Bonanza

- Season 8

(1966)

Little Joe is accused of assaulting Laurie Ferguson.

Colonel Robert Fairchild is an old friend of the Cartwright clan and a member of a gang of con artists out to swindle the Cartwrights in a crooked horse race.

Angered that his longtime friend, Ben Cartwright, would ask him to retire into easier work after 50 years of wrangling, aging ranch-hand Dan Tolliver falls in with two disgruntled drifters who plan to rob the Ponderosa payroll.

The Cartwrights come to the aid of a Mormon rancher being persecuted for his beliefs.

Mormon rancher Heber Clauson is forced out of town by bigots with his two wives -- one of whom needs medical attention.

Hoss falls for a cold, indifferent woman with a shady past.

When it's unclear which of their two bullets, fired simultaneously, brought down a wanted horse thief, Little Joe allows his friend, rancher Morgan Tanner, to take the credit and claim the much needed reward money. But when the outlaw's brothers come to town for his body and revenge, Joe must make a difficult decision that will save his friend, but may destroy their friendship.

Four sisters come from Boston to try to prevent a property left to them by their uncle from being auctioned due to back taxes. They arrive the day of the sale but are short the full amount due. When Ben steps in and pays off all that is due, one of the sisters wonders what's Ben's motive. But are her suspicions aimed in the wrong direction?

Charlie is well liked by everyone. He's always full of stories and plans for making money. One day, a man with a reward on his head tries to rob his livery stable and is accidentally killed by his own knife. When the man's family comes to town looking for revenge, Hoss has to try to let everyone know who was actually in that knife fight before Old Charlie gives up his life for the reward.

A balladeer blames Ben for the hanging of his father.

Mean Big Charlie Monahan makes his son promise to kill Ben Cartwright after Ben's testimony sends Big Charlie to the gallows for the murder of an old prospector.

Special Deputy Hoss goes in search of the gunman who shot Little Joe, tangling with testy townsfolk, two crafty brothers, and their mother, who is more interested in protecting her sons than seeing justice done.

Maggie Dowling's father's indifferent insults about her appearance, and his embarrassing attempts at matchmaking, drive her to despair; but Little Joe intervenes to help her prod widower, Jared Wilson to declare his affections for her.

The Cartwrights protect a deaf-mute boy and his mother from his outlaw stepfather.

A singer returns to Virginia City for Christmas along with his scheming uncle.

Brothers Hoss and Little Joe are sweet-talked by a pair of con men into "investing" in a pair of "exotic" animals who are indeed prolific--they're common rabbits.

Joe sets out to avenge the death of his fiancée at the hands of a shy bank clerk who was infatuated with her.

Hoss must find out if a renowned saloon girl's sudden interest in a miner is for love or his newfound wealth.

Little Joe puts his life on the line to help sick friend-turned-gunfighter, Steven Friday, who is holed up in a second-story hotel room and waiting a challenge from a gunman, hired by the father of one of Friday's victims to avenge his son's death on the anniversary of the killing - Friday the 13th.

Ben visits his old friend Paul Rowan, the sheriff of Concho. His wife Katherine says he has been complaining of headaches for six months now. When he starts shooting innocent people he swore to protect, the whole town has to decide how best to keep from killing their good friend.

Initially suspected as being part of the bank-robbing Hollister gang while on his way to visit Tom and Ellie Blackwell's drought-stricken ranch, Little Joe is soon held hostage and his friends terrorized by the real desperadoes on the run to Mexico with a wounded man.

While riding posse after a band of vicious marauders led by a renegade ex-cavalry officer, Ben Cartwright captures a wounded comanchero and tries to protect him from the angry ranchers who want to lynch him, his own gang who wants the money he was carrying for them and an angry Little Joe who lost a friend when his ranch was raided.

Ben has a problem on his hands when the girl he protected from her alcoholic husband mistakes gratitude for love.

A marshal's brother is shot by two men who held up the stage depot. Little Joe joins the posse who follows the trail left by those men. They come upon two men who say they didn't do it but since his brother may die, the marshal seems to have other ideas.

After Joe gets hooked on detective novels, he becomes suspicious of two strangers in town. He enlists Hoss' help to convince the deputy and Ben that they're really robbers before it's too late.

Ben begins to suspect that the shy young drifter he hired as a ranch hand may be running from the law.

A bigot complicates Ben's efforts to help an immigrant wine-growing family.

Russian siblings Count Alexis and Countess Elena visit the Ponderosa where a fugitive Russian prince, once a beau to Elena, now leads an outlaw gang intent on the theft of Elena's jewels.

Matt Jeffers is about to lose his land. Back taxes, no water and owes his foreman wages. When his foreman finds water on the land he hatches a scheme to buy the land and stick Little Joe with all the blame.

A gunslinger who believes he's Napoleon leads an army to terrorize Virginia City.

A pretty woman arrives by stage and places this Notice up: "I will pay $1000.00 to the man who kills Joe Cartwright in a fair fight." When he finds out the story behind it, Joe tries to convince her she is wrong. Failing that, someone has already picked up the gauntlet to see Joe Cartwright dead.

The Cartwrights get more than they bargained for when they welcome snobbish and overbearing Eastern cousin Clarissa.

A phony fortuneteller tells Hoss that he's a master violinist.

The Cartwrights fear they may have to fend off a gold-rush when word spreads that an old prospector struck it rich on Ponderosa land.