The Virginian first aired in September of 1962. It was the only western at the time to be in color with a full 90 minute format. It's lengthy time slot allowed for extensive character development and deep plots. The show attracted many famous guest stars of the time because of the amount of screen time that each would be allotted. Because of the shorter time of many westerns, guest stars were not allowed much screen time, as the time was badly needed for developing the central characters. However in The Virginian, there was plenty of time for everyone. The Virginian (James Drury) is the tough minded foreman of Shiloh Ranch, Medicine Bow, WY. He and his top hands especially Trampas are friends who help each outer out in times of trouble. Being weighted down with his many responsibilities, the foreman generally has a more serious nature to his character, and at a glance, might even seem standoffish. However, at heart, he was really a kind and generous person. *His true name was never revealed in the run of the show, which allowed for a sense of mystery to his character.Trampas was the fun loving cowboy who was the top hand at Shiloh for the entire 9 years of the show's run. Doug McClure succeeded in playing his role to perfection. He was an underrated actor who really did quite well. He was by far the most developed character in the series, and McClure was so popular that he along with James Drury were the only characters to appear as regulars for the entire run of the series. There were many more characters. A total of five ranch owners owned the ranch from 1962-1971. Their families came and passed with them, and many of them left no explanation as to their leaving. The producers rather chose to let the viewers imagine what might have been the destiny - or fate of the characters. The Virginian was the third longest running western in television history. Unfortunately, this show is overshadowed by the more famous and popular shows, Bonanza and Gunsmoke. Thanks to syndication by popular channels and DVD releases by Timeless Media Group, this show can now be enjoyed by people of all ages from everywhere.

I first saw the Virginian in England in the 1960s. It became my favorite Western series. The characters were honest, likable and honorable. The acting was good and the stories were compelling and well written. The show also seemed more subtle and complex than the average western series. The stories usually had a moral message and the good guys always came out on top.James Drury, Doug McClure and Lee J.Cobb were all excellent. The Virginian came from a time when American TV shows were very popular in the UK.During the 1960s and 1970s we tended to see a lot of American shows in prime-time in Britain, but that changed in the 1980s. This show is being shown on Encore and I'm enjoying watching it in color for the first time.

"The Virginian" TV series airs currently on Retro Television Network on Sunday mornings at 8A.M. EST and 9:30 A.M. EST. Check your cable or satellite guides for the RTN channel or the digital sub-channel of your local affiliate. Retro television network is a service for local channels to use on one of their digital sub-channels; as soon as a local channel adds the service then it can be added to a satellite or cable service lineup. This is a great series, each episode almost equal in quality to a 90 minute movie (minus commercial time of course.) If you're interested in seeing this series contact your local channels about adding the Retro television network as a digital sub-channel. if you've never seen this series you're in for a great treat, sure it's long, being 90 minutes, there were only 3 90 minute westerns on TV over the years and this is by far the best. Wagon Train is a close second, and that also air son RTN, Sundays at Noon EST.

This was my favourite TV western when I was a child, and I believe it was much more superior than the other TV westerns of the 70s. The casting and acting was first rate, so to was the cinematography. The story lines were realistic, gritty and strong. The character of the Virginian and Trampas worked well together and the chemistry between the actors was evident. While the Virginian was the strong silent type, Trampas was the wild and reckless one. Each episode had a wide array of character actors who began their acting careers on this show. I find it strange that of all the TV westerns this seems to be the only one that is not available on either VHS and/or DVD. I only wish the entire series plus The Men from Shiloh were available on DVD.