The Young Riders (1989)

Drama · Romance · Western

The Young Riders was an American Western television series created by Ed Spielman that presents a fictionalized account of a group of young Pony Express riders based at the Sweetwater Station in the Nebraska Territory during the years leading up to the American Civil War. The series premiered on ABC on September 20, 1989 and ran for three seasons until the final episode aired on July 23, 1992.

IMDb rating: 7.7 (3,010 votes)
Episode average: 8.2 ↑ +0.5 vs IMDb
Seasons: 3
Streaming (US): Amazon Prime Video
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rising trajectory: each season at least as good as the last. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well. See every Rising show in the explorer →

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 3 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1989)

7.96 avg 24 episodes 8.0 → 8.2 47 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Kid	8.0	123
2	Gunfighter	8.1	86
3	Home of the Brave	7.4	65
4	Speak No Evil	7.8	63
5	Bad Blood	8.1	63
6	Black Ulysses	7.8	65
7	Ten-Cent Hero	8.1	60
8	False Colors	8.1	64
9	A Good Day to Die	7.9	57
10	End of Innocence	7.7	53
11	Blind Love	7.4	48
12	The Keepsake	7.5	53
13	Fall from Grace	8.4	58
14	Hard Time	8.0	47
15	Lady for a Night	8.0	48
16	Unfinished Business	7.9	41
17	Decoy	7.8	51
18	Daddy's Girl	7.9	55
19	Bull Dog	8.8	49
20	Matched Pair	8.2	41
21	Man Behind the Badge	7.9	42
22	Then There Was One	8.2	46
23	Gathering Clouds: Part 1	7.9	49
24	Gathering Clouds: Part 2	8.2	42

Season 2 (1990)

8.10 avg 21 episodes 8.0 → 8.1 50 min avg

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Born to Hang	8.0	47
2	Ghosts	8.2	48
3	Dead Ringer	8.6	41
4	Blood Moon	8.3	41
5	Pride and Prejudice	8.5	44
6	The Littlest Cowboy	8.6	39
7	Blood Money	8.2	41
8	Requiem for a Hero	8.5	47
9	Bad Company	8.5	46
10	Star Light, Star Bright	8.2	37
11	The Play's the Thing	7.1	38
12	Judgment Day	7.5	39
13	Kansas	8.4	32
14	The Peacemakers	7.1	43
15	Daisy	7.6	42
16	Color Blind	7.9	33
17	Old Scores	8.4	31
18	The Talisman	8.3	32
19	The Noble Chase	8.2	36
20	Face of the Enemy	8.0	33
21	The Exchange	8.1	40

Season 3 (1991)

8.55 avg 22 episodes 8.1 → 9.1 49 min avg

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A House Divided	8.1	41
2	Jesse	8.2	40
3	The Blood of Others	9.1	47
4	Between Rock Creek and a Hard Place	8.6	32
5	The Presence of Mine Enemies	9.2	54
6	Survivors	8.4	35
7	The Initiation	8.4	30
8	Just Like Old Times	8.0	30
9	Spirits	8.3	29
10	A Tiger's Tale	8.2	31
11	Good Night Sweet Charlotte	8.6	28
12	Song of Isaiah	7.9	27
13	Spies	8.6	30
14	Shadowmen	8.9	32
15	Mask of Fear	8.7	28
16	Dark Brother	7.9	28
17	The Road Not Taken	8.6	29
18	The Sacrifice	8.6	31
19	Lessons Learned	9.1	29
20	The Debt	8.7	29
21	'Til Death Do Us Part: Part 1	8.8	40
22	'Til Death Do Us Part: Part 2	9.1	44

The Young Riders (1989)

Cast

Seasons

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