Ponderosa (TV series)

"Ponderosa" is a television series created for PAX-TV (now known as ION) that ran for the 2001–2002 television season. Envisioned as a prequel to the long-running series Bonanza, "Ponderosa" was canceled after one season. Since that time, all PAX-TV original series have been canceled as well. The prequel had less gunfire and brawling than the original. Bonanza creator David Dortort approved PAX TV's decision to hire Beth Sullivan, a producer from Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, which some believe gave the series a softer edge. Some fans of "Bonanza" may not feel that "Ponderosa" is a prequel, either in storyline or character development, as the cast was presented somewhat differently, from the Cartwrights of "Bonanza," some of the most iconic figures in television history.

Cast

*Matthew Carmody as Adam Cartwright
*Daniel Hugh Kelly as Ben Cartwright
*Drew Powell as Hoss Cartwright
*Jared Daperis as Little Joe Cartwright
*Jaqueline Aries as Isabella Maria Rivera de Vega (episodes 10–16)
*Josephine Byrnes as Margaret Greene
*Fernando Carrillo as Carlos Rivera de Vega
*Sara Gleeson as Tess Greene
*Marcella Toro as Isabella Maria Rivera de Vega (episodes 6–7)
*Nicky Wendt as Shelby Sterritt
*Gareth Yuen as Hop Sing

Continuity

While a number of minor (or perceived) inconsistencies exist between "Ponderosa" and "Bonanza", a few glaring retcons are present. Most notable among these is the fate of Little Joe's mother, Marie. In the original series, Marie's death was depicted in the episode "Marie, My Love" as a result of falling off a horse in front of the Ponderosa ranch house. [ [http://www.tv.com/bonanza/marie-my-love/episode/98247/summary.html Bonanza: Marie, My Love - TV.com ] ] Meanwhile in the new series Marie is killed in Virginia City by a miner who is trying to murder Ben Cartwright. [ [http://www.tv.com/ponderosa/pilot-1/episode/76343/summary.html?tag=ep_list;title;0 Ponderosa: Pilot (1) - TV.com ] ] Making the situation even more confusing, the pilot for the original series identifies Little Joe's mother as "Felicia" and not Marie. [ [http://www.tv.com/bonanza/marie-my-love/episode/98247/summary.html Bonanza: Marie, My Love - TV.com ] ]

Episode List

DVD Release

Shortly after the series first aired, four episodes were released on two DVDs. The first DVD featured both parts of the pilot episode, while the second featured "Brother vs. Brother" and "Treasure".

On May 25, 2004, [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00019PDP2 Amazon.com: The Ponderosa: Season 1: Vol. 1 - Prequel to the TV Classic Bonanza: Movies & TV: Ponderosa ] ] The "Ponderosa: Season 1: Volume 1" was released. This set collects the first ten episodes of the series. As of yet there are no announced plans to release the last ten episodes of the series on DVD.

References

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287260/ "Ponderosa"] at Internet Movie Database
* [http://www.tv.com/ponderosa/show/4904/summary.html?tag=tabs;summary "Ponderosa"] at TV.com