Bonanza season 2

The second season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 10, 1960, with the final episode airing June 3, 1961. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort, and season two starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 34 episodes of the series's total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. It aired on Saturdays from 7:30pm–8:30pm on NBC and placed at number 17 in the Nielsen ratings.

Synopsis
Bonanza is set around the Ponderosa Ranch near Virginia City, Nevada and chronicles the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, consisting of Ben Cartwright and his three sons (each by a different wife), Adam, Eric ("Hoss"), and Joseph ("Little Joe"). A regular character is their ranch cook, Hop Sing. A new recurring character is added, sheriff Roy Coffee.

Main cast

 * Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright
 * Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright
 * Dan Blocker as Eric "Hoss" Cartwright
 * Michael Landon as Joseph "Little Joe" Cartwright

Recurring

 * Victor Sen Yung as Hop Sing
 * Ray Teal as Sheriff Roy Coffee

Production
Being in the same timeslot as Perry Mason, it took some time for the show to catch on. NBC saw improvement in the ratings toward the end of the premiere season and so renewed the series for another season.

Episode 34, "Sam Hill", was the pilot episode for an unsold spinoff.

Casting
Ray Teal was added as recurring character Sheriff Roy Coffee.

Filming
Episode 8 of the season, "The Abduction", was filmed entirely on a Paramount soundstage. Location shooting for episode 12, "The Savage", took place at Franklin lake in Hollywood and Iverson's Movie Ranch. Iverson's Movie Ranch was also used for episode 23, "The Rescue". Red Rock Canyon was used for episode 24, "The Dark Gate" and episode 27, "The Gift". Episode 30, "Thunderhead Swindle", was filmed at Bronson Canyon.

Release
The season aired on Saturdays from 7:30pm–8:30pm on NBC. The timeslot was deliberate. It was a time when many people were shopping in department stores, and they could see the show displayed on color televisions at period when color television sets had not yet been widely adopted. However, many people watching at home were still tuning in to Perry Mason in that timeslot.

Reception
Variety gave the first episode of the season a better review than the previous season, writing that the acting and direction "were up to pro standards", and that the show "appears to have a good workable concept riding for it".

Season two finished at number 17 in the Nielsen ratings.