# David Carradine's Short-Lived 60s Western Series

> David Carradine's 1966 Western series Shane lasted only 17 episodes before cancellation.
- Title: David Carradine's Short-Lived 60s Western Series · SlashFilm
- Summary: David Carradine's 1966 Western series Shane lasted only 17 episodes before cancellation. David Carradine's 1966 TV adaptation of Shane ran for 17 episodes…
- Keywords: david carradine, shane, abc, western, 1966, 17 episodes, cancellation, entertainment, culture, David, Carradine's, Short-Lived
- Source: SlashFilm — https://slashfilm.com/2273025/david-carradine-short-lived-60s-western-series-shane
- Author: Joe Roberts
- Published: 2026-10-04T00:45:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: david carradine, shane, abc, western, 1966, 17 episodes, cancellation, entertainment, culture
## David Carradine's 1966 Western Series
David Carradine led a 1966 TV version of Shane, a Western series based on a 1949 novel.
## Shane's Story Origin
The Johnson County War of the late 1880s/early 1890s inspired Shane, a homesteading family conflict with a cattleman.
## TV Series Divergence
The TV series featured Marian Starrett and her son Joey, not Joe Starrett, the patriarch from the novel.
## Rufe Ryker's Character Arc
Rufe Ryker, the villainous cattleman, became more agreeable over the series, siding with homesteaders in some episodes.
## Shane's Short Run
The TV series lasted only 17 episodes before ABC canceled it on October 21, 1966, alongside Burt Reynolds' Hawk.
## Cancellation Impact
David Carradine found work in Westerns like Heaven with a Gun and The McMasters before his 1972 Kung Fu breakout.
## Key takeaway

David Carradine's 1966 TV adaptation of Shane ran for 17 episodes before ABC canceled it.