Television Westerns were waning by the late 60's. I guess everyone was getting tired of the genre. Cowboys had dominated the little screen from the beginning. It got to where cowboys were becoming passé and spies were all the rage. Thanks to a character named Bond - James Bond who changed the landscape of television.
So it was inevitable that someone in TV land did their best to resell the old west as a new kind of west. We were introduced to West - James West...a cowboy spy. My favorite character in the series was Wests thespian sidekick - Artemus Gordon. Artemus was a master of disguise and added a comedic aspect to the show.
The Wild Wild West was much like the Man From Uncle spy television series that ran about that time. This wasn't just a Western-Spy show, the show ventured into some real bizarre-o Sci-Fi-ish shows. Yet it was the science fiction element that I believe really separated Wild Wild West from other spy shows of that era. Wild Wild West often had a Twilight Zone feel to it.
Though the shows writing weakened down the dusty trail, I would most definitely like to revisit the first couple of seasons again. It's been a long long time since I've seen The Wild Wild West. I'd like to go back there someday.
