The Rousters is an American adventure drama television series about a group of modern-day bounty hunters who are descendants of legendary lawman Wyatt Earp. It aired on NBC from October 1, 1983, until July 21, 1984. Despite advertising claims that this series would "sink The Love Boat" in the ratings, it was canceled in mid-season after only 6 of its 13 episodes had aired, with the remaining shows being burned off during the summer of 1984.

The Rousters
GenreAction
Drama
Tongue-in-cheek humor
Created byStephen J. Cannell
StarringHoyt Axton
Chad Everett
Timothy Gibbs
Mimi Rogers
Maxine Stuart
Jim Varney
Opening theme"Tough Enough" performed by Ronnie Milsap
ComposersMike Post
Stephen Geyer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producerStephen J. Cannell
EditorJohn Elias
Running time60 minutes
Production companyStephen J. Cannell Productions
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseOctober 1, 1983 (1983-10-01) –
July 21, 1984 (1984-07-21)

Premise

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Wyatt Earp III (Chad Everett) works as a bouncer for the traveling Sladetown Carnival, run by "Cactus Jack" Slade (Hoyt Axton). Wyatt doesn't care for his embarrassing name or the legacy it represents, but his shotgun-toting mother Amanda (Maxine Stuart) wants to carry on the "family tradition" of keeping law and order through bounty hunting.

Wyatt's brother Evan (Jim Varney) has a penchant for con artistry and bungled repair-work; this character is mostly comic relief. Slade's lion-taming daughter Ellen (Mimi Rogers) is dating Wyatt and tutoring his teenage son Michael (Timothy Gibbs).

Cast

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Episodes

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Title Directed by: Written by: Original air date PC
1"The Marshal of Sladetown"E.W. SwackhamerStephen J. CannellOctober 1, 1983 (1983-10-01)3000
2"The Carnival That Ate Sladetown"Joseph PevneyStephen J. CannellOctober 15, 1983 (1983-10-15)3101
3"Finders Keepers"Dennis DonnellyMark JonesOctober 22, 1983 (1983-10-22)3102
4"A Picture's Worth a Thousand Dollars"Arnold LavenBabs GreyhoskyOctober 29, 1983 (1983-10-29)3103
5"Eye Witness Blues"Ron SatlofBabs GreyhoskyDecember 20, 1983 (1983-12-20)3112
6"Everybody Loves a Clown"Guy MagarFrank LupoDecember 27, 1983 (1983-12-27)3104
7"Never Trust a Crystal Ball"Barry CraneTerrence McDonnellJune 9, 1984 (1984-06-09)3105
8"Two and a Half Days of the Condor"Bruce KesslerMark Jones & Babs GreyhoskyJune 16, 1984 (1984-06-16)3108
9"Slade vs. Slade"Guy MagarBabs GreyhoskyJune 23, 1984 (1984-06-23)3106
10"Snake Eyes"Sigmund Neufeld Jr.Mark JonesJune 30, 1984 (1984-06-30)3110
11"Cold Streak"Georg Stanford BrownJim Carlson & Terrence McDonnellJuly 7, 1984 (1984-07-07)3107
12"This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Twelve of Us"Guy MagarMark JonesJuly 14, 1984 (1984-07-14)3111
13"Wyatt Earp to the Rescue"Arnold LavenJeff RayJuly 21, 1984 (1984-07-21)3109

References

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