If you find yourself in this predicament, then Wanted Dead or Alive will be your ticket out. Loads of Western TV shows have a hold on modern audiences still, but too many of those classics from the '50s and '60s feel the same. Once The Great Escape premiered, it was game over for small-screen producers. ![]() Once the third season finished airing, McQueen already had several movies lined up, including The Honeymoon Machine and Hell is for Heroes. McQueen would return for another season after filming his first major movie, with the show even making changes to Josh Randall's costume that made him look more like his Magnificent character. Once the actor saw super-massive acclaim after appearing in The Magnificent Seven, it seemed as though his time in TV land was officially up. Yes, Dead or Alive is the perfect show for folks looking to break out of the trappings of other Western shows from this period, but you still have to get a little sweet sometimes. You can find some episodes following Randall as he goes to help dysfunctional families settle their problems, helps someone kick their alcoholism and find a better life, and even takes on an eight-cent assignment from a young boy - to bring in Santa Claus. Randall doesn't always go where the action is, there are actually moments where he just wants to be a helping hand. He's a seasoned cowboy who doesn't like it when people get too close to him, but he also has a soft side. Viewers can typically expect episodes to follow Josh Randall as he's looking for outlaws and gunslingers who are wanted dead or alive, with Randall either handcuffing these guys and taking them in or pumping them full of lead with his "Mare's Leg," his short barrel Winchester rifle. Most of the time, this show does make good on the promise that its title lays out. Not only that, the variety of missions that he takes on gives Wanted a lot more variety than most other programs that were airing in the late 50s and early 60s. His often conflicting nature jumping between his easygoing, helpful personality, and his emotionally distant, tough guy moments makes him one of the most interesting protagonists in any Western TV show at the time. That being said, Randall also intervenes with people's personal conflicts, tries to help random down-and-out folks that he comes across, and does what he can to improve the lives of people around him in general. Wanted Dead or Alive isn't the most action-packed Western TV show ever, but it is the coolest, and that entirely leans on McQueen's performance. If a natural parting of ways doesn't distance Randall from others, then something tragic will come along and send him back on his lonesome. ![]() He'll have words with folks occasionally, will sometimes start making friendships, and in episodes like "Journey for Josh," he'll even come close to having a relationship. ![]() He outlaws in without much thought - a job is a job. Everywhere he goes, Randall remains a man of few words. Randall might be young, but he's already seen enough stuff to be a bit of a grizzled drifter. Steve McQueen leads Wanted Dead or Alive as Josh Randall, a veteran and bounty hunter who hunts both those who are truly "wanted dead or alive." Yeah, shocker, but that's what makes him so cool! That and the quiet, unsuspecting way he carries himself.
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