| Alt Name: | Guns of Paradise |
| Genre: | Western |
| Theme Music Composer: | Jerrold Immel |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 3 |
| Num Episodes: | 57 (List of episodes) |
| Runtime: | 60 minutes |
| Network: | CBS |
Paradise (later renamed Guns of Paradise) is an American family Western television series, broadcast by CBS from October 27, 1988, to May 10, 1991. Created by David Jacobs and Robert Porter, the series presents the adventures of fictitious gunfighter Ethan Allen Cord, whose sister left her four children in his custody when she died.
Paradise, set from 1890 and on, starred Lee Horsley as Cord, a professional gunfighter who was forced to take custody of the four children of his sister Lucy (Kathryn Leigh Scott), a St. Louis singer who was dying and unable to make any other arrangements for their care. Cord realized his profession was unsuitable to child rearing and decided to change, renting a farm from Amelia Lawson (Sigrid Thornton), who also owned the local bank in the small town of Paradise, California (the origin of the title). Ethan tried to live a peaceful life, but was constantly haunted by his violent past and frequently called upon by the townspeople to defend them from lawlessness. Cord was close friends with John Taylor (Dehl Berti), a Native American medicine man, who often provided him with wise counsel and insights into human nature.
In a two-part episode, Gene Barry and Hugh O'Brian recreated their famous 1950s television roles of legendary gunslingers Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp. The special two-part episode briefly launched the ratings-challenged series into the top 10 of the Nielsen Ratings.[1] Robert Harland, who co-starred in the 1960 television Western Law of the Plainsman, made his last television appearance in 1988 on Paradise.
See main article: List of Paradise episodes.
After the second season ended the show went on hiatus to make some changes. It returned to the air in January 1991 for its shortened and final third season. A new opening sequence introduced the series' new name, Guns of Paradise, an apparent attempt to remind viewers that the program, despite its title, was in fact a Western. Cord and Amelia were now engaged and in the process of building a new house; and Cord was in the process of achieving an official appointment to be the town's marshal, the role he had essentially been fulfilling unofficially.
In 1991, despite a loyal fan base and critical acclaim, the series was canceled after three seasons amid low viewer ratings. In the mid-'90s, The Family Channel ran Paradise in syndication.
On April 25, 2017, Warner Bros. released the first season of Paradise on DVD.[2]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series | Richard M. Rawlings Jr. | ||
| 1990 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series | Richard M. Rawlings Jr. | ||
| International Monitor Award | Best Editor – Film Originated Entertainment | M. Edward Salier and Lorimar (For episode "Burial Ground") | ||
| 1989 | ||||
| Outstanding Cinematography for a Series | Richard M. Rawlings Jr. (For episode "Long Lost Lawson") | |||
| 1990 | Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series | Linda Leiter Sharp (For episode "A Gathering of Guns") | ||
| Best Quality Drama Series | ||||
| Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series | ||||
| 1989 | Western Heritage Award | Fictional Television Drama | David Jacobs, Robert Porter, James L. Conway, Joel J. Feigenbaum, Sigrid Thornton and Lee Horsley (For episode "Stray Bullet") | |
| 1991 | Best Television | "Dust in the Wind" | ||
| 1989 | ||||
| Best Young Actor in a Nighttime Drama Series | Brian Lando | |||
| Matthew Newmark | ||||
| Best Young Actress in a Nighttime Drama Series | ||||
| Best Young Actor Under 9 Years of Age | Michael Patrick Carter | |||
| 1990 | Matthew Newmark | |||
| Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series | ||||
| Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series | Mark Ballou | |||
| Michael John Burns | ||||
| Best Young Actress Guest Starring in a Television Series | Crystal McKellar | |||
| Outstanding Performance by an Actor Under 9 Years of Age | Michael Patrick Carter | |||
| 1991 | Matthew Newmark | |||
| Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series | ||||
| Best Young Actor Supporting or Recurring Role For a TV Series | Brian Lando | |||
| Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor Under Nine | M.P. Carter |