The seventh season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 12, 1965, with the final episode airing May 15, 1966. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort. Season seven starred Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. It was the first season without Pernell Roberts. The season consisted of 33 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. Season seven was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It ranked #1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1965-1966 season, the second of three straight seasons in the top spot.
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.
After trying for years to exit his six-year contract early, Pernell Roberts left the show at the end of season six. Season seven was the first to air without Roberts in the main cast.
With the departure of Pernell Roberts, the original plan was to kill off the character. However, the decision was made to have the character travel away from the Ponderosa. Should Roberts have changed his mind, he could have been written back into the series.
Filming locations for season seven included:
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Season seven aired on Sundays from 9:00pm10:00pm on NBC.
The two-part episode "Ride the Wind" was combined into a full-length theatrical release and released internationally in 1967.
Season seven held the #1 position in the Nielsen ratings. It was the second season of three straight seasons to hold that position.