The Young Riders

The original pilot was filmed in California, but after ABC picked up the series, production moved to 'Mescal,' a western-themed movie town operated by Old Tucson Studios in Tucson, Arizona.

Before the series premiered, producers of the 1988 film Young Guns filed a lawsuit against ABC and the show's producers, claiming the series title combined with its plot infringed on their trademark.

When Don Franklin joined in the second season to play Noah Dixon, he became only the third African-American actor to hold a starring role in a television western, following Raymond St. Jacques on Rawhide and Otis Young on The Outcasts.

Don Franklin had never ridden a horse before joining the show, so he was sent to a 'Cowboy Camp' for 3-4 days to learn how to mount, dismount, and handle the basics of riding.

Don Franklin, wanting to work behind the camera as well, discussed writing and directing an episode with the producers, who he said were very receptive and encouraged cast members to make suggestions and follow through on them.

After the cast expressed dislike for the show becoming a 'guest-villain-of-the-week' format, the producers changed direction to refocus the series on the individual characters and their relationships with each other; Franklin also pushed for more black characters to be included.

The show struggled with low ratings in its first season, ranking 60th out of 84 programs in its time slot in November 1989, but rebounded dramatically in its second season after a timeslot change, winning its time slot five out of its first seven weeks and consistently outperforming the acclaimed shows China Beach and Twin Peaks.

Critics were divided: Diane Holloway of the Austin American-Statesman praised its fresh take on the Western and its cinematography, while Ken Tucker of The Philadelphia Inquirer called it 'one of the season's most pretentious bombs' and, along with Phil Kloer of The Atlanta Journal, dismissed it as a rip-off of Young Guns and The Long Riders.