'Jump-Up' was the last broadcast episode of this long-running western television series. Although it had gone through a slight format change at the beginning of the final season, it still continued to tell the kinds of stories that fans had come to expect.
A total of 249 episodes were produced. Every episode was 75 minutes long (aired with 15 minutes of advertising to fill a 90-minute time slot) and every episode was in color. The format changes in the final season did improve the show's ratings considerably (up to #18 after it had slipped out of the top 30 the previous season). However, the show became a casualty of the networks' shift to give audiences more urban programs, meaning that series with rural themes were dropped. 'The Virginian' is the third-longest running television western, after 'Gunsmoke' and 'Bonanza.'
James Drury and Doug McClure would reunite with Lee Majors for a special episode of ABC's 'The Fall Guy' in 1983. Drury once again played The Virginian and McClure appeared as Trampas.
A total of 249 episodes were produced. Every episode was 75 minutes long (aired with 15 minutes of advertising to fill a 90-minute time slot) and every episode was in color. The format changes in the final season did improve the show's ratings considerably (up to #18 after it had slipped out of the top 30 the previous season). However, the show became a casualty of the networks' shift to give audiences more urban programs, meaning that series with rural themes were dropped. 'The Virginian' is the third-longest running television western, after 'Gunsmoke' and 'Bonanza.'
James Drury and Doug McClure would reunite with Lee Majors for a special episode of ABC's 'The Fall Guy' in 1983. Drury once again played The Virginian and McClure appeared as Trampas.