Ponderosa poster

Ponderosa (2001)

Drama · Family · Western

Ponderosa is a television series developed by Bonanza creator David Dortort for PAX-TV that ran for the 2001–2002 television season. Envisioned as a prequel to the long-running NBC series Bonanza, it had less gunfire, brawling and other traditional western elements than the original. Bonanza creator David Dortort approved PAX TV's decision to hire Beth Sullivan, creator and executive producer of Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman to oversee scripts and executive produce, which some believe gave the series a softer edge. Ponderosa was canceled after one season, in part because of disappointing ratings and high production costs. Although Sullivan had hoped to film the series in and around Los Angeles, PAX decided to film in Australia to reduce costs. Series "show runner" Sullivan sustained severe injuries in a car crash only twelve days after the airing of the first season's last episode. The show should not be confused with Ponderosa, the title used for Bonanza reruns aired on NBC during the summer of 1972.

IMDb rating
6.1 (179 votes)
Seasons
1
Language
EN
Type
TV series

Ratings refreshed Jul 3, 2026 · 1 season indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (2001)

9.01 avg 18 episodes 8.3 → 9.0

Ep 1: 8.3 · 18 votesEp 2: 8.7 · 14 votesEp 3: 8.6 · 17 votesEp 4: 9.5 · 15 votesEp 5: 9.7 · 10 votesEp 6: 9.1 · 17 votesEp 7: 9.8 · 12 votesEp 8: 9.1 · 16 votesEp 9: 8.9 · 13 votesEp 10: 9.1 · 18 votesEp 11: 8.9 · 12 votesEp 12: 9.2 · 12 votesEp 13: 9.0 · 13 votesEp 14: 8.9 · 12 votesEp 15: 8.8 · 12 votesEp 16: 8.8 · 12 votesEp 17: 8.8 · 12 votesEp 20: 9.0 · 14 votes
Season 1 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Pilot: Part 18.318
2Pilot: Part 28.714
3Joaquin8.617
4Bare Knuckles9.515
5Promise9.710
6Homeland9.117
7Quarantine9.812
8Secret and Lies9.116
9The Legend of John Riley8.913
10Brother Against Brother9.118
11Where the Heart Is8.912
12Treasure9.212
13Spoils of War9.013
14A Time to Win8.912
15Blind Faith8.812
16Lesser of Evils8.812
17Comes a Horse8.812
20Fugitive9.014