October 7th 1972
Members of the cast of the NBC western series Bonanza were illustrated on the cover of TV Guide.
This was the 14th and eventually the final season of Bonanza, as NBC moved its powerhouse to Tuesday nights where it was up against "Maude" and "Hawaii Five-O" which led to a huge ratings plunge. The damage however had been done to the show with the tragic death of "Hoss" Dan Blocker in May 1972. His sudden passing left a void that could not be filled but NBC brought Tim Matheson in to join Lorne Greene, Michael Landon and Mitch Vogel ("Jamie") to add more youth. David Canary also returned for the final season as "Candy Canady" after being approached by Michael Landon. The show slipped to #52 after the previous season at #20, Bonanza had never been out of the Top Ten before the 1971-72 season. The cancellation left CBS' GUNSMOKE as the only western on Prime Time tv.
