David Carradine's Forgotten 'Shane' TV Series Lasted Just 17 Episodes

The 1966 TV adaptation of the classic Western 'Shane' starred David Carradine and lasted only one season, according to /Film.

While the 1953 film starring Alan Ladd is considered one of the greatest Westerns, the ABC series took a different approach. Set in 1889 Wyoming, the show featured Jill Ireland as widow Marian Starrett and her son, with Carradine's Shane already living with them as a father figure when the pilot began.

The series altered the story, with villainous cattleman Rufe Ryker, played by Bert Freed, becoming more agreeable and even siding with the homesteaders in some episodes. The show also introduced a romantic tension between Shane and Marian.

Despite Carradine being promoted as 'fresh from his Broadway triumph,' the series was cancelled after 17 episodes. A New York Times report from October 1966 noted that 'Shane' and Burt Reynolds' 'Hawk' were both axed after low Nielsen ratings.

Carradine would later find major success on the same network with his starring role in 'Kung Fu,' which debuted in 1972.