The Loner

Rod Serling is a genius, and most all of his scripts bear his own persona, even if they are not written by him exclusively. After the huge success of The Twilight zone it wasn't easy for Rod to top it off with something better or at least as good but I think he managed just that with The Loner.

It's a story of a civil war veteran, played beautifully by Lloyd Bridges, who is traveling around, helping people in distress and trying to find a purpose in life after four senseless years of lives taking. I have to admit the strongest feature of this series was not the scripts per se, although most of them are engaging and thought-provoking to say the least, but the dialogues the scripts are provided with - this is the most well-written TV series I've seen in a while. Add some of the finest performances and absolutely excellent main musical theme by maestro Jerry Goldsmith in there and you'll get a sure hit on your hands but somehow this show was cancelled after its only season of 26 episodes and was forgotten ever since.

So what happened? Some critics supposed the show was too serious for a Western series, the others found it too boring to stick around for but I'd say The Loner's main problem is that it lacks direction and its little stories of the week didn't really go anywhere besides some lonely thoughts scattered all over the episodes, along with great one-off performances by guest stars, such as Leslie Nielsen or Bridges' own sons, Beau and Jeff. The universe of The Loner is limited to one-two episodes, usually ending abruptly and by the next episode he's already onto his next adventure. I admit his moral standards are high and his strong personality and beliefs lead the plots but in the end it doesn't work as a big concept but just as a bunch of stories you would tell your children to before they go to bed.

Whereas Maverick was also mostly a "story of the week" show it had its own atmosphere, its own little world, multiple characters, this big family who helped each other out and fought the injustices. The Loner is a one man show on the other hand, he doesn't rely on anyone and fights the injustices all by himself but it doesn't feel like this world of his is thorough and maybe, had the show been renewed for a second season, we would've seen the show grow stronger and wider but judging by what we have I cannot say this is a complete and whole body of work but rather an anthology of stories revolving around one character. Maybe that's why the show got cancelled, because Rod Serling was so used to telling all those different stories but not in one big piece.. well, we'll never know.

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.

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.

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.