Television series
Alias Smith and Jones
A charming 1970s Western where two reformed outlaws try to go straight under assumed names in hopes of earning a pardon. Each episode is a warm, clever adventure: the con men use their wits rather than guns, the humor is genuine without undermining the stakes, and the chemistry between the leads makes you root for them despite their past. It's for anyone who loves Butch Cassidy energy without needing cynicism or violence.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy rogues who are charming, bickering and happier talking their way out of trouble than shooting it out, carried by a wry partnership.
Skip it if you need gritty, bloody frontier realism or one continuous story, since this is light, episode-to-episode fun and the Hannibal Heyes actor is swapped out partway through.
What it asks of you: Hour-long episodes that are easy to dip into, with a sunny, playful rhythm; you can give it an evening of half-attention and still follow the chase.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid1969
The spiritual ancestor: charming outlaws on the run, banter that crackles, and a fundamental decency beneath the roguishness. Newman and Redford have the same easy rapport that makes you forgive everything.
But It's a film, not episodic—different rhythm entirely. And it ends where Alias Smith and Jones begins, tonally speaking.
The Odd Couple1970
Same DNA: two mismatched leads whose chemistry IS the show, situations that let them improvise rather than grandstand, and humor that comes from character. Klugman and Randall prove lightning in a bottle works.
But Sitcom, not adventure. If you're watching for horseback chases and heists, this trades action for apartment comedy.
Kung Fu1972
Contemporary series with identical bones: a hunted man on the move, picking up allies, solving problems with intelligence and restraint. David Carradine's monk is as likeable as Smith and Jones, and the morality is just as generous.
But Heavier, more philosophical tone. Less humor, more meditation. Moves slower and asks you to sit with consequences.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Alias Smith and Jones
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Sometimes a Great Notion1971
Both center on fundamentally good men fighting against their own natures and others' perceptions—the difference is whether the show believes redemption can actually work.
Paul Newman and Henry Fonda as stubborn, charming men trying to prove something in logging country. Like Alias Smith and Jones, it's about reform, family legacy, and whether redemption is even possible—but it asks those questions with tragic weight rather than adventure-serial lightness.
But Three hours, heavy with Oregon rain and family dysfunction. Redemption here means something raw; there's no pardon waiting at episode's end. Operates in a completely different emotional register.
More like this (8)
The Rockford Files1974
Modern-day equivalent: a protagonist who bends rules, charms his way through trouble, and genuinely cares about people despite a checkered past. James Garner brought the same warmth that made Alias Smith and Jones work.
But Set in 1970s Los Angeles, not the Old West. If period detail matters to you, this trades terrain for urban grit.
Have Gun - Will Travel1957
The template for the roaming adventurer Western: Paladin is clever, principled, and fixes human problems rather than just shooting them. Each episode is a morality play done with style and genuine heart.
But Older and more serious in tone. Less emphasis on humor and rapport, more on the code of the protagonist. Slower pacing overall.
The Fugitive1963
A man running from his past, town to town, helping people despite his own danger. Richard Kimble has the same fundamental decency as Heyes and Curry, and the format is identical: episodic, humane, inexorably moving forward.
But Dramatically heavier—no humor to speak of. The tone is suspenseful dread, not adventure. One-season commitment to a darker story.
Bonanza1959
Ensemble Western where problem-solving matters more than gunplay, morality questions are genuine, and the leads actually like each other. Lorne Greene and the Cartwright boys prove a strong ensemble can carry 430 episodes.
But More traditional family-values Western. Less con-man charm, more frontier earnestness. Considerably longer commitment if you're sampling.
Maverick1994
Mel Gibson and Ryan O'Neal playing charming con men in a period setting, banter-heavy, winking at genre convention. It's basically Alias Smith and Jones expanded to film length with a theatrical budget.
But It's a 1994 film riffing on a much older show—feels sometimes like a parody rather than the genuine article. Loses some of the earnestness you might want.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.1964
Another series where cleverness and disguise are the weapons, the leads have genuine affection despite complications, and each episode is a fresh puzzle. Robert Vaughn and David McCallum navigate Cold War espionage with style and humor.
But Spy show, not Western—completely different milieu. If you specifically want horses and saloons, this pivots to tuxedos and vodka martinis instead.
Le Samouraï1967
The parallel structure: both follow a man trying to live under a false name, succeeding through intelligence and charm, discovering that your past always finds you no matter where you hide.
Alain Delon as a contract killer operating under an assumed identity, trying to disappear and be someone else. The entire film is about a man reinventing himself, moving through the world by wit and code rather than violence, with the same cool grace Duel and Murphy brought to their roles.
But French noir, not American Western. Minimalist, austere, almost silent—operates on mood and atmosphere rather than plot momentum. Methodical to the point of hypnotic; some find it glacial. No humor at all.
The Good Thief2003
Same premise—a criminal trying to exit the life, using intelligence rather than force—but inverted from a weekly series into a one-time intricate con, and transplanted from American optimism into European fatalism.
David Mamet's clever heist film in a European noir setting. Neil Jordan's take on a con man trying to go straight, using his skills for one last elegant score. It has Alias Smith and Jones' fundamental idea—the thief who wants out—but told as a stylish, intricate puzzle box.
But Recent, deliberately convoluted plot. If you're watching for straightforward episodic adventure, this demands sustained attention to multiple double-crosses. Less warm character comedy, more cool strategic thinking.
People
Cast
Directing
- Jack DoranAssistant Director
- Ralph FerrinAssistant Director
- Richard BennettAssistant Director
Writing
- Glen A. LarsonCreator
Production
- Nicholas E. BaehrAssociate Producer
- Steve HeilpernAssociate Producer
- Frank PriceExecutive Producer
- Jo Swerling, Jr.Executive Producer
- Roy HugginsExecutive Producer
- Glen A. LarsonProducer
- Jo Swerling, Jr.Producer
Recommended by
Gabriel's Fire, The Fugitive, The Saint, The Persuaders, Lovejoy, Here Come the Brides, Barbary Coast