About this season
The Rifleman is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show was filmed in black-and-white, half-hour episodes. "The Rifleman" aired on ABC from September 30, 1958 to April 8, 1963 as a production of Four Star Television. It was one of the first prime time series to have a widowed parent raise a child.
Episodes (36)
1. The Patsy
Aired 29 September 1959 • 30 min
A group of outlaws devise a plan to get rid of Lucas so that they can take over the town of North Fork.
2. Bloodlines
Aired 6 October 1959 • 30 min
After Lucas kills a mountain man in a barrom brawl, his father arrives in North Fork determined to take revenge on Lucas and Marshal Torrance, once he breaks his other two boys out of jail.
3. The Blowout
Aired 13 October 1959 • 30 min
Newly arrived gunslinger Al Walker throws a mammoth party at the saloon, keeping acting Marshal Ben Waller busy until Lucas is forced to intervene.
4. Obituary
Aired 20 October 1959 • 30 min
Newspaperman Byron Claremont specializes in profiles of famous gunmen. One of his stories was responsible for an old-time marshal's death; and his next subject is Lucas.
5. Tension
Aired 27 October 1959 • 30 min
Gavin and Ezra Martin think that Lucas killed their son Clemmie while taking part in a train robbery, and Lucas refuses to tell them what really happened.
6. Eddie's Daughter
Aired 3 November 1959 • 30 min
After the daughter of Lucas's friend the hotel clerk arrives in North Fork, two strangers threaten her life.
7. Panic
Aired 10 November 1959 • 30 min
Town character Brett Conway blackmails Lucas with the knowledge that a young couple Lucas rescued are suffering from yellow fever.
8. Ordeal
Aired 17 November 1959 • 30 min
When their wagon breaks down, Mark and an injured Lucas are stranded in the desert.
9. The Spiked Rifle
Aired 24 November 1959 • 30 min
Mark is kidnapped as he and his father try to protect Banker Hamilton's gold.
10. Letter of the Law
Aired 1 December 1959 • 30 min
Lucas makes a life-or-death decision when Micah is held hostage and the kidnappers demand the release of a notorious outlaw.
11. The Legacy
Aired 8 December 1959 • 30 min
Lucas tries to do a good deed for the old town drunk but it backfires when the drunk's son believes he inherited Lucas' ranch.
12. The Baby Sitter
Aired 15 December 1959 • 30 min
A dance hall singer asks Lucas to care for her daughter in an effort to hide the baby from her self-righteous, bigoted father.
13. The Coward
Aired 22 December 1959 • 30 min
Lucas becomes involved in a battle between an aspiring writer and a cocky, bragging trail boss.
14. Surveyors
Aired 29 December 1959 • 30 min
Mark runs away from home after his father questions his story about overhearing a plot to rob the bank.
15. Day of the Hunter
Aired 5 January 1960 • 30 min
A famous buffalo hunter tries to goad Lucas into a shooting match.
16. Mail Order Groom
Aired 12 January 1960 • 30 min
When a stranger arrives to marry the town spinster, two brothers who want her land try to discourage him with threats and a beating.
17. A Case of Identity
Aired 19 January 1960 • 30 min
Mark finds himself in grave danger when two unscrupulous detectives searching for a man's long-lost son claim that it is Mark.
18. The Visitors
Aired 26 January 1960 • 30 min
Lucas is drawn to a young widow passing through town on her way to claim an inheritance, but others who covet it are trying to kill her.
19. The Hero
Aired 2 February 1960 • 30 min
After a young stablehand kills a notorious gunslinger, he is baffled by the hostility of the townspeople about giving him the reward.
20. The Horse Traders
Aired 9 February 1960 • 30 min
When a horse dealer transporting a prize stallion stops in North Fork, two saddle tramps try to use trickery to obtain it.
21. The Spoiler
Aired 16 February 1960 • 30 min
An elderly couple moves to North Fork under an assumed name to hide the fact that they are the parents of a vicious killer. The plan backfires when the son shows up at their home.
22. Heller
Aired 23 February 1960 • 30 min
After foiling a girl's attempt to rob the general store, Lucas finds that she and her brother are plotting the murder of their abusive stepfather.
23. The Grasshopper
Aired 1 March 1960 • 30 min
A condemned killer being transported by train murders a marshal and takes Mark hostage.
24. A Time for Singing
Aired 8 March 1960 • 30 min
Mark discovers that the new preacher and his wife are impostors planning a robbery.
25. The Deserter
Aired 15 March 1960 • 30 min
Lucas and Marshal Torrance get into trouble with the Army when they try to help a wounded young soldier who deserted.
26. The Vision
Aired 22 March 1960 • 30 min
After Mark contracts typhoid fever and has a vision of his dead mother, he no longer seems interested in getting well.
27. The Lariat
Aired 29 March 1960 • 30 min
An old friend of Lucas's returns to town in the company of a shady gambler and is accused of cheating at cards.
28. Smoke Screen
Aired 5 April 1960 • 30 min
Several men are vying for a rancher's daughter's affections. When she is found dead, one of them becomes the prime suspect in her murder.
29. Shotgun Man
Aired 12 April 1960 • 30 min
Shotgun man John Beaumont, who Lucas sent to prison, returns with vengeance on his mind.
30. Sins of the Father
Aired 19 April 1960 • 30 min
After shooting a man in self-defense, Andy Moon turns to Lucas for protection from his vengeful brothers.
31. The Prodigal
Aired 26 April 1960 • 30 min
To keep his invalid mother happy, an outlaw forces Lucas and Mark to go along with a masquerade that he is the owner of Lucas's ranch.
32. The Fourflusher
Aired 3 May 1960 • 30 min
A sharecropper enters his colt in a horse race, hoping to win enough money to buy his farm from the owner, who has bet on Mark McCain's entry.
33. The Jailbird
Aired 10 May 1960 • 30 min
When Lucas hires an ex-con as a ranch hand, the man is the first one under suspicion when a robbery and murder occur in the area.
34. Meeting at Midnight
Aired 17 May 1960 • 30 min
Lucas helps his former Army captain, now an undercover federal agent, infiltrate a gang of bank robbers.
35. Nora
Aired 24 May 1960 • 30 min
Lucas finds himself involved in murder when he gallantly steps to the aid of a beautiful woman.
36. The Hangman
Aired 31 May 1960 • 30 min
An ex-convict is blamed for a brutal crime despite his claims of rehabilitation.