Más allá de la ley

Outlaws was a mid-season replacement, and those shows are often hard for people to find, especially when the premier comes between Christmas and New Years Day. Outlaws was shown on the Sunday before New Years, and it aired opposite For Your Eyes Only on one network and The Sound of Music on another.

We watched it, but it only got about a 12.5 share, and that wasn't going to be enough to build an audience throughout the winter and spring.

The premise itself was interesting, having an accident of nature propel a marshall and four outlaws, whom he formerly rode with, into 1986 Houston. The fantasy of real Old West gunslingers adapting to modern times, and modern times to them, played well.

The big draw for us? Rod Taylor ... always great, and the rest of the cast, including Richard Roundtree, just added flavor.

The plots weren't really all that great when you get right down to it.

What I really watched it for, for the few weeks it lasted, was the character interaction and the excellent actors who worked on the series.

I've always enjoyed Christine Belford since her days on "Banacek"; Rod Taylor, of course, has always been a joy (where is he lately?); William Lucking I liked from the time I saw him playing Babe Ruth in an episode of "Voyagers!" in the 80s; Charles Napier is one of those faces most recognize without knowing who he is (anyone remember him playing Adam in the episode The Way to Eden on Star Trek?); Richard Roundtree has remained one of my favorite actors over the years; and Patrick Houser managed to hold his own among all those illustrious performers.

Every so often I pull out my tapes and revisit this silly guilty pleasure just for fun.

I loved the series, however, short lived. I to this day can't figure out why people didn't watch it. I guess at the time people wasn't interested in westerns. I loved Patrick Houser. I wonder what he's doing now, haven't seen him in anything.

An enjoyable little romp, using the now well-established "flashback" mode (Highlander, Forever Knight) to explore the characters' pasts. The time travel element is never really explained or rationalized, and the group never really bothers to try getting back to their own time. Most of the plots milk the cowboys' unfamiliarity with the 1990's for all its worth, or contrasts their behavior with our own. Although it's more a matter of contrasting their "movie cowboy" attitudes with our own. Added realism was injected by the characters were always getting wounded and injured in their A-Team shootout-type antics.

"Outlaws" was a very charming show while it lasted. It was the "A-Team" with Western attire and time-travel mixed in. Maybe the upcoming Summer 2011 movie "Cowboys & Aliens" will have the same Western-plus-SF charm.

Things I remember:

Rod Taylor talking ruefully about how everyone he ever knew (a century ago) was now dead and buried.

Also, the time the team rented horses at an urban-park riding stable so they could chase the fleeing bad guys: "Now don't run the horses," the stable manager admonished. "Yeah, right," our heroes replied before galloping off at top speed. (Because horses are for running. Every horse person knows that.)

But the thing I liked best in "Outlaws" was the music score by Joseph Conlan. It was an exceptional Western score, with many facets--rousing action, wistfulness, Americana. I always try to champion this score, and hope someday one of the soundtrack CD companies specializing in old scores will give it a chance.