The Loner

Here's another of those blink-and-you-missed-it gems lost among the tide of ridiculous, cotton candy TV shows that were insulting to both adults & children alike in the mid-1960s. Rod Serling crafted something rich & meaningful in his series about a former Union officer in search of himself - and maybe America too - in the wake of the Civil War. While it clearly addressed the divisions widening in 1960s America, it's just as applicable today, when those divisions have not only reappeared but widened all the more.

But let's make one thing clear: like everything Rod Serling did, this is solid entertainment that stirs the heart as much as it engages the mind. A wonderful example of the humanist tradition in early TV its concerns are[t just social, they're very much personal. How does a man who has seen the horrors of war, participated in them himself, begin to find peace, understanding, and a place for himself in the world? For that matter, how does anyone who has lived through turmoil, hatred, death, whether in the military or not? What is a life really all about?

Wisely, "The Loner" offered no pat answers. If it offered any at all, it was that the seeking was what mattered, the continual struggle to confront both outer & inner darkness & despair, to strive for some sort of meaning in an uncertain, unmoored world.

In Lloyd Bridges, the series found its perfect lead. Capable of showing both stoic strength & revealing fears & doubts as well, he embodied a basically good & decent man with both strength & sensitivity - a man of character & soul. And he wasn't afraid to show the weaknesses that beset all men, but are seldom revealed by many, to their own further wounding. And all the while, he's searching & learning ...

Finally released on DVD, this sadly short-lived series is a treasure waiting to be discovered by anyone who loves quality TV.

This series, this Western Series reminded me a lot another western TV show amed THE WESTERNER, same approach, same kind of hero, or mayI say anti-hero. Many characters studies far from stereotypes and cliches. A must see.

While many TV series from many years past have grown fonder as our memories of such series get older, like sci-fi, for example,only to come out as major embarrassments at worst,or ridiculously hokey, at best, it seems that the western holds out quite well Whether the western is fairly recent or very old, it still comes out as a welcome addition to any DVD collection. In short, this series is long overdue for release on DVD! I remember this series when it aired on CBS in 1965/1966. While I was going through a phase where westerns didn't hold my interest,this show still had me addicted. From the haunting theme song to the captivating plots on to the closing credits,this was one show that was as thought provoking as it was thrilling. Here is where this western stood above the rest. Most westerns centered around a plot which was more or less action based... the bad guys vs the good guys, whether the bad guys were Indians on the war path or bandits out to rob a bank or train. THE LONER was different as its plot often evolved around the main character's inner turmoil or lack of peace.

I ADORE Rod Serling's work so I was primed to love The Loner -- and rather disappointed to find it an average western on par with others of its kind but really nothing special.

That's not to say it's bad, it's interesting enough and not as preachy as some seem to find it. In fact, it's no more moralistic than the superior Have Gun Will Travel. Each has the same premise of a man dropped into someone else's circumstances that they will attend to according to their own moral code -- but, as much as I like Lloyd Bridges, he's nowhere as compelling as Richard Boone as Palidan.

Bridges's Colton is never fleshed out enough as a character, that's a big downside making it hard to feel invested in what happens or why.

Worth a one-time watch for Serling fansbut I can't see watching it again once you have.

This is a brilliant western. I can see why it only lasted one season. It shows the west as it really was. The episodes frequently do not have happy endings. They are often thoughtful and disturbing. Rod Serling's writing is top notch, as good as on the Twilight Zone. Powerful.