United States

Jack Kelly

5 Seasons

1957-09-22

Roy Huggins developed the Western-comedy Maverick. The sitcom ran on ABC from September22, 1957 through July8, 1962 and starred James Garner as Bret Maverick. In the eighth episode of the first season, Jack Kelly joined him as his brother Bart. From then on, Garner and Kelly swapped leads, sometimes teaming together for two-brother episodes. The Mavericks were Texas poker players who traversed the Old West and Mississippi riverboats, often getting into life-threatening difficulty with money, women, or both. Usually, they must evaluate a financial windfall against a moral dilemma. Since both Mavericks were ethical, their consciences often overcame their finances. When Garner left the series due to a legal dispute, Roger Moore was added as their cousin Beau Maverick. In the fourth season, Robert Colbert played Brent Maverick. No more than two series leads appeared in one episode, usually just one.