Nichols

I remember this series vividly from grade 8 or 9 in Canada. I remember that it was my favorite series and was shocked when it ended - but what a last episode. I have searched everywhere for reference to it but never been able to find it. I have also always been astounded that no one I spoke to about it ever heard of it. Will it ever be shown in reruns? What a cult classic! I really miss it and would really love to relive my early years by seeing it again. Has there ever been an issue on video or DVD?

James Garner starred in two of the most celebrated, popular, and delightful Television Shows ever, Maverick and The Rockford Files. However, they were not his only contributions to our TV heritage. One can think of the wonderful, but rapidly canceled God, The Devil, and Bob, in which he was utterly convincing Deity. However, his most shamefully overlooked TV show was this startling comedy western, which my family loved. Set in the dying old West of 1914, and starring , in addition to Garner, Henry Darrow, Margot Kidder and Stuart Margolin, this show poked fun at most of the conventions of the western genre. It was wonderfully written, directed and acted. Perhaps not surprisingly,it was canceled, in an act of network stupidity ranking right up there with the cancellations of East Side / West Side, Slattery's People, Star Trek, My World And Welcome To it, and The Rogues.

The first time I remember seeing James Garner was in this series. It was set in the late 1800s and he played a sort of smart-alec who inherited the name of the founder of the town but basically nothing else. The people of the town kind of looked down on him. He rode around town on a motorcycle, which in those days was like a moped in that it had pedals like a bicycle (in fact that's how you started it).

It was hilarious and I was very disappointed when it was canceled. When I saw Rockford, I thought "wow, that's the same guy that was in Nichols, I wonder if this show will be any good."

Margot Kidder was in this too. I hope someday I get to see reruns to see if it's as good as I remember.

I, too, considered "Nichols" to be James Garner's best TV work. It was witty and superbly written. Regarding the reason for the show's short run and surprising ending, I'm sure I remember reading that Garner did it himself; that he was upset with management sticking their noses in and so he wrote himself out of the series by having his character killed off in the opening scene. If you remember, he never carried a gun and always outwitted the bad guys with his quick mind and smooth talk. He was called to the saloon to keep a bad guy from shooting the place up and, as he stepped up to the door, got blown back into the street. Whatever the reason for canceling the show, I miss it and the excellence it represented. But, then again, if all TV was always that good I'd never get anything done.

Strangely, I agree with everything that has been said so far. This really was a different kind of television show. Great cast with an impossibly hot Margot Kidder and excellent stories, I especially remember one about a madcap treasure hunt that had so many twists, turns and reversals that it quite rightly turned out to be a dream. And just to prove I've been there: as already reported the last episode killed off the Nichols character and replaced him with his brother the only difference between the two being the new brother's full on black mustache. The whole episode the brother seesaws about whether or not he'll stay and take over for his dead brother. Finally he goes to the barber shop and looks at his mustache in the mirror, putting his hand over it as if to visualize what he would like like without it (i.e., take over for his dead brother and keep the series going).

"Naw", he says and leaves the town of Nichols ending the show.