Bonanza
Broadcast history and ratings
(Of 431 total episodes) Lorne Greene – Ben Cartwright – 417 episodes (Season 1–14) Michael Landon – Joseph "Little Joe" Cartwright – 416 episodes (Season 1–14) Dan Blocker – Eric "Hoss" Cartwright – 401 episodes (Season 1–13) Pernell Roberts – Adam Cartwright – 173 episodes (Season 1–6) Victor Sen Yung – Hop Sing – 107 episodes (Season 1–14) Ray Teal – Sheriff Coffee – 98 episodes (Season 2–13) David Canary – "Candy" Canaday – 93 episodes (Season 9–11, 14) Bing Russell – Deputy Clem Foster – 57 episodes (Season 4–5, 7–14) Mitch Vogel – Jamie Hunter Cartwright – 47 episodes (Season 12–14) Tim Matheson – Griff King – 12 episodes (Season 14) Lou Frizzell – Dusty Rhodes – 11 episodes (Season 11–13) Guy Williams – Will Cartwright – 5 episodes (Season 5) Initially, Bonanza aired on Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, opposite "Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show" and "John Gunther's High Road" on ABC, and Perry Mason on CBS. Bonanza's initial ratings were respectable, often coming in behind Mason but ahead of the ABC line-up. Ironically, executives considered canceling the show before its premiere because of its high cost. NBC kept it because Bonanza was one of the first series to be filmed and broadcast in color, including scenes of picturesque Lake Tahoe, Nevada. NBC's corporate parent, Radio Corporation of America (RCA), used the show to spur sales of RCA-manufactured color television sets (RCA was also the primary sponsor of the series during its first two seasons).
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