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The Maverick Universe?


Maverick connections to other TV shows.

"Hadley's Hunters" (25 September 1960), the second episode in season four of Maverick (1957-1962) has brief crossovers with Dan Troop and Johnny McKay from Lawman (1958-1962), Cheyenne Bodie from Cheyenne (1955-1963), Tom Brewster from Sugerfoot (1957-1961), Bronco Layne from Bronco (1958-1962), and the empty office of Christopher Colt from Colt.45 (1957-1960). Since Maverick seems to happen in the 1870s those shows should happen in the 1870s and/or early 1880s.

The TV movie The New Maverick (3 September 1978) had Bret & Bart meet with Ben Maverick, son of cousin Beau Maverick. Judging by the broadcast dates, it should be about 16 years after the last Maverick episode. The series Young Maverick (1979) should be about 17 years after the last Maverickepisode. The series Bret Maverick (1981-1982) should be about 19 to 20 years after the last Maverick episode and thus in the 1890s.

In the CBS TV movie Kenny Rogers as The Gambler (8 April 1980) gambler Brady Hawkes teams up with Billy Montana and meets his son Jeremiah Hawks, played by Ronnie Scribner (born July 23, 1966 & 13 years, 8 months, and 15 days old on 04-08-1980).

Kenny Rogers as the Gambler: The Adventure Continues (28 November 1983) could happen three years later. But Jeremiah was portrayed by Charles Fields (born 16 September 1971 & 12 years, 2 months, and 12 days old on 28 November 1983), so probably probably little fictional time elapsed.

In the last sequel,The Gambler V: Playing for Keeps (2 October 1994) Jeremiah is played by Kris Kamm (born 29 November 1964, & 29 years, 10 months, and 4 days old on 10-02-1994). Going by broadcast dates it should be about 14 years after the first one, and going by the ages of Jeremiah's actors about 16 or 17 years later. Jeremiah is involved with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, who left for South American 1901 in 1901 in real history, but maybe at other date in reel history.

In Kenny Rogers as The Gambler Part III: The Legend Continues (22 November 1987) Brady and Montana get involved in troubles at the Sioux Reservation and prevent the killing of Sitting Bull (15 December 1890) and the Wounded Knee Massacre (29 December 1890), thus putting the Gambler series in an alternate universe, and perhaps the fictional date of this adventure is not in 1890.

The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (3 November 1991) happens sometime between the 3rd and 5th movies.

It's 1906 and professional gambling will be outlawed in just three weeks.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gambler_(film_series)#The_Gambler_Returns:_The_Luck_of_the_Draw_(1991)

Brady Hawks heads to San Francisco to play in a poker tournament in honor of "the late Mr. Paladin", thus putting it in the same fictional universe as Have Gun, Will Travel (1957-1963).

Brady Hawks encounters a number of fictional characters from western TV shows played by their original actors. If the fictional dates correspond to the elapsed time between broadcasts, those shows would happen:

Gene Barry's Bat Masterson (1958-1961) from 1873-1876.

Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford's The Rifleman (1958-1963) from 1873-1878.

Brian Keith's The Westerner (1960) in 1875.

David Carradine's Kung Fu (1972-1975) from 1888-1891.

Hugh O'Brian's The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955-1961) would happen from 1870-1876. Note the 2nd season episode "Dull Knife Strikes for Freedom" is based on a 1878 incident and the second to last episode "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" is based on a 26 October 1881 event.

Judge Roy Bean (1955-1956) would happen from 1870-1871 - though Roy Bean was portrayed by Edgar Buchanan in the TV series and by Brad Sullivan here.

Clint Walker's Cheyenne (1955-1963) would happen from 1870-1878. Note the 4th season two part episode "Gold, Glory and Custer" has explicit dates in 1874 and 1876.

James Drury and Doug McClure play characters named Jim and Doug who are said to be thinly disguised versions of their characters in The Virginian (1962-1971), which might possibly date that show to 1877-1886.

Jack Kelly's Maverick (1957-1962) could happen from 1872 to 1877. Note that the first season episode "The Jeweled Gun" is explicitly dated to May, 1876. And see:

https://moviechat.org/tt0050037/Maverick/5c943dd3be89fc07f659a340/Some-Maverick-Chronology

No doubt fans of those shows could find much evidence for and against the date ranges calculated here.

So far, there doesn't seem to be anything to connect what could be called the Maverick Universe with the much vaster Tommy Westphall Universe of linked shows.

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