Voting Station

The Big Valley

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TV Series

The Resume

    (September 15, 1965-May 19, 1969)
    Aired on ABC
    Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria Barkley
    Richard Long as Jarrod Barkley
    Peter Breck as Nick Barkley
    Lee Majors as Heath Barkley
    Linda Evans as Audra Barkley
    Premise: Follows the exploits of a wealthy ranching family headed by a strong widowed matriarch

Why The Big Valley might be annoying:

    Regis Philbin was a guest star.
    The fourth son, Eugene, was written out of the show after actor Charles Briles was drafted into the Army (Chuck Cunningham Syndrome).
    Victoria never did say the much-parodied line 'Nick, Heath, Jarrod – there's a fire in the barn!'
    Two spin-off attempts never made it past the pilot stages.
    It aired a psychedelic episode where Victoria gets kidnapped and sodomized by a dominatrix dragon lady and her emasculated husband.
    It fell victim to the rural purge and was unceremoniously cancelled without a finale (although its poor time slot as a lean-in to the Joey Bishop Show didn't help much).

Why The Big Valley might not be annoying:

    It made stars out of Lee Majors and Linda Evans.
    It was the first Western series to revolve on a strong woman figure.
    It revived Barbara Stanwyck's career (she won the show's only Emmy for the part).
    The cast was like a real family.
    It was never a major ratings hit, but it had a loyal fan following.
    It didn't outstay its welcome like the more popular Bonanza or Gunsmoke.
    The opening theme instrumental is iconic.
    It didn't shy away from taboo social topics like sexual assault and racism.
    Julie London and Lou Rawls made guest appearances on the show.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 78.57% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 73 Votes: 42.47% Annoying