NOTE TO WRITERS: Please be sure to read the site guidelines for general submission information.   We recommend that you read other stories on this site for an idea as to what we are looking for and that you spend some time, if possible, watching the show you are writing for to be sure you have the characters as accurate as possible.  :)

Laredo

This show was a very special genre of TV Western. Instead of going with the all action format complete with guns blaring and bad guys falling like flies, Laredo went for a comedic turn. Each episode was loosely connected with scenes that were designed to amuse and entertain as much as to move the often slim storyline forward in a coherent fashion. Fans of this show were attracted to the often slapstick humor that filled this show with it's own special charm that is still holding sway over television viewers decades after it was taken off the air.

These episodes were filled with action. It wouldn't be Laredo without a scene that showed the Rangers were good in a fistfight. Each one of the three principals brought a special talent to the team. The interplay between the characters was designed to produce laughs. If the writers had to err, they erred on the side of the joke rather than the storyline.

The "formula" that was used by the series writers included a storyline that usually opened at the Ranger's headquarters in Laredo. Captain Parmalee would lay down his own brand of the law and provide the assignment for the show. Chad's get rich quick schemes were a noticeable element along with Joe's prodding both Chad and Reese with devilish good humor. Reese was the naïve old timer that was often the butt of the jokes and seemed to exist primarily for comedic value.

The three principals that were the center of the show are as follows:

Joe Riley was a white man who was supposedly orphaned and then raised by Indians. He was a large man with a body builder's physique and a bright intelligence when it came to human nature. Although lacking in formal education, Joe had a great deal of insight into the workings of the human mind and used it to good effect.

Chad Cooper was the ladies man with a fast gun and a weakness for a bet. He was always involved in "get rich quick" schemes that involved his friend and partner, Joe Riley. Chad was educated in New Orleans and could, if called upon, play the role of the gentleman.

Reese Bennett was the work hardened old salt with the heart of gold. He took everyone at face value but had an unfailing sense of honor that you didn't mess with. He was the darling of the saloon girls and was the first to melt when a woman or child was involved. Reese Bennett had led a life of petty and maybe not so petty crime before joining the Rangers but once a Ranger looked always to uphold the honor of the company.

Erik Hunter (Robert Wolders) was added as a regular during the second season to lighten the load on Brand who had serious problems with alcohol and missed 33 days of work that year. Erik was patterned on James Bond - a sophisticated ladies man who in several episodes ended up in a physical embrace with the beautiful villainess. The only really positive thing about him was that he and Chad could exchange educated witticisms as both were well-educated.

The rest of the cast includes Captain Parmalee, the stern but fair Ranger Captain that sends the heroes off on their assignments and a cast of Rangers that appear to be in flux from episode to episode.

Storylines were almost always wrapped up within the one hour segment. The storyline seemed to generate between the Chad and Joe characters with Reese being used as the comedic sidekick. In later seasons, the rangers were joined by a fourth semi-regular.