In the 21st century, it’s clear that television has grown more prestigious. Each year, more award-winning stage and film actors transition over to the tube for wonderful, artistically satisfying productions. Our expectations as viewers have risen with the medium. Viewers now have access to rich content libraries filled with vibrant stories, so the new ones better be good too.
This wasn’t always the case, though. For much of its existence, television has been derided as a cheaper form of entertainment. The criticism has come from within the industry and without, and the voices have always been as loud as they are wrong. There has always been worthwhile entertainment, and the criticisms frequently speak more to the critic than to the medium.
One such detractor was actor Pernell Roberts, who was happy to profit off of his time on Bonanza. From 1959-1965, Roberts played the eldest Cartwright son, Adam. However, during that time, Roberts grew disillusioned, not just with Bonanza but with television as a whole.
Rumors during the ’64 television season abounded regarding the trajectory of Roberts’ character Adam Cartwright. Would he be married off? Was he going to be shot and killed? How would producers write the unhappy actor off of the show? Instead, Roberts fulfilled his contractual obligations but did not extend the agreement any further than the agreed-upon six years. So, Adam Cartwright was explained as having simply “moved away.”
In July of 1965, The San Francisco Examiner pressed Pernell Roberts for further details regarding his departure from Bonanza.
“The reason I quit? Essentially, it was a question of human needs. I wasn’t happy on Bonanza. A person should be free to choose his own happiness,” said Roberts.
This is all fair enough and would’ve been a reasonable, excusable explanation for his exit. However, Roberts revealed further truths in the same interview that highlighted not just his tribulations with Bonanza, but also with TV as a whole.
At first, Roberts is reserved, refusing to go into further detail regarding the possibility of salacious gossip surrounding Adam Cartwright’s “moving away.” First, the Examiner probed the actor for the specifics about a rumored conflict with studio executives.
“I really don’t want to talk about it,” said Roberts, shooting down the line of inquiry. “I could criticize but I won’t, it’s all in the past now.”
Instead, Roberts turned the focus of his ire toward the entire concept of television rather than levying his criticisms at any one particular entity.
“Television isn’t doing the job it should,” said Roberts. “It could be used so much more for educating and informing. The industry should rid itself of its conformity and dispense with these silly game shows for adults.”
“It takes courage to rebel against the money and the power attitude of television and the dictates of advertisers. But television perpetuates the wrong idea of morality that exists, that money is behind everything.”
For all of his criticism, Pernell Roberts returned to television to star in Trapper John, M.D.