I’m happy to say that even though the Maverick TV series is over 50 years-old, it holds up well. Unlike other movies or shows from the time, the acting doesn’t feel overdone and, despite its western setting, still feels relevant.
The Complete First Season focuses on the Maverick brothers, Bret (Garner also known for The Rockford Files) and Bart (Jack Kelly). They are a pair of wandering gamblers that have nimble fingers, sharp minds, and not only end up doing the right thing, but pretty much always walking away with more money at the end of the episode than they had at the beginning. Most of the episodes of this season seem to be Bret-centric, but there are quite a few Bart episodes thrown into the mix to keep things interesting, but the best episodes are the ones where Bret and Bart end up in the same town at the same time.
One such episode has the Maverick brothers getting mistaken for Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp, and after the warm reception the town gives them, the brothers aren’t too inclined to tell the townspeople differently. Well, that’s not exactly true. They attempt to tell everyone who they really are, but the townies don’t seem to want to hear it. Of course, it becomes very clear when cousins of the Claytons show up. While the belief that the Mavericks are the famous gunslingers is dispelled, it seems those cousins plan on robbing the local bank.
"Hostage," the episode that introduces Bart has him meeting Bret in New Orleans where the pair want to get on a riverboat for a big game. In an attempt to get friendly with the boat’s owner, the brothers end up getting wrapped up in a hostage situation. In this episode, Bret has to fast-talk his way out of an early grave by claiming he and his brother can help with the negotiations, while Bart has to figure out a way to get everyone out alive before the police mess things up.
Outside of the episodes that contain both Mavericks, there are a few that I really enjoyed. One had Bret becoming a juror in a trial and he is the only one that believes the accused is innocent. Bret spends a lot of his time convincing the others that there is reasonable doubt, but it takes his knowledge of poker to convince the last of the 12.
In another episode, Bret approaches a local mine owner about a gambling debt, only to end up in a shootout. With the wealthy man dead, Bret gets the sheriff, only to find the body gone and the room cleaned up. The next day, he finds a different person claiming to be the mine owner. If Bret is to get his money, he has to figure out exactly what is going on and who is the man that he killed.
In “The Jeweled Gun,” Bart is hired to escort a widow on a stagecoach where she wants to deposit a large sum of money. It’s obvious pretty early that something more is going on, and when Bart seems to be the focus of a few attacks (and not the money), he gets even more confused.
Maverick: The Complete First Season contains all 27 episodes that kicked off what looks to be a good series. The Maverick brothers are an interesting pair of characters in that they aren’t outlaws or gunslingers, but if they have to get their hands dirty, they will. This DVD release doesn’t have any special features, but it is still good for both those that grew up with the show and even the occasional new viewer like yours truly.
