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The Rifleman

1958·Show
168Episodes in5Seasons·TV-PG
77
GreatGoodWatch score
IMDb8.3

The Rifleman fingerprint

A , western series: .

Good for family movie night · kids · teens

Feel

Story

Look

Episodes

8.2
8.0
8.1
8.0
7.9

About

The Rifleman is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show was filmed in black-and-white, half-hour episodes. "The Rifleman" aired on ABC from September 30, 1958 to April 8, 1963 as a production of Four Star Television. It was one of the first prime time series to have a widowed parent raise a child.
Classic Western AdventureFather-Son BondingWholesome Family DramaIconic Rifle Spin TechniqueNostalgic AmericanaMoral Clarity & JusticeHalf-Hour Episodic StructureGentle Patriarchal FigureFrontier Life Depiction

Crew

Directed by:
Joseph H. Lewis, Arthur H. Nadel, Gene Nelson
Written by:
Cyril Hume, Ed Adamson, Sam Peckinpah
Produced by:
Arthur H. Nadel, Jules V. Levy, Arthur Gardner
Composed by:
Herschel Burke Gilbert

Sequels and Prequels

No sequels or prequels available

Media

Questions about The Rifleman

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream The Rifleman?

PrimefuboTVPeacockPhiloThe RokuFandango at Home FreePure FlixPluto TV

In the United States, The Rifleman streams on Prime, fuboTV, Peacock, Philo, and Pure Flix, and it is free with ads on The Roku, Fandango at Home Free, Pluto TV, Plex, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads, Fawesome, Xumo Play, Tubi TV, and Amazon MX Player. It also streams in 5 other countries.

Is The Rifleman worth watching?

77
GreatGoodWatch score

Mostly, it's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 77 (IMDb 8.3).

Is The Rifleman okay for kids?

TV-PGViolence

Yes: it's rated TV-PG in the United States for violence, and the viewing guide lists it for kids.

How long does it take to watch The Rifleman?

84 h

About 84 hours: 168 episodes in 5 seasons of about 30 minutes each, aired from 1958 to 1963.

Can I half-watch The Rifleman?

Easy watchDemanding

Yes: it's easy to follow, with complexity at only 2 of 10, and the viewing guide calls it good for background watching.

Will I feel good after watching The Rifleman?

BleakHopeful

Yes, it's an uplifting series: the title analysis rates it 8 of 10 for hopefulness and 8 for wholesome.

What tropes does The Rifleman use?

Anachronism StewEasily ForgivenIt Will Never Catch OnThe Seven Western PlotsTraumatic HaircutEvil TwinAbusive ParentsSuicide by CopThe LoadHeartbroken BadassBullying a DragonReformation Acknowledgementand 43 more

TV Tropes lists 55 tropes for it, including Anachronism Stew, Easily Forgiven, and It Will Never Catch On.