Bonanza

Bonanza follows the Cartwright family, led by Ben, a patriarch who has been widowed three times. Each of his sons was born from a different marriage: Adam, the eldest, is an architect with urban manners who built the main house of the ranch; Hoss is a gentle, affable giant; and Little Joe, the youngest, is impulsive and fiery. The four live at the Ponderosa, a vast estate on the east shore of Lake Tahoe in Nevada, near Virginia City, in the 1860s. Each week, the series tells their adventures, with situations that force the Cartwrights to make difficult decisions. Created by David Dortort and aired on NBC, the series stars Lorne Greene as Ben.