There aren’t many shows that can get away successfully with a name change during its initial airing, but the classic Western seriesBonanzawas certainly one of them. Following the adventures of Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) and his sons, the series ran for 14 seasons between 1959 and 1973, making it NBC’s longest-airing Western program. In fact, afterGunsmoke, it was second in line for that cowboy crown, and in efforts to boost ratings and build a new audience, the network airedBonanzareruns during the summer of 1972, this time under a new title:Ponderosa.
The Wild West adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their Nevada ranch while helping the surrounding community.
‘Bonanza’s Popularity Increased With ‘Ponderosa’ on Tuesday Nights
Though not immediately successful,Bonanzaeventually exploded in popularity, placing #1 in the television ratings for several years in the mid-1960s. And thenthe rural purge reared its ugly head, with networks axing rural-themed shows left and right. WhileBonanzawasn’t exempt from the same fate, it managed to run another few years before the hammer came down. At that time, actor Dan Blocker died before what would be the final season, and the series was moved to Tuesdays at 8 pm. But, according to television historiansTim BrooksandEarle F. Marshin the ninth edition ofThe Complete Directory to Prime Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present, something major occurred in between these drastic events:NBC decided to air reruns of the show’s ninth through twelfth seasons on Tuesdays under the new title ofPonderosa. Ponderosa, of course, was in reference to the ranch that the Cartwrights lived on and owned on the show. In fact, the ranch itself ended upbecoming a theme park attractionfor many years, including during the show’s initial run.
NBC took out ads in publications such asTV Guideto promote the seemingly new and excitingPonderosa, which some claim was the show’s originally intended title. Evidently,thePonderosacampaign was successful for the network, as they officially movedBonanzato Tuesday nights that fall…though that proved to be the final nail inBonanza’s sinking coffin. Interestingly, this name change wasn’t the first or only time theBonanzaandPonderosatitles were used interchangeably. In addition to the same show being aired under different names on television, series star Dan Blocker started a chain of steakhouses in the ’60s that used both names. That’s right, theBonanza and Ponderosa Steakhouseswere pretty popular in their day, but just like the television series itself, they eventually dwindled. Nowadays, there are only about two dozen left.
The ‘Ponderosa’ Title Was Dropped in the Western’s Final Season
But restaurant chains aside, theBonanzaandPonderosadebacle wasn’t as confusing as it may sound. Despite airing under thePonderosatitle on weekdays andBonanzaon weekends that summer,the show returned to its original branding that fall, just in time for Season 14 to start. After sixteen episodes (a far cry from the usual 20-30-something),Bonanzafinished 50th in the ratings rankings for the first time ever. That may sound good by today’s standards considering how many shows air a year, butBonanzaat one time was the highest-rated on television, almost always placing within the Top 30 (and sometimes at #1). No doubt, this drastic shift was due to the changed timeslot, moving from their usual Sunday nights to Tuesday, and the loss of star Dan Blocker the year before. With no “Hoss” Cartwright to pull us in, the Ponderosa just wasn’t as bright as it was before.
This Western TV Series Is More Than a Revenge Story
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It wasn’t long beforeBonanzawas canceled. The show couldn’t make it on Tuesday nights, opposing anAll in the Familyspin-off series that had much better ratings, and without one of the most vital cast members of the show, it plummeted. Finally,NBC pulled the plug on their longest-running Western, endingBonanza’s reign on the network(and television as a whole). “If we [knew] this was coming, we would have gone out with a bang and not a whimper,” expressed series star Lorne Green to theLos Angeles Times(viaTV Obscurities). “I was rather surprised NBC renewed the show after Dan [Blocker] died, but since they did, I would have liked to see them play out the year.“Bonanza’s final episode, “The Hunter,” aired on August 26, 2025, thus finishing out a shortened season as unexpectedly as possible.
Of course, likeother long-running television Westerns,Bonanzareturned in the form of made-for-TV movies nearly two decades later. First withBonanza: The Next Generationin 1988, then withBonanza: The Returnin 1993, and concluding the trilogy withBonanza: Under Attackin 1995, with that final production airing almost exactly 22 years to the day that the original series ended. But unlikeGunsmoke, which brought back its lead for the televised continuation, theBonanzafilms didn’t center on any of the characters from the original series. Instead,Michael Landon, Jr.played Benji Cartwright, the son of his father’s character “Little Joe,” andGillian Greene, daughter of Lorne Greene, played his love interest Jennifer. Frankly, the “next generation” wasn’t nearly as interesting as the original, and these made-for-TV features never got too high off the ground.
‘Bonanza’ Was Relaunched Again in the 2000s as ‘The Ponderosa’
ButthePonderosatitle would be revisited by theBonanzafranchise once more before it would ride into the sunset for good. In 2001, originalBonanzacreatorDavid Dorortteamed up withDr. Quinn, Medicine WomancreatorBeth Sullivanto re-envision the Ponderosa Ranch for a new generation. Of course, unlike the literalNext Generationcontinuation films, this series revisited our favorite characters in their early years, when they first moved to the Lake Tahoe area. WithDaniel Hugh Kelly,Drew Powell,Jared Daperis, andMatt Carmodytaking over as the four original Cartwrights fromBonanza, the prequel series was unsurprisingly namedThe Ponderosa.
Airing originally on PAX TV,The Ponderosaonly lasted a single 20-episode season before it was canceled. While the show got mostly decent reviews, it failed to capture the same magic of the original series. “This brazen exercise in television nostalgia could appeal to viewers starved for family entertainment,” noted Hal Boedecker of theOrlando Sentinel. “But there’s a simpler, more enjoyable way to go:Watch theBonanzareruns.” Ironically, many of those same reruns were once brandedPonderosa, a quick piece of Western TV trivia that the prequel series attempted to capitalize on years after the fact. But lightning doesn’t strike in the same place twice, at least not when it comes to television Westerns, and theBonanzabrand faded like a pair of work jeans after years of hard labor. The results were clear, but the show wouldn’t last forever.
