Bonanza explores the adventures of the Cartwright family consisting of three-time widower Ben Cartwright and his three sons Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe. Ben is a self-made man who has carved out a piece of Nevada - a large piece - as a prosperous ranch.

Guy Williams makes the first of several appearances as visiting nephew Will Cartwright who's something of a roving vagabond. The problem is he's roving with the wrong crowd at late and in fact Lorne Greene gets a wire from a neighboring town that Williams has been killed in a gunfight.

Enter Mark Twain: Directed by Paul Landres. With Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon. The Cartwrights help Virginia City reporter Samuel Langhorne Clemens investigate suspected shady goings-on between a railroad company and a local judge.

The Gamble: Directed by William Witney. With Dan Blocker, Michael Landon, Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts. Little Joe is his family's only hope when he escapes from a kangaroo court that has framed the Cartwrights for a bank robbery and sentenced them all to hang.

Bonanza: The Next Generation: Directed by William F. Claxton. With Robert Fuller, John Ireland, Peter Mark Richman, John Amos. This is the continuing saga of the Cartwrights, only none of the original Cartwrights are here anymore but their sons appear.

The Late Ben Cartwright: Directed by Leon Benson. With Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon, Sidney Blackmer. When an assassin's bullet strikes him down on the Ponderosa, Ben Cartwright decides to stay "dead" until he can find out who's behind the failed attempt...and why.

The Lawmaker: Directed by Christian Nyby. With Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon. The Cartwrights may have to take the law into their own hands when Virginia City's temporary sheriff, rancher Asa Moran, uses his new badge as a license to kill.

Death at Dawn: Directed by Charles F. Haas. With Michael Landon, Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker. When a powerful gang plagues Virginia City with a murderous protection racket, the Cartwrights are determined to stop it even as it threatens them.

Showdown at Tahoe: Directed by Gerald Mayer. With Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon, Richard Anderson. When a gang of robbers decides to escape via Ben Cartwright's steam boat, taking Candy hostage, it's Ben, Hoss and Joe to the rescue.

Gift of Water: Directed by Jesse Hibbs. With Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon. With tensions with a drought-stricken neighboring flatland rising, the Cartwrights decide to address the problem by helping a stubborn flatland homesteader dig a new well.