The Young Riders

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The Young Riders
DVD cover of the first Season 1 box set
Genre	Drama, Western
Created by	Ed Spielman
Starring	Stephen Baldwin Josh Brolin Brett Cullen Travis Fine Don Franklin Melissa Leo Ty Miller Christopher Pettiet Gregg Rainwater Yvonne Suhor Clare Wren Anthony Zerbe
Composer(s)	John Debney
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	68
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jonas McCord
Co-executive producer(s)	Josh Kane Michael Ogiens
Running time	45 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Picture format	Film
Original run	September 20, 1989 – July 23, 1992
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Young Riders is a dramatic western that aired 1989-1992 and featured a fictionalized account of a group of young Pony Express riders based at the Sweetwater Station in the Wyoming Territory. The series premiered on ABC on September 20, 1989 and ran for three seasons until the final episode aired on July 23, 1992.^[1]

1 Production
2 Cast and characters
- 2.1 Guest stars
3 Plot
4 Reception
5 Media information
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Production

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The original pilot for the series was filmed in California. After it was picked up, the series was moved to Tuscon, Arizona to be filmed in "Mescal," a western-themed movie town operated by Old Tucson Studios.^[2]

[edit] Cast and characters

Aloysius "Teaspoon" Hunter is a former Texas Ranger and one of the only survivors of the Battle of the Alamo. A colorful character, Teaspoon can be a tough task master but he cares about all of his riders. Played by Anthony Zerbe.
The Kid is a soft-spoken southerner. He loves his horse, Katie, who he purchased by winning the money to buy her in a boxing match. He is the first of the riders to learn that Lou is a girl, and he falls in love with her. Played by Ty Miller
William F. Cody is arrogant and brash, but also devoted to his friends. He is an excellent shot with long arms such as rifles. Played by Stephen Baldwin.
James Butler Hickok is hot-tempered and quick to go for his gun. He is is a fast draw and gains a reputation as a gunslinger that he doesn't particularly want as it causes people to come challenge him. His temper frequently gets him in trouble, though Teaspoon and Sam try to help him learn to control it. Played by Josh Brolin.
Buck Cross (Running Buck), is a half Kiowa who is close friends with Ike. Buck helps break down stereotypes that the townsfolk have of Indians in the area. Played by Gregg Rainwater.
Louise "Lou" McCloud presents herself as a man so that she can join the riders. Lou is found out by The Kid in the first episode, and by the other riders when they help her rescue her brother and sister from their abusive outlaw father. She eventually falls in love with and marries The Kid. Played by Yvonne Suhor.
Sam Cain is the current marshal of Sweetwater, and a former gunslinger. He is in love with Emma and she finally marries him at the end of Season 1. Because of his own past, Sam tries to help Hickcock deal with his growing gunslinger reputation. Played by Brett Cullen.
Ike McSwain is mute and bald, but that doesn't keep him from being an excellent rider. He is particularly close to Buck, who taught him sign language. Ike can be very passionate about protecting people. Played by Travis Fine.
Noah Dixon is a free-born black man who joins the Riders in the second season. Played by Don Franklin.
Emma Shannon is the caretaker of the station and the riders. Though she can be just as tough as Teaspoon when the riders do wrong, she tries to be a mother to them all. She is in love with Marshal Cain, but because of her past, she hesitated to marry him until the end of the first season. Played by Melissa Leo.
Jesse James, is a young boy who joins the riders in the third season. Played by Christopher Pettiet.
Rachel Dunne takes on the role of station caretaker after Emma leaves. Played by Clare Wren.

[edit] Guest stars

Many prominent actors guest-starred on the show, including James Gammon, Kelli Williams, Fisher Stevens, Della Reese, Melissa Michaelsen, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Sr., Pernell Roberts, David Soul, Cynthia Nixon, Richard Roundtree, Buck Taylor, Nick Ramus, Frances Fisher, and Bart the Bear.

[edit] Plot

Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

[edit] Reception

Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

[edit] Media information

MGM released the first season of The Young Riders as a single Region 1 DVD box set on March 21, 2006. No other season sets have been released thus far.^[1]

The season one set was released to Region 2 (Europe) DVD on January 15, 2007.^{[citation needed]}