It's taken so long to get finished with season 4 of Maverick that the Title line memory forgot what Western Wednesday I had last done. The 59th post was for season 3 and it was posted February 6 2019. I just couldn't seem to get too excited to get back to them in any sort of hurry and not because they're bad or anything. They were fun to watch when they were on but I lacked the drive to plow through them like I might other shows. Especially ones with shorter seasons, the 32 episodes on the 8 discs of season 4 seem like a massive mountain to climb. It's an imaginary mountain but you know that imagination is a powerful deceiver.
The show has some major cast changes this season. Jack Kelly returns, he's joined by Roger Moore in the first episode, they alternate episodes like James and Jack did. Occasionally the two leads share a story. James Garner doesn't appear in any episodes but the 10th. It was actually filmed during the 3rd season but never used. There was some sort of issue with Garner and Warners that isn't spelt out in any detail on the Wikipedia. No matter he's flown the coop, for now.
Roger is Beau, a cousin who's been in England for many years. That was to explain Roger's English accent. Sadly, Roger's time on the series is short, he leaves the series after episode 25. I can't say I prefer Jack or Roger in the lead over than James Garner. It's still a watchable show but it does repeat the same sort of plots each week.
Robert Colbert appears as Brent Maverick is episode 28, he'd only be in one other episode, then he was done. Peter Breck turns up as Doc Holliday and he would play the character 4 more times in the 5th season. Jack Kelly would head the show for that 13 episode season. I suspect I can get through those, but after that there's the Maverick movie with James Garner and the series Bret Maverick with James too. There were plenty of guest stars in the show that I knew and liked: John Astin, Alan Hale Jr, Joanna Barnes, Gerald Mohr, Kathleen Crowley, Max Baer Jr, Buddy Epsen, Slim Pickens, Edgar Buchanan, Chubby Johnson, Denver Pyle, Stacy Keach, Mala Powers, Andrew Duggan, Shirley Knight, Don "Red" Barry, Tol Avery, Lee Van Cleef, John Carradine, Dawn Wells, Coleen Gray, John Denher, John Hoyt, John Archer and Chad Everett.
I'm a bit sad that the show doesn't excite me as some other shows, past and present do. I can't get any Taskmaster lever of enthusiasm up for Roger and the other guys. Way it goes.
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