trapped within), yet heartening in an old-fashioned way. Special features include Campbell's reading of a chapter about the series in his autobiography. --Tom Keogh
Product Description
The world's favorite western/sci-fi/comedy/action cult hit rides again! Here on 8 discs is the complete series about Brisco (Bruce Campbell) a tough-as-rawhide cowpoke debonair ladies' man and Harvard-educated smarty-britches who roams from Frisco to Jalisco in pursuit of outlaws who killed his father...and in search of a mysterious orb possessing out-of-this world powers. Hot lead and cool anachronisms await Brisco as he and his sidekicks - including Comet the intellectual equine who doesn't know he's a horse - fight for justice in the way way way-out West. Put your boots in your stirrups your tongue in your cheek and join the fun. Let's play cowboys and aliens.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. UPC: 012569768338 Manufacturer No: 76833
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| Customer Reviews: Read 170 more reviews...
A show better than other series out at the time - deserved better success June 17, 2008
I enjoy satire, tongue-in-cheek sendups of various genres, and this series seemed poised to do just that when it first aired. Sadly, it may have missed the mark for other viewers, but I feel that it was in the same vein as the classic "Wild, Wild West" series. Good actor rapport and ensemble acting, just plain fun to watch. I also thought the stories were well-written on the whole. I am a fan of much of Bruce Campbell's work - he has the dry quips and retorts down pat. The sci-fi, almost H.G. Wells-like scenarios mixed with the Old West seemed to work for me. I wish it had been given more of a chance.
Classic Bruce Campbell May 29, 2008
I think this series is a must-have for the Bruce Campbell fan. I wish it would have run longer. I thought it was way too expensive to buy when it first came out on DVD, though. I'm glad to see that the price has finally come down.
The best show on television. EVER. May 17, 2008
Quick equation for you: Western + Sci-fi overtones + Snappy, witty dialogue + "STARRING BRUCE CAMPBELL" = Best television show EVER. No wonder it was cancelled after one season.
If you're a Brisco fan, you should pick this up for the sprinkling of commentaries alone. If you're not a Brisco fan, you should pick this up so that you can become one.
Excellent Series! May 9, 2008
It is nice to find the whole series in one collection. This is a western comedy that can be enjoyed by anyone. The actors were superb! Only wish the series would have lasted longer.
A single word: Wow! March 21, 2008
The pity of this series is that it was short-lived. Still, 27 episodes isn't a bad run.
The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. is a western series with a lot of humor, bizarre characters, and several bits of science fiction. If this mix sounds familiar, think "Wild, Wild West". However, this isn't just an imitation.
Brisco County Jr. is the son of Brisco County Sr., one of the great bounty hunters of the western territories toward the end of the 19th Century. Sr. is killed by the Bly Gang and Jr. (also an accomplished bounty hunter) swears revenge. (Sr. later shows up later, at least once, as a ghost.) Aside from the Bly gang, Brisco has a number of shoot-ups with the Swill brothers (Will, Phil, Bill, Gil, and Ed) - not to mention the Swill sister (Lil) - and of course the Swill mother (Ma). His companion through all this (first a rival bounty hunter and later a partner) is Lord Bowler. On occasion there are encounters with yet another bounty hunter, Dixie Cousins. There are also regular appearances by Briso's main contact with his employers (some western robber barons), Socrates Poole. Special mechanical needs in several episodes are met by Professor Albert Wickwire. And then of course there's Comet the Wonder Horse.
One of the reasons this series works is its casting. Brisco is played by the veteran actor Bruce Campbell. Campbell, who is vastly underrated (perhaps because he doesn't get asked to do Shakespeare or Scorsese), has before the age of 50 appeared in 92 films and TV series, produced 16, directed 7, written 3, and done just about everything else in film except sell the tickets. He brings to his role here a professional and keenly calculated sense of timing and of humor - not to mention very athletic performances.
Brisco's partner, Lord Bowler, is played by the accomplished Julius Carry. Barely over 50, Carry has appeared in 58 films and TV series (mostly the latter). His performance here is characterized by athleticism, bluster, humor, and authority. In addition to Carry's star turn, the producers of the series have regularly cast black actors in roles not tailored to nor requiring African-American actors. For a long time after black actors began to appear in mainstream films, they only got roles specifically race-oriented. It's Hollywood's great strength that they have done a lot toward moving away from that sort of pseudo Jim Crowism.
Third in the series' trilogy of stars, playing Socrates Poole, is the delightful and talented Christian Clemenson. Not yet 50, Clemenson has appeared in 60 films and TV series. He's currently doing a bang-up job in "Boston Legal" as the socially handicapped Jerry Espenson. As Poole, he's an Eastern tinhorn who's not doing a bad job of adapting to the rough-and-tumble of the Old West.
Other actors in smaller roles are talented and believable. As Professor Wickwire is the fabulous John Astin, whose 140 acting credits include various stints as Gomez Addams and Professor Gangreen (you know, the Killer Tomato movies). All of the people appearing here are a pleasure to watch; not a dud in the bunch. Billy Drago is outstanding as the crazed John Bly and manages to look every inch the psychopath Bly is. Drago is a well-represented film veteran, with 90 films (including some TV work) to his credit.
The various episodes are well plotted, full of action and humor, witty lines, good character byplay, and the Orb. The Orb (of which there are 3, although 1 is destroyed early in the series and another vanishes into the future) is an extraterrestrial spherical device consisting of a number of blue rods each with a gold end. The Orb has a number of interesting powers and can also confer powers and abilities. The attempts by Bly to get an Orb for himself and the efforts of Brisco to prevent this form the backdrop of many episodes.
The production values of this series are very high. Scenery, sets, costumes, livestock ... everything is exactly as it should be. Photography is clear and colorful. Most episodes are about 44 minutes; the pilot is 2 hours. The last 2 episodes constitute a 2-part series cap. The scripts display a good deal of originality, if one credits the amount the series owes to its predecessors. I'm not a big fan of westerns in general because of their predictability. "Wild, Wild West" (the series and the film) is of course an exception, and so is the Brisco County Jr. series. I highly, highly recommend you get this set. It's 22 hours of pure entertainment.
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