Which isn't such a bad thing, you got the wisecracking Garner in the lead role, former RF cast member Stuart Margolin (this time clean shaven), Garner's brother and a whole bunch of people that had guest appearances on the Rockford Files as well as the production personnel.....I liked the Rockford Files, so to me, it's not a bad thing.
shareI agree, "Bret Maverick" was a lot closer to "The Rockford Files" than the original "Maverick."
In Maverick, Bret was easy-going and likeable. He'd take things in stride, remain unphased by a putdown, and then outsmart his nemesis. Even though he was considered the TV cowboy anti-hero by 1950s standards, Maverick was a straight shooter. When he pulled a con, it was after someone conned him.
Rockford was still likeable, but crankier. He was more sarcastic than Maverick. He'd often pull a ruse to get information for a case.
"Bret Maverick" took the cranky side of Rockford's personality and just overdid it to death. To me, Bret Maverick was hurt by having too many bland town characters whose only function was to rag on Bret like James Luisi did in Rockford and it just got stale.
But the biggest difference in "Bret Maverick" is I don't think it had the creative plots or the quirky characters that Maverick and Rockford did. I could easily name a dozen characters on either Maverick or Rockford that were more entertaining than anyone we saw on Bret Maverick.
The show wasn't bad, it was average, but I remember eagerly awaiting this series and it was a letdown to me from its predessors.
Yes, it is Rockford in the Old West, but that's good, it's a tried and true formula:
- Gordon Dawson created Bret Maverick and was a writer on Rockford
- Nearly every episode of BM involved bad guys after Maverick or Maverick getting involved with non-associated bad guys, and working up a con on them to win in the end.
- Philo Sandeen was used in the same capacity as Angel Martin, that is, being somewhat of a friend but also a double crosser.
- Use of Jack Garner and Luis Delgado as in Rockford
- Many of the crew used on Rockford was used on BM
Conclusion: Every bit as enjoyable as Rockford, in fact it was like getting an extra season of Rockford.
Well, you could say that. But ROCKFORD was, essentially, Maverick in modern LA. So the comparisons and similarities go both ways. Since Roy Huggins created both MAVERICK and ROCKFORD, it's easy to spot the themes he employs in both series going back and forth.
But one should also consider that BRET MAVERICK also took some ideas from James Garner's favorite series, NICHOLS. The coming to the end of the century and ending of the Old West feel ( A non produced second season script of BRET was to feature Maverick cornering the market on the incoming telephone, among other ideas) and for really sharp eyed viewers, one would notice that Ma Ketchem's ranch used in NICHOLS is also the Lazy Ace, Bret's ranch.
Jack Garner, Luis Delgado and, of course, Stuart Margolin were also in NICHOLS as well.
All that being said, a truly wonderful program that did not deserve early cancellation by any means that would have had a great second season given the chance.
Be as wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove