Originally published: June 20, 1994
Last updated: April 4, 2022
Compiled by Loren Heisey
https://innermind.com/myguides/
City slicker Dave Hart is an underwear salesman who after a heart attack quits his dead-end job, uproots his family, and heads West in search of his inner hombre.
The only credits listed in the guide besides the cast are the guest stars, writers, and directors. Anything not actually listed in the on screen credits is enclosed in brackets. The synopses were adapted from TV Guide listings.
| Starring | |
| Beau Bridges | [Dave Hart] |
| Harley Jane Kozak | [Alison] |
| With | |
| Meghann Haldeman | [L'Amour] |
| Sean Murray | [Zane] |
| Nathan Watt | [Duke] |
| Saginaw Grant | [Auggie] |
| O-Lan Jones | [Rose] |
| Sterling Macer | [Marcus] |
| Stephen Root | [R.O.] |
| Talisa Soto | [Cassie] |
| [recurring cast] | |
| Lloyd Bridges | [Jake] |
| Dennis Fimple | [Garral] |
| Dale Robertson | [Zeke] |
The Harts discover that the Sholo, Nevada spread they've bought is a run-down former dude ranch populated only by an aging cowpoke named Jake.
| Written by | Robert Moloney |
| Directed by | Robert Lieberman |
Dave has something to prove - to himself and his family - after a champion rodeo clown he hired to help break wild mustangs ends up charming Alison and the kids instead.
| Special Appearance by | |
| Mark Harmon | [rodeo clown] |
| O'Neal Compton | |
| Written by | Robert Moloney |
| Directed by | Bill D'Elia |
A prairie-dog infestation at the Tumbleweed has Dave squirming, and so does a visit from Alison's intimidating mom, whom Dave promptly fixes up with "gentleman" Jake to squire her around Sholo - and with luck, into the sunset.
| Special Appearance by | |
| Diane Ladd | [Alison's mom] |
| The Voice of "Ralph" the Prairie Dog by | |
| Frank Welker | |
| Written by | Robert Moloney |
| Directed by | James Hayman |
R.O. is zapped by lightning and soon develops many personalities, one of which is that of Dave's late father. Meanwhile, Zane disobeys his dad by accompanying some new friends to Dead Man's Leap, where he's challenged to jump across the gap.
| Special Appearance by | |
| Ethan Randall | [Randy] |
| George Pilgrim | [H.K. Akers] |
| [Randy Guiting] | [Steve] |
| Written by | Chris Ruppenthal |
| Directed by | James Hayman |
Sheriff R.O. looks for clues leading to a suspect in the murder of Garral's beloved bovine Irene, which dropped dead while Garral was painting her portrait. Alison gets the urge to work. Duke's more interested in being a cowboy than an A student.
| Written by | Jill Gordon |
| Directed by | Bill D'Elia |
Like it or not, Dave gets a tough inner-city youth as a ranch hand, thanks to Marcus, who believes that equestrian therapy will turn the kid's life around.
| Special Appearance by | |
| Larenz Tate | [youth] |
| Teleplay by | David Debin |
| Story by | Bill Spoon and |
| Robert Moloney & Chris Ruppenthal | |
| Directed by | Scott Brazil |
As Auggie turns 60, he announces he's going to die - on the Harts' property, where his late wife is buried. But Dave wants him to stick around to help Duke win a sheep-shearing contest.
| [Guest Starring] | |
| Apesanahkwat | [Andrew] |
| Tantoo Cardinal | [Helen] |
| Betty Carvalho | [Lillian] |
| Written by | Mark Masuoka |
| Directed by | Greg Beeman |
Jake's hotheaded brother, Zeke, a Western romance writer who returns to Sholo threatening to kill Jake in a shoot-out at high noon.
| Special Appearance by | |
| Diana Douglas | [Betty] |
| Nan Martin | [Beverly] |
| John Gowans | |
| [Archie Lang] | [Frank] |
| Written by | Jill Gordon |
| Directed by | Bill D'Elia |
Dave vows to win Sholo's Frontier Days Ghost Run buckboard race, but once Alison enters the contest - partnered with a headstrong frontier widow - Dave is up against a formidable opponent.
| Special Appearance by | |
| Betty Garrett | [Thelma] |
| Written by | Trish Soodik |
| Directed by | Neal Isreal |
Cowboy Dave takes the bull by the horns and joins the competition to restore Sholo's luster in the annual rodeo. Meanwhile, a dashing rodeo Romeo sets L'Amour's spurs to jingling.
| [Guest Starring] | |
| Robert Pine | [Bart Tupelo] |
| Anndi McAfee | [Marti] |
| David Charvet as | Tad [Miller] |
| [Haryl Deason] | [cowboy] |
| [Steve Manning] | [cowboy] |
| Teleplay by | Mike Lyons & Kimberley Wells |
| Story by | Jill Gordon |
| Directed by | James Hayman |
Rose boots R.O. who moves into the Flying Tumbleweed. L'Amour learns Alison posed for a lingerie catalog. Duke has a problem with horses, and Zane tries to help him over it.
| Special Guest Star | |
| Ethan Randall as | Randy |
| Written by | Trish Soodik |
| Directed by | Greg Beeman |
The Harts' family vacation in the countryside turns into a series of disasters, including a mine-shaft accident, a marauding bear, and tornadoes.
| Written by | Chris Ruppenthal |
| Directed by | Mel Damski |
Dave may be forced back into the rat race after the ranch's well runs dry and his former boss pays him a visit in Sholo. Meanwhile, Zane falls for a lingerie model.
| Special Appearance by | |
| Stephen Tobolowsky | [Dave's former boss] |
| Katie Wright | [lingerie model] |
| Garry McGurk | |
| R. Leo Schreiber | |
| Allan Hunt | |
| Written by | James Kramer |
| Directed by | James Hayman |
Spurred by a dispute with a greedy cattle driver, the greenhorn Harts and town volunteers embark on their own cattle drive to deliver a herd of steers to Carson City - and to preserve a Sholo way of life.
| Special Appearance by | |
| Stacey Dash | |
| Michael McManus | [cattle driver] |
| Bill Zuckert | |
| Tim Haldeman | |
| Written by | Robert Moloney |
| Directed by | Neal Isreal |
On his 10th birthday, Duke embarks on a rite of passage out on the range with "prairie elder" Jake. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Alison and Dave contemplate the imminent threat of parenthood; and Zane misinterprets Cassie's motives.
| [Guest Starring] | |
| John Gowans | |
| Patricia Van Ingen | [Elizabeth] |
| Richard Ryder | |
| Dale Swann | |
| Written by | Robert Moloney |
| Directed by | Helaine Head |
Air dates
Date format is: year/month/day
| 93/09/25 | 1. | Pilot |
| 93/10/02 | 2. | The Right Stuff |
| 93/10/09 | preempted (baseball playoff) | |
| 93/10/16 | preempted (World Series game 1) | |
| 93/10/23 | preempted (World Series game 6) | |
| 93/10/30 | 3. | Guess Who's Coming to Chow? |
| 93/11/06 | 4. | Dead Man's Leap |
| 93/11/13 | 5. | Goodnight Irene |
| 93/11/20 | preempted (Dr. Quinn) | |
| 93/11/27 | preempted (Dr. Quinn) | |
| 93/12/04 | 6. | Cowboyz in the Hood |
| 93/12/11 | 7. | Auggie's End |
| 93/12/18 | preempted (movie) | |
| 93/12/25 | 8. | Jake's Brother |
| 94/01/01 | preempted (movie) | |
| 94/01/08 | 9. | Ghost Run |
| 94/01/15 | 10. | You Got to Have Hart |
| 94/01/22 | 11. | Home Alone |
| 94/01/29 | 12. | Hart's Vacation |
| on hiatus | ||
| 94/06/04 | 13. | Back in the Panties Again |
| 94/06/11 | 14. | Drive, He Said |
| 94/06/18 | 15. | Jake and Duke's Excellent Adventure |
| end of series |
A Harts of the West: The Complete Collection DVD box set with 3 discs was released on October 25, 2005. This set has gone out of print.
A Harts of the West: The Complete Series DVD box set with 2 discs was released on October 17, 2017. At the time of release a digital version was included.
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