Maverick, an American Western television series, captivated audiences from September 22, 1957, to July 8, 1962, across five seasons on ABC. Created by Roy Huggins, the show distinguished itself with comedic overtones and centered on James Garner as Bret Maverick, an articulate poker player who navigated the 19th-century American frontier on riverboats and in saloons. The series was a notable part of Warner Bros.' collection of TV Westerns, which also
included popular shows like "Cheyenne," "Colt .45," "Lawman," "Bronco," "The Alaskans," and "Sugarfoot." Maverick's blend of wit, poker, and Western adventure carved out a significant place in television history during a period when only three major networks dominated the airwaves.
The Genesis of Bret and Bart Maverick
Roy Huggins envisioned Bret Maverick as a dapper, anti-heroic professional poker player. The character's constant travel through the Old West, plying his trade, became a hallmark of the series. However, the demanding filming schedule of Maverick quickly led to production lagging behind. To address this, the producers made a pivotal decision: to introduce a brother for Bret Maverick, ensuring they wouldn't run out of episodes before the season concluded. This led to the introduction of Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick in the eighth episode of the series, titled "Hostage."Initially, scripts for two-Maverick episodes designated the brothers as "Maverick 1" and "Maverick 2." James Garner, due to his senior status on the series, had the choice of which role he would play. Roy Huggins, in his Archive of American Television interview, stated that writers were instructed to visualize James Garner playing the part for every script during the first two seasons, with only one exception: "Passage to Fort Doom," which was written specifically for Jack Kelly. This approach meant that Garner had a significant advantage in selecting his roles, and all but one script during the first two years were written with him in mind, regardless of which actor was ultimately cast.
Shifting Leads and Creative Evolution
Jack Kelly shared the lead role, rotating with James Garner from week to week. This dynamic was showcased in episodes like "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres," where Kelly's Bart Maverick ran a complex sting operation while Garner's Bret relaxed. Garner himself noted in his memoir, *The Garner Files*, that he chose the more sedentary role in "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres" because he felt tired and overworked, making it his favorite episode. Roy Huggins even contended that the first half of the later theatrical film *The Sting* was an uncredited restaging of this particular Maverick episode.Kelly eventually appeared in more episodes of Maverick than James Garner, who departed the show after a contract dispute in 1960 to pursue a movie career. Garner appeared in 52 episodes, while Kelly, who remained for the entire run, appeared in approximately 75. Following Garner's departure, Roger Moore joined the cast as Bart's cousin, Beau Maverick, appearing in 14 episodes and sharing the screen with Kelly in three of them. Later, Robert Colbert, a Garner look-alike, appeared in two installments as a third brother, Brent, wearing Bret's costume. The series concluded after its fifth season, with Kelly as the sole Maverick in new episodes, interspersed with reruns from the Garner era. The billing order was even reversed in the fifth season, placing Kelly above Garner. Kelly reportedly learned of the show's cancellation through a newspaper article, rather than directly from the studio.
