The Wide Country was the second of two shows with a rodeo background that came to television in 1962, the other being Stoney Burke. Maybe both could not crack that all important demographic, the young. Those that buy the products the advertisers hawk on shows.
I don't understand why neither show really made it. The rodeo does have some inherent drama within it. The quest to be champion in whatever event you compete in, the personal dangers accompanying trying to do your personal best. The Professional Bullriders do quite well with their attendance and audience today.
Earl Holliman like Jack Lord was a rider of broncos and he also was after a national championship. At the same time Earl had a younger brother Andrew Prine who wants the same life, but Holliman is discouraging it. Still Prine tags along with him, to every event where one or both have some kind of experience.
In a nutshell that was both Stoney Burke and The Wide Country. The success of films like The Lusty Men, J.W. Coop, and 8 Seconds show that rodeo does have a big screen appeal. Maybe someday, someone will capture that appeal for the small screen.
