Best tv shows like Ponderosa
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Ponderosa is a television series developed by Bonanza creator David Dortort for PAX-TV that ran for the 2001–2002 television season. Envisioned as a prequel to the long-running NBC series Bonanza, it had less gunfire, brawling and other traditional western elements than the original. Bonanza creator David Dortort approved PAX TV's decision to hire Beth Sullivan, creator and executive producer of Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman to oversee scripts and executive produce, which some believe gave the series a softer edge. Ponderosa was canceled after one season, in part because of disappointing ratings and high production costs. Although Sullivan had hoped to film the series in and around Los Angeles, PAX decided to film in Australia to reduce costs. Series "show runner" Sullivan sustained severe injuries in a car crash only twelve days after the airing of the first season's last episode. The show should not be confused with Ponderosa, the title used for Bonanza reruns aired on NBC during the summer of 1972.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 142
Genere: Western, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic
Best tv shows and movies like Ponderosa (2001):
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Our House (1986)
Plot Summary:
Our House is an American television drama series that aired on NBC for two seasons from September 11, 1986 to May 8, 1988. The series centers on the Witherspoon family and the challenges they face adjusting to life with three generations living in the same house.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 885
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: retro, sitcom, sentimental, feel good, serious, realistic
Similar in 90%
Second Noah (1996)
Plot Summary:
Second Noah is a television drama that was broadcast in the United States on ABC television from February 5, 1996 to June 8, 1997.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 354
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious
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Rags to Riches (1987)
Plot Summary:
Rags to Riches is an American musical comedy drama series that was broadcast on NBC for two seasons from 1987 to 1988. Set in the 1960s, the series tells the story of Nick Foley, a self-made millionaire who adopts five orphan girls. Each episode included music videos of hit songs from the era sung by the cast integrated into the plot.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 787
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sentimental, uplifting, touching, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 82%
Lincoln Heights (2006)
Plot Summary:
Lincoln Heights is an American family drama television series about Eddie Sutton, a Mission Vista police officer who moves his family back to his old neighborhood, Lincoln Heights, to start a new life and to help out his old neighborhood. It is a dangerous place to raise a family, and through the many trials the family goes through, they soon learn that settling in is not as easy as it seems. While Officer Sutton struggles to cope with every day life as a street cop in Los Angeles, his kids try to fit in at their new schools and with their new neighbors. The show premiered January 8, 2007 on the ABC Family network with 13 episodes ordered for the first season. It was approved for a second season, which premiered September 4, 2007. Vanessa Hudgens' song, Say OK had been used in a commercial to promote the second season. To promote the third season, they showed clips of Cassie and Charles's relationship to the song, Crush by the American Idol's seventh season runner-up, David Archuleta. To promote season 4, they're using the song, Avalanche by Marie Digby. The show's theme song was written and performed by bassist Stanley Clarke and singer-songwriter Blaire Reinhard. On January 29, 2010, ABC Family announced the cancellation of the series after four seasons.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, sincere, serious, hood, crime drama
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Desire (2006)
Plot Summary:
On the run from a New Jersey crime family, two brothers wend their way to Los Angeles, where they make their dream of owning a restaurant a reality. But their life in hiding life becomes complicated when their lives are torn apart by their love for the same woman.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 326
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 3900 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, sincere, suspense, contemplative
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Gigantic (2010)
Plot Summary:
A half-hour dramedy that takes a fictional look at the glitzy, chaotic and often hilarious life of being a Hollywood "it" kid. Set in the world of the Hollywood elite packed with A-list parties and privilege, it tells a coming-of-age story infused with pop culture fame. It's not easy being teenagers growing up in the shadow of their parents' superstar status, and "Gigantic" skewers the celebrity machine while exposing the humanity and comedy beneath the glamour of Tinseltown. With an insider look behind the tabloids and gossip blogs, it features an ensemble cast that includes: 17-year-old Anna (Grace Gummer) and her younger brother Walt (Tony Oller), both kids of a famous movie star couple; their best friends Piper (Jolene Purdy) and Finn (Malcolm Kelley); frenemy Vanessa (Gia Mantegna) and Anna's boy crush with a big secret Joey (Ryan Rottman).
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 297
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious, captivating, light, sincere, offbeat, witty
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Empty Nest (1988)
Plot Summary:
Empty Nest is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1988 to 1995. The series was created as a spin-off of The Golden Girls by creator and producer Susan Harris. For its first three seasons, Empty Nest was one of the year's top 10 most-watched programs. It was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions in association with Touchstone Television. The show concept borrowed some elements from the British comedy series Father, Dear Father, also featuring a father living with his two daughters and large dog. However, unlike that series, the two daughters in Empty Nest are self-supporting adults, and the lead character is a widower. Empty Nest was part of NBC's Saturday night block of programming, and during its first four seasons it aired at 9:30pm ET, directly following The Golden Girls. Two of the cast were alumni from one of Susan Harris' earlier shows, Soap; Mulligan was Manoff's father-in-law in Soap.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, sentimental, realistic, touching, humorous, semi serious
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Soul Man (1997)
Plot Summary:
Soul Man is an American sitcom that aired on ABC in 1997 that lasted two seasons and starred Dan Aykroyd. The series premiered on April 15, 1997, and was picked up for a second season of 22 episodes after only three episodes aired for the first season. Despite ranking 29th in its 2nd season, it ended on May 26, 1998, with 25 episodes produced in total. The theme song was "Soul Man" written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. Aykroyd performed a cover version of this song with The Blues Brothers.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 301
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 77%
King of Texas (2002)
Plot Summary:
In this re-imagining of Shakespear's King Lear, Patrick Steward stars as John Lear, a Texas cattle baron, who, after dividing his wealth among his three daughters, is rejected by them.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 735
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, psychological, disturbing
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Point of Honor (2015)
Plot Summary:
At the start of the Civil War, a prominent Virginia family makes the controversial decision to defend the South while freeing all of their slaves, pitting the family against one another and testing their strength, courage and love.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 608
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 56 min
Plot tags: captivating, stylized, tense, serious, historical drama, realistic, independent film
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The High Chaparral (1967)
Plot Summary:
The High Chaparral is an American Western-themed television series starring Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell which aired on NBC from 1967 to 1971. The series, made by Xanadu Productions in association with NBC Productions, was created by David Dortort, who had previously created the hit Bonanza for the network. The theme song was also written and conducted by Bonanza scorer David Rose, who also scored the two-hour pilot.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Western
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: retro, sentimental, serious, captivating, realistic, saga
Similar in 85%
Once and Again (1999)
Plot Summary:
Once and Again is an American television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999 to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father. It was created by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, the same team that created thirtysomething and produced My So-Called Life. One of the show's unique aspects was the "interview" sequences filmed in black and white and interspersed throughout each episode, where the characters would reveal their innermost thoughts and memories to the camera.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Family, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sincere, realistic, light, feel good, teen, clever, serious, witty, contemplative, queer cinema
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The Red Pony (1973)
Plot Summary:
A young farmboy who can't seem to communicate with his father develops an attachment to a young red pony.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 287
Genere: Drama, Family, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, realistic
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Little House on the Prairie (2005)
Plot Summary:
Little House on the Prairieis a TV miniseries based on the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 653
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 255 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, realistic, period piece, epic, period drama
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Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (1994)
Plot Summary:
The Man from Snowy River is an Australian television series based on Banjo Paterson's poem "The Man from Snowy River". Released in Australia as Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River, the series was subsequently released in both the United States and the United Kingdom as Snowy River: The McGregor Saga. The television series has no relationship to the 1982 film The Man from Snowy River or the 1988 sequel The Man from Snowy River II. Instead, the series follows the adventures of Matt McGregor, a successful squatter, and his family. Matt is the hero immortalized in Banjo Paterson's poem "The Man from Snowy River", and the series is set 25 years after his famous ride. The first season was very much a soap opera with several story arcs, but the primary one concerns the arrival of Matt's American nephew, who's bent on revenge, certain Matt cheated his father out of the station Matt now owns. In subsequent seasons, there were shorter story-arcs, often featuring guest stars over a few episodes, and some episodes stood entirely on their own. Stars and guest stars of the series included notables and future notables Andrew Clarke, Guy Pearce, Josh Lucas, Victoria Tennant, Olivia Newton John, Tracy Nelson, Lee Horsley, Dean Stockwell, Chad Lowe, Jane Badler, Wendy Hughes, Hugh Jackman, and Frances O'Connor.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 950
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: Australia
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sincere, atmospheric, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, saga
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The Waltons (1972)
Plot Summary:
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show is centered on a family in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot aired as a television movie entitled The Homecoming: A Christmas Story and was broadcast on December 19, 1971. Beginning in September 1972, the series originally aired on CBS for a total of nine seasons. After the series was canceled in 1981, three television movie sequels followed in 1982, with three more in the 1990s. The Waltons was produced by Lorimar Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution in syndication.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Family, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: absurd, sitcom, juvenile, sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, historical drama
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Blue (2012)
Plot Summary:
Blue is a mother with a secret life. She'll do anything to keep it from her son. But her past has other plans.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, captivating, psychological, tense, sexual, sexy
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Secret of Giving (1999)
Plot Summary:
As Christmas approaches, a single mother (played by Reba McEntire) struggles to raise her son and keep up the payments on her Oregon ranch, which is difficult since she's heavily in debt. But she's a tough cookie, and proves that a steadfast attitude and an open heart go a long way in surviving the cold hearts and greed of the Scrooges around her.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 349
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic
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Love's Everlasting Courage (2011)
Plot Summary:
Clark Davis struggles to maintain his land and support his family during a long drought. With a bank loan to repay, his wife, Ellen, takes a job in town as a seamstress, but soon becomes ill with scarlet fever. Devastated to lose his beloved wife, Clark and his young daughter Missie turn to his parents Irene and Lloyd for support. Clark must find a way to save his farm and survive Ellen's death without losing the person he loves most: his daughter.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Family, Western
Country: Ireland, USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: uplifting, sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, saga, historical romance, period drama
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Love's Enduring Promise (2004)
Plot Summary:
In this Janette Oke sequel to "Love Comes Softly," the eldest child in an 1800s frontier family, Missie Davis is a bright and beautiful elementary schoolteacher whose love for the prairie is matched only by her passion for books. When Missie encounters Grant, a handsome New England railroad executive, she feels as though shes met a hero from one of her novels.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Family, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: uplifting, sentimental, serious, touching, emotional, realistic, romantic, saga, historical romance, christian film
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Love's Abiding Joy (2006)
Plot Summary:
The continued Westward journey of settlers Missie and Willie Lahaye. Their roots now firmly planted as they set up homestead in the far West, Missie begins to realize her passion for teaching as Willie cares for the couple's young daughter Kathy while expanding the family ranch with a little help from sons Jeff and Matthew. When the frontier railroad comes to town, the pleasure of a long-promised visit from Missie's father Clark is suddenly offset by the tragic death of young Kathy. As the untimely demise of their beloved daughter begins to drive an emotional wedge between Missie and Willie, the devastated father unexpectedly accepts an offer made by the powerful Samuel Doros to assume the role of town sheriff. Their faith shaken and their once close-knit bond suddenly torn asunder, Missie and Willie desperately attempt to bring their crumbling family back together as son Jeff faces a series of dangers while hopelessly falling for Doros' beautiful daughter Colette.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Family, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: uplifting, sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, saga, historical romance, realistic, gloomy, period drama
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The Kid (2015)
Plot Summary:
His mother has left and Gonzalo doesn't know why. How he is taking care of his little infant sister all alone, though he himself is barely ten years old. Neighbours help and try to figure out what should be done with the two children. Like old Felipe with his pub, the veterinarian Julio and his wife, or kind Lorena, who's stranded in the town. And gradually Gonzalo finds out what is really going on.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 16
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Argentina
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: sincere, rough, serious, captivating, bleak, realistic
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The Last Cowboy (2003)
Plot Summary:
John William 'Will' Cooper is a modern-day rancher, maintaining his ranch in hard times along with his friend and foreman Amos Russell. When Will's estranged daughter Jake returns to the ranch for her grandfather's funeral, father and daughter clash over how to run the ranch and over the death years before of Jake's mother, which she blames on Will. Crisis comes in the form of insurmountable debt, and it is only by working together that Will and Jake have any chance of saving their home and their family.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 673
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, realistic
Similar in 75%
Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
Plot Summary:
Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, two African American boys from Harlem who are taken in by a rich white Park Avenue businessman named Phillip Drummond and his daughter Kimberly, for whom their deceased mother previously worked. During the first season and first half of the second season, Charlotte Rae also starred as the Drummonds' housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett. The series made stars out of child actors Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges, and Dana Plato, and became known for the "very special episodes" in which serious issues such as racism, illegal drug use and child sexual abuse were dramatically explored. The lives of these stars were later plagued by legal troubles and drug addiction, as the stardom and success they achieved while on the show eluded them after the series was cancelled, with both Plato and Coleman having early deaths.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, sentimental, touching, realistic, humorous, semi serious, feel good, vintage
Similar in 78%
Wendell & Vinnie (2013)
Plot Summary:
The series follows Vinnie Bassett, proprietor of a pop culture memorabilia store who only takes breaks to read comic books and play video games. His bachelor life comes to a halt when he assumes guardianship of his incredibly intelligent and mature nephew, Wendell. They soon find that 12-year-old Wendell may be just the parent Vinnie needs.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 988
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: humorous, not serious, realistic, sitcom, feel good, light, entertaining
Similar in 78%
See Dad Run (2012)
Plot Summary:
The story of David Hobbs, who has spent the last decade playing the perfect father on one of TV’s biggest sitcoms. But when the series ends and his wife resumes her own television career, he finds himself cast in his most challenging role to date: handling the day-to-day needs of three kids who've grown accustomed to not having him around. David soon learns that playing a dad on TV is child’s play compared to the real thing.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: humorous, not serious, light, sitcom, funny, feel good, captivating, entertaining, realistic
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Eight Is Enough (1977)
Plot Summary:
Eight Is Enough is an American television comedy-drama series that ran on ABC from March 15, 1977, until August 29, 1981. The show was modeled after syndicated newspaper columnist Thomas Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who wrote a book with the same name.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sitcom, sentimental, touching, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious
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Lucky 7 (2013)
Plot Summary:
What would you do if you won the lottery? How would it change your life? Follow a group of seven gas station employees in Queens, New York, who have been chipping into a lottery pool for years, never thinking they'd actually win. They need to be careful what they wish for, because while the money could solve problems for each of them, it will forever change the close-knit bonds these friends have formed.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 669
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, captivating
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Dead Man's Burden (2012)
Plot Summary:
A western set on the New Mexico frontier a few years after the Civil War and centered on a struggling young family and the mining company who wants to buy their land.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 688
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: serious, emotional, realistic, tense, stylized, independent film
Similar in 90%
Little House on the Prairie (1974)
Plot Summary:
Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, and Karen Grassle, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Drama, Family, Romance, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, feel good, serious, retro, soap opera, juvenile, historical drama, realistic