"Wildside" (1985) TV series

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Creator:

Tom Greene

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

21 March 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

A Group Of Vigilantes Take The Law Into Their Own Hands To Preserve Peace In A Lawless Land

Plot:

Five weapons specialists/cowboys fight crime in the town of Wildside, CA.

Plot Keywords:

Cult Western | Undercover | Vigilante | Gadget

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

William Smith	...	Brodie Hollister (6 episodes, 1985)
J. Eddie Peck	...	Sutton Hollister (6 episodes, 1985)
Howard E. Rollins Jr.	...	Bannister Sparks (6 episodes, 1985)
John D'Aquino	...	Varges De La Cosa (6 episodes, 1985)
Terry Funk	...	Prometheus Jones (6 episodes, 1985)
Meg Ryan	...	Cally Oaks (6 episodes, 1985)
Sandy McPeak	...	Governor J. Wendell Summerhayes (6 episodes, 1985)
Jon Fong	...	Keye Ahn (6 episodes, 1985)
Kurt Fuller	...	Elliot Thogmorton (6 episodes, 1985)
Robin Hoff	...	Alice Freeze (6 episodes, 1985)
Timothy Scott	...	Skillet (6 episodes, 1985)
Jason Hervey	...	Zeke (6 episodes, 1985)

Runtime:

60 min | 60 min (6 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Tom Greene Productions Inc.

Trivia:

Weapon specialities: the Hollisters were crack marksman. Varges de la Cosa never used guns, preferring throwing knives and bolos. Bannister Sparks lived up to his name, using small explosives. Prometheus Jones was an expert with a lasso, often using two at the same time, but also used a shotgun occasionally.

Quotes:

[shooting the belt and hat off a woman]
Brodie Hollister: You know, if I had about eight more bullets, this would get real interesting.

Unknown and Under-appreciated

This short-lived series is probably best known for bringing together stars Howard Rollins Jr. and Meg Ryan. A pity, because despite its brief, six-episode run, it's actually a pretty entertaining action-adventure/Western/parody. In tone it's not dissimilar to the subsequent Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Outlaws, and The Magnificent Seven - the idea of a team of cowboy weapon/specialists isn't unique, but Wildside does it pretty well. There's also a nice fleshing out of the characters, and a fair amount of background - there's _lots_ of supporting characters in this series. Catch it if you can.

In fairness, the show hasn't aged particularly well. it's certainly the neatest Wild West town existent, and the outdoor filming is a bit smudgy: they occasionally forget to clean the camera lens. Terry Funk tends to mumble, and Meg Ryan's character comes across a a bit of ditz and there's very little chemistry between her and J. Eddie Peck. Still, everyone seems to having fun, which counts for something, and you've got the star power of William Smith, Howard Rollins, and John D'Aquino (late of "Cory in the House") chugging away, and clearly it both borrowed from previous shows (the first episode has a hidden cache of Confederate gold, just like a "Wild Wild West" episode), while inspiring future ones: Parks Ritchey is basically Pete Horton years later in "Adventures of Brisco County Jr."

So hopefully they'll release a cleaned up copy of it some day for DVD. If they do, catch it.