Best of the West
NR1981•30m•6.8/10
ComedyWestern
Ratings
🎬TMDb
6.8/10(5)
An unwitting city slicker is made the marshal of a lawless town in this absurdist Western that pokes gentle but clever fun at the genre's stock plots and characters. Best of the West is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 1981 through August 1982.
Language
EN
Status
Ended
First Aired
September 10, 1981
Last Aired
June 21, 1982
Networks
ABC
Where to Watch
Region US · Lang EN
US
No providers available for this region.
Available in Your Library
Seasons & Episodes
Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.
Season
E1
Pilot
Air date: 1981-09-10
Sam arrives in town intending to run the general store, then runs into all kinds of trouble after turning down the protection racket.
E2
The Prisoner
Air date: 1981-09-17
Sam must face a prisoner's outlaw brothers after the sheriff who was taking him in becomes ill on his way through town.
E3
The Calico Kid Returns
Air date: 1981-10-01
The Square Deal Saloon's new cook is the Calico Kid; he has sworn to never again kill anything he can't eat.
E4
They're Hanging Parker Tillman (1)
Air date: 1981-10-15
Sam goes out on a limb and manages to save Tillman from a lynch mob, but at the trial, his mixed-up testimony has him back at the end of a rope.
E5
They're Hanging Parker Tillman (2)
Air date: 1981-10-22
Sam infiltrates an outlaw band to try to prove Tillman is innocent of cattle rustling.
E6
The New Marshal
Air date: 1981-10-29
Sam loses his badge in a special election to Tillman's squeaky-clean candidate.
E7
Daniel's First Love
Air date: 1981-11-05
Daniel is as surprised as anyone when a few innocent kisses lead to a shotgun wedding.
E8
Laney in Love
Air date: 1981-11-12
Laney is smitten with a smoothie who bids high for her at a social—but he turns out to be a low-down heel.
E9
The Reunion
Air date: 1981-10-08
Elvira's die-hard Confederate father (Andy Griffith) stays at the Square Deal Saloon while he is in town. His wife is trying to patch things up with their daughter; she married a Yankee!
E10
The Railroad
Air date: 1981-11-19
Sam and Tillman try hard to convince the railroad to come to Copper Creek.
E11
The New Jail
Air date: 1981-11-26
Sam's image as a lawman quickly loses its edge after he manages to shoot himself in the leg; the jail collapsing around him doesn't help.
E12
A Man, a Woman, and a Horse
Air date: 1981-12-17
Sam doesn't pay attention to signs of discontent from Elvira until the day he comes home to finds her packed to leave.
E13
Frog's First Gunfight
Air date: 1982-01-07
Frog meets a woman who was recently jilted by her beau, but neither realizes he wants her back.
E14
The Calico Kid Goes to School
Air date: 1982-01-14
The reformed Calico Kid decides he wants to be a United States Marshal. But he lacks one qualification: a third-grade education.
E15
Tillman Held for Ransom
Air date: 1982-01-21
Tillman has been kidnapped and the kidnappers are demanding a ransom, but the Copper Creek citizens have no intention of paying up.
E16
Mail Order Bride
Air date: 1982-01-28
Doc's mail-order bride has a vivid personality with a past to match it.
E17
The Cave-In
Air date: 1982-02-12
Elvira and her stepson explore an abandoned outlaw cave, unaware that it is booby-trapped to collapse.
E18
Daniel Fights a Bully
Air date: 1982-02-19
Daniel's refusal to fight a relentless bully leads to Sam having to fight the bully's father.
E19
The Pretty Prisoner
Air date: 1982-02-26
Sam is handcuffed to his prisoner—a flirtatious female outlaw—for an overnight journey.
E20
Elvira's Old Beau
Air date: 1982-06-07
Elvira's former fiance' comes to town, intent on taking her away with him.
E21
Sam's Life Is Threatened
Air date: 1982-06-14
Sam receives an anonymous threatening note.
E22
The Funeral
Air date: 1982-06-21
Sam and Tillman try to foil a holdup by holding a funeral for Frog; the coffin contains the $20,000 the thieves are after.
Cast
Joel Higgins
Sam Best
Carlene Watkins
Elvira Best
Meeno Peluce
Daniel Best
Valri Bromfield
Laney Gibbs
Tracey Walter
Frog Rothchild Jr.
Tom Ewell
Jerome Kullens
Leonard Frey
Parker Tillman
Christopher Lloyd
The Calico Kid
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