MissTCShore

Quick Draw (2013)

Excellent Series

Quickdraw is a great new original series from Hulu. The show is not an "authentic" western in any sense. It is a contemporary comedy set in the "Old West" of Great Bend, Kansas. If you like "The Office," you should like Quickdraw, as well. It has a similar feel of improvisational comedy (although The Office wasn't improvisational, it certainly had that feel to it). The comedy is quite funny, although it contains humor that may be inappropriate for younger viewers.

Casting for the main characters is fantastic. The show stars John Lehr as Sheriff John Hoyle. Lehr reminds me a lot of Jason Bateman in Arrested Development. He is a Harvard graduate who has taken the job of Sheriff in the small town of Great Bend, Kansas. He is like a fish out of water, as the saying goes. His character is very "book smart" but without a lot of "street smarts."

Nick Brown plays his deputy, Eli Brocias. As of the first few episodes, this character hasn't been fleshed out very well. What we do know about him is that he seems to want to have nothing really to do with enforcing the law. Apparently, being a deputy only pays the bills. He tries to avoid criminals and arresting anyone as much as possible.

Allison Dunbar plays a bartender and prostitute. She is something of a love interest for Hoyle.

Bob Clendenin plays the town undertaker, Vernon Shank.

A brief word to the reviewer who stated that "the Kansas scenery is realistic." Uh, no, it isn't. I actually live in Great Bend, Kansas, the supposed location of this fictional series. Great Bend is located in one of the flattest areas of Kansas. There are no mountains within a three day ride by horse, let alone in the background of the town. In fact, if you had stood in the center of Great Bend when the town was just getting started, you would not have been able to see a hill, either. The sagebrush is wrong for this area. The rocks used in the series are wrong for this area. Nothing about the scenery fits the real Great Bend, Kansas. However, that doesn't distract from this charming show. It still has an "Old West" look and feel to it, even if it doesn't match reality.