After Gunsmoke, Star Dennis Weaver Joined The Sequel To One Of TV's Greatest Westerns

Dennis Weaver, best known for his role as Chester Goode in CBS's Gunsmoke, had a long-standing career in Western television. After nine years portraying the dutiful lawman, Weaver was not content to leave the Western genre behind. He went on to join the sequel series to the critically-acclaimed Western Lonesome Dove. Titled Lonesome Dove: The Series, the continuation featured Weaver in the role of Buffalo Bill Cody, a flamboyant and eccentric frontiersman.

Unlike his gun-toting character on Gunsmoke, Buffalo Bill was an unconventional showman who toured across the old West and even to Europe. Weaver's comedic presence and Western charm were on full display in his portrayal of Buffalo Bill. Buffalo Bill appears in five episodes of the series, including the pilot titled "O Western Wind: Part 1."

In one scene, Buffalo Bill meets Newt Call (Scott Bairstow) in a field, offers him biscuits and coffee, and helps fend off bandits after Newt rushes off to aid a woman whose stagecoach is being robbed. The 16th episode, titled Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, marked Weaver's final appearance as the famous performer. In this episode, Newt Call and his wife Hannah Peale (Christianne Hirt) travel to see Buffalo Bill's show, only to find themselves in a desperate situation when the show's resources are depleted and they must find a way to secure a new loan for the operation.