In 1956, Buchanan portrayed the lead in the 39-episode syndicated Western television series, "Judge Roy Bean", set in Langtry, Texas, and filmed in color in California. Only loosely based on the career of the legendary storekeeper, bartender, and justice of the peace, Roy Bean, the series had supporting roles for Jack Buetel, Jackie Loughery, and Russell Hayden as a Texas Ranger. The series popularized Bean's claim to having been "The Only Law West of the Pecos", a reference to the Pecos River in Val Verde County in West Texas. From 1960 to 1962, he appeared four times on the NBC Western series "Laramie"; Buchanan made two guest appearances on "Perry Mason": in 1958 as a small-town coroner in "The Case of the Perjured Parrot" and in 1962 as a small-town judge in "The Case of the Lurid Letter".