I personally not into the western genre but it does still fascinate me. It's hard to say why, yeah the gunfights are fun but the other reason to me it was always the time period which was one of both simplicity and change going together and the mixed culture it contained, it felt like a place where anything is possible and modern civilization was still young and growing.
This show is one that ridden under the radar gem and also another childhood gem of mine. As I said before personally I'm not into westerns it's just not my genre, I honestly don't have many that I watch or love. Only other western TV shows I can think of are "The Young Riders" and "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr" both also under the radar gems. This is another show that is on that list and as a non fan of westerns I was pleasantly surprised; and it was also one of the only family western shows.
The music is good, it had two theme songs, the first one was I personally thought decent, that's just me it's sort of a layed back western style which really isn't my music venue. But the second one I like the best (which was on the second season when they changed the title to "Guns of Paradise) I think it's very good it memorable it exciting has that adventurous western tune. The action is solid, the shootouts are well choreographed and exciting. Production value is on par, really like the use of location and set pieces, they capture a time period long passed successfully.
The show strangely predates "Dr. Quinn Medicane Woman" (my mom loved the show, not a fan for the record) as it's plot line is uncannily similar since it's about a loner whom is or was a famous gunfighter but then his brother passes away and leaves him to care for his niece and nephews making him a surrogate father.
This kind of storyline for it's time was a bit revolutionary because it's something that was rather unheard of, a cowboy having to care for a family while at the same time kicking some butt, this idea could of been a severe misfire but it turned out to hit the target.
Sure it was a family show but it wasn't watered down, the show still behaved like a gritty western. And it was a western but it wasn't boring as the pacing was up and it avoided a certain amount of clichés that most Westerns suffered from which to me made this a breath of fresh air.
The characters are great, I really like Ethan Cord (played by underrated actor Lee Horsley whom was in "The Sword and the Sorcerer" which was cool since I like that film). He's tough, has some grit, but deep down really has warmth as he does his best to care for his family and help make the west livable as he seems to play a peace keeper role for the town.
Like the kid characters, their not annoying and stereotypical, they act like real kids and teens. I even like that their a bit useful sometimes as they have a hand in helping out Ethan sometimes. I like the chemistry Ethan has with his family, they really feel like a real family. It's sort of like any single parent and sibling relationship as the single parent is struggling to keep their family supported but also at the same time able to do what they do best. Along with the kids learning to be independent while helping each other out at the same time.
Like the chemistry between both Amelia and Ethan, I really bought that sparks or should I saw bullets were ricocheting off each other despite both being different people as she was a person of the city and him the country. But it's a great correlation because both in a way represent the best values of two worlds and shows how it can be a strange yet beautiful combination.
I like the reoccurring themes on family, difficulty in adaptation and acception of times changing, as well as being a person between two different worlds and the constant conflict of whether both can exist side by side or separate.
"Guns of Paradise" like a well maintained and loaded Colt is worth a shot.
Rating: 4 stars
This show is one that ridden under the radar gem and also another childhood gem of mine. As I said before personally I'm not into westerns it's just not my genre, I honestly don't have many that I watch or love. Only other western TV shows I can think of are "The Young Riders" and "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr" both also under the radar gems. This is another show that is on that list and as a non fan of westerns I was pleasantly surprised; and it was also one of the only family western shows.
The music is good, it had two theme songs, the first one was I personally thought decent, that's just me it's sort of a layed back western style which really isn't my music venue. But the second one I like the best (which was on the second season when they changed the title to "Guns of Paradise) I think it's very good it memorable it exciting has that adventurous western tune. The action is solid, the shootouts are well choreographed and exciting. Production value is on par, really like the use of location and set pieces, they capture a time period long passed successfully.
The show strangely predates "Dr. Quinn Medicane Woman" (my mom loved the show, not a fan for the record) as it's plot line is uncannily similar since it's about a loner whom is or was a famous gunfighter but then his brother passes away and leaves him to care for his niece and nephews making him a surrogate father.
This kind of storyline for it's time was a bit revolutionary because it's something that was rather unheard of, a cowboy having to care for a family while at the same time kicking some butt, this idea could of been a severe misfire but it turned out to hit the target.
Sure it was a family show but it wasn't watered down, the show still behaved like a gritty western. And it was a western but it wasn't boring as the pacing was up and it avoided a certain amount of clichés that most Westerns suffered from which to me made this a breath of fresh air.
The characters are great, I really like Ethan Cord (played by underrated actor Lee Horsley whom was in "The Sword and the Sorcerer" which was cool since I like that film). He's tough, has some grit, but deep down really has warmth as he does his best to care for his family and help make the west livable as he seems to play a peace keeper role for the town.
Like the kid characters, their not annoying and stereotypical, they act like real kids and teens. I even like that their a bit useful sometimes as they have a hand in helping out Ethan sometimes. I like the chemistry Ethan has with his family, they really feel like a real family. It's sort of like any single parent and sibling relationship as the single parent is struggling to keep their family supported but also at the same time able to do what they do best. Along with the kids learning to be independent while helping each other out at the same time.
Like the chemistry between both Amelia and Ethan, I really bought that sparks or should I saw bullets were ricocheting off each other despite both being different people as she was a person of the city and him the country. But it's a great correlation because both in a way represent the best values of two worlds and shows how it can be a strange yet beautiful combination.
I like the reoccurring themes on family, difficulty in adaptation and acception of times changing, as well as being a person between two different worlds and the constant conflict of whether both can exist side by side or separate.
"Guns of Paradise" like a well maintained and loaded Colt is worth a shot.
Rating: 4 stars