MovieChat Forums > The Young Riders (1989) Discussion > Timeline error

Timeline error

posted 9 years ago by Jan_El_Senor
2 replies | jump to latest

I'm re-watching this series and introducing it to my wife.

Season 1 has a pretty big goof. I'm sure it's been mentioned before. Throughtout the season, the upcoming election (in which Lincoln would become President) is mentioned, which would make the year 1860. However, several episodes reference the year 1861, which would mean Lincoln is already President. However, the season 1 episode Then There Was One happens at the 25th anniversary of the Alamo, meaning the setting has to be 1861.

Add to the mix that we see the riders celebrate Christmas in season 2, and you have a mess. The the Pony Express existed only during one Chritmas season (1860), that would mean every episode before that (all of season 1) has to be set in 1860.

Still love the show! It's really fun re-watching it, espicially with someone who's never seen it before....

Please stop.

[–] American_Gladiator_Outlaw 9 years ago

Good catch! The show has a lot of timeline errors throughout. I think of it this way...it's kind of like M.A.S.H. The show ran much longer than the Express did. Could you imagine if the show went on for several more years than it did...you know there would have had to another Christmas thrown in there somewhere!

Yay! The crazy person is here!

[–] Jan_El_Senor 9 years ago

Kind of. The real Pony Express ran for a little over a year and a half, but the show lasted three years. It can be argued that the events in the show, although they took 3 years to air, only occur within the historical 19 month time period. You really couldn't make that argument for a show like M*A*S*H.

The show did seem to start at the beginning of the Pony Express's incarnation, and end right at the beginning of the war when it ended. Had the show continued, they would probably all no longer be riding for the Express any more. I hate to say it, but it's probably for the best that the show ended when it did....

Please stop.