Since August 2008, Bret Maverick has been airing uncut on the Encore Westerns channel. For fans of James Garner and the original classic western series Maverick (1957-1962), this continuation of the original series is not to be missed.
James Garner Receives Emmy And Golden Globe Nominations
Garner was nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Bret Maverick on the 1981-1982 short-running series. Interestingly, in the Golden Globe category, he was nominated in the comedy/musical category.
For the subsequent Emmy field, he was ranked in the dramatic field, proving the show defined categorization. During the original series run, Garner was nominated for an Emmy in 1959, criminally never winning an award for his portrayal of Bret Maverick.
Television Westers: A Dying Breed
For western fans, there is plenty to enjoy on Bret Maverick. Produced during the early 1980s when virtually no other westerns were on the air, Encore Westerns should be lauded for reviving the series.
This appears to be the first time Bret Maverick has appeared in syndication in many years since its cancellation in spring 1982, despite respectable ratings, after only one season on NBC.
It was interesting to see what westerns could have been like during the early '80s. Profanity occurs occasionally, and sex is often hinted at, products of an evolving culture.
Not A Rehash of The Original Series
As a revival of sorts of a classic television show, Bret Maverick is bound to be compared unflatteringly to the original, and viewers should not expect another season of the original series.
It is best for viewers of Bret Maverick to go about watching the show like this: Maverick has had many adventures since the character departed the classic series in 1960 (Garner was unhappy about his contract), and the new series shows Maverick as someone who wants to settle down, although he still cannot help devising con games or finding himself in the center of trouble.
Cherokee Productions (Garner's company) has a banner at the end of each episode, so it is fair to say he had a significant role in overseeing each episode.
An Older, Slightly Wiser Version of Maverick
It should be noted that violence did not occur much in this series. Mainly character development, interaction and situations among the townspeople, conniving, and con games were used for each storyline.
Card-playing is not the centerpiece of each episode, although it is critical in “The Lazy Ace,” the pilot episode
Maverick is also more sarcastic, grumpy, and world-weary here, no doubt in part to Garner’s new persona on his previous television series, The Rockford Files (1974-1980).
In "The Vulture Also Rises” episode, Maverick drinks himself into oblivion over the loss of an old flame, something that never would have happened on the original series.
Because of Bret’s maturity, and indeed, twenty years have passed, the viewer quickly senses Bret can take care of himself, and the villain will suffer the consequences for tangling with him.
Not Taking Itself Too Seriously
The more comedic episodes of the original series did not generally leave that impression. The 90-minute "Lazy Ace" pilot demonstrated this vividly and very amusingly, as Bret is forced to remove the dozen or so weapons he is concealing on his person by a town sheriff.
For further discussion on the 1981-1982 revival of James Garner's most iconic role, please click here.
References
- Internet Movie Database: Bret Maverick entry. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081837/
- Starz: Encore Westerns....Bret Maverick entry. http://www.starz.com/series/BretMaverick
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