title: Without Me (Halsey song)

text: Online commentators speculated the song and music video are about Halsey's ex-boyfriend, G-Eazy, as they had split not long before the release of the music video. Halsey disputed these rumors after posting the reasoning behind the song on Instagram, explaining that the song is about several different relationships that she has either experienced or observed, and that the song is a reminder that "you shouldn't allow others to take advantage of you". However, in a January 2019 interview with "Glamour", Halsey confirmed that the song is partially about him. It is played in the tempo of 136 BPM and key signature E minor.


title: Without Me (Halsey song)

text: "Without Me" debuted at number 18 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, on the issue dated October 20, 2018. With the debut of the music video, the song rose to number 12 on the issue dated November 3. The following week the song hit number 9, and on November 17, it reached number six. The following week, "Without Me" peaked at number 4, giving Halsey her first top-five single since "Bad at Love" reached number five in January 2018. On the issue dated January 12, 2019, "Without Me" reached number one, becoming Halsey's first number-one song on the Hot 100 as a lead artist, and her second overall, after her feature on "Closer" with The Chainsmokers in 2016. It fell to the runner up spot the following week but regained the top spot on January 26, 2019. It again slipped to number two on February 2, 2019, as Ariana Grande's "7 Rings" entered at the top of the chart. Additionally, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland scored their sixth and eighth Hot 100 chart-topper as songwriters, respectively.


title: Without Me (Halsey song)

text: The song spent 29 weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100 and logged its 52nd week, one full year, on the chart on the issue dated October 12, 2019. It was also the number-one selling song in the US for six weeks on the Digital Songs chart. In the UK the song peaked at number three, making it her third top five hit. Due to "Without Me" becoming number one, Halsey became the eighth woman to achieve multiple number ones on the "Billboard" Hot 100 during the 2010s. "Billboard"s Jason Lipshutz stated, "there's no cheat code that 'Without Me' used to get to the top of the Hot 100 — it's just a really polished, successful pop single, the type that Halsey has been tossing out more and more frequently." In February 2019, Halsey's song "Eastside" replaced "Without Me" as number one on the Mainstream Top 40. It made Halsey the first artist since 2014 to replace themselves as #1 on the chart, and it also made "Eastside" the longest journey to #1 in the charts history. "Without Me" also became Halsey's third number one on "Billboard"s Dance/Mix Show Airplay Chart in its March 9, 2019 issue.


title: Without Me (Halsey song)

text: A vertical video for the song was released on Spotify on October 12, 2018, and posted on YouTube on January 9, 2019.


title: Without Me (Halsey song)

text: The music video was directed by Colin Tilley and released on October 29, 2018. It features Halsey and a love interest go through the cycles of a toxic relationship. The singer said in a post to her Instagram, "The story is a reflection of a combination of relationships I've been in, or watched the people I love go through". She went on to say that, with the video, she is aiming to reassure people that it is not okay to be taken advantage of. The video features product placement by Beats and YSL.


title: Without Me (Halsey song)

text: On November 4, 2018, Halsey first performed "Without Me" live at the MTV Europe Music Awards. On November 8, Halsey performed the song live on the 2018 "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show", which aired on December 2. On November 15, she collaborated with Sebastián Yatra and performed a remixed version of "Without Me" live at the 2018 Latin Grammy Awards. On December 5, she delivered another live performance of the song on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show". On December 8, she performed "Without Me" live at Capital's 2018 Jingle Bell Ball at the O2 Arena in London. On December 18, the singer appeared on the finale episode of "The Voice" to perform the song with her dance partner Jade Chynoweth playing the role of her partner. The performance received criticism on Twitter for "being inappropriate for television," to which Halsey responded saying, "[I'm] very proud to have pissed off the homophobic viewers at home who missed the message." On December 31, she performed the song live at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2019. In February 2019, she performed the song on "Saturday Night Live," with fans questioning if she was referencing another artist with the performance. In March, Halsey performed "Without Me" live at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards. In May, she performed the song live at the 2019 "Billboard" Music Awards.


title: Without Me (Halsey song)

text: In October 2018, electronic music artist "Nurko" and DJ duo "Miles Away" collaborated to produce their EDM remix of the song. On November 30, 2018, American DJ Illenium released the EDM remix of the song on Capitol Records. On January 9, 2019, the singer released a remix of the song featuring American rapper Juice WRLD, who inspired the track's "vibe". The Juice WRLD remix was later featured on Halsey's 2020 EP, "Collabs".


title: Buzzword

text: A buzzword is a word or phrase, new or already existing, that becomes popular for a period of time. Buzzwords often derive from technical terms yet often have much of the original technical meaning removed through fashionable use, being simply used to impress others. Some "buzzwords" retain their true technical meaning when used in the correct contexts, for example artificial intelligence.


title: Buzzword

text: Buzzwords often originate in jargon, acronyms, or neologisms. Examples of overworked business buzzwords include "synergy", "vertical", "dynamic", "cyber" and "strategy".


title: Buzzword

text: It has been stated that businesses could not operate without buzzwords, as they are the shorthands or internal shortcuts that make perfect sense to people informed of the context. However, a useful buzzword can become co-opted into general popular speech and lose its usefulness. According to management professor Robert Kreitner, "Buzzwords are the literary equivalent of Gresham's Law. They will drive out good ideas."


title: Buzzword

text: Buzzwords, or buzz-phrases such as "all on the same page", can also be seen in business as a way to make people feel like there is a mutual understanding. As most workplaces use a specialized jargon, which could be argued is another form of buzzwords, it allows quicker communication. Indeed, many new hires feel more like "part of the team" the quicker they learn the buzzwords of their new workplace. Buzzwords permeate people's working lives so much that many don't realise that they are using them. The vice president of CSC Index, Rich DeVane, notes that buzzwords describe not only a trend, but also what can be considered a "ticket of entry" with regards to being considered as a successful organization – "What people find tiresome is each consulting firm's attempt to put a different spin on it. That's what gives bad information."


title: Buzzword

text: Buzzwords also feature prominently in politics, where they can result in a process which "privileges rhetoric over reality, producing policies that are 'operationalized' first and only 'conceptualized' at a later date". The resulting political speech is known for "eschewing reasoned debate (as characterized by the use of evidence and structured argument), instead employing language exclusively for the purposes of control and manipulation".


title: Buzzword

text: The "Concise Oxford English Dictionary" defines a buzzword (hyphenating the term as "buzz-word") as a slogan, or as a fashionable piece of jargon: a chic, fashionable, voguish, trendy word a la mode.


title: Buzzword

text: It has been asserted that buzzwords do not simply appear, they are created by a group of people working within a business as a means to generate hype. Buzzwords are most closely associated with management and have become the vocabulary that is known as "management speak": Using a pompous or magisterial term, of or relating to a particular subject employed to impress those outside of the field of expertise.


title: Buzzword

text: What this means is that when a manager uses a said buzzword, most other people do not hear the meaning, and instead just see it as a buzzword. However it has been said that buzzwords are almost a "necessary evil" of management, as a way to inspire their team, but also stroke their own egos. With that being said, a buzzword is not necessarily a bad thing, as many disciplines thrive with the introduction of new terms which can be called buzzwords. These can also cross over into pop culture and indeed even into everyday life. With media channels now operating through many media, such as television, radio, print and increasingly digital (especially with the rise of social media), a "buzzword" can catch on and rapidly be adapted through the world.


title: Buzzword

text: The origin of buzzwords can be seen in as coming from business students studying at Harvard University as a way to help them gain better results from their studies. Such language terms were collated and then became what is known today as "buzzwords". During the early years of buzzwords, buzzwords were used by students as a means to enable them to quickly recall items of importance. As an example, "If his analysis does not highlight the most important problems he has 'poor focus', and if he fails to emphasize important recommendations he will be accused of 'tinkering'. If the sequence for the 'implementation' of the recommendations is not good it is a matter of 'poor timing'. To succeed, the student must 'get on top of the problem'. He must 'hit the problem' and not 'shadow box' it. If he cannot do these things he might just as well 'turn in his suit'".


title: Buzzword

text: Students have used many different buzzwords to describe the situation that they are in, and how this might affect a moment in their everyday life. From studying these business students, noticed that business students could speak with apparent authority. It also seemed as if using the right buzzword was more important than what the student came up with as an answer. Buzzwords have a strong influence on business culture and are commonly used in business speak.


title: Buzzword

text: Jon Keegan of the "Wall Street Journal" has published a Business Buzzwords Generator, which allows readers to use a randomizer to assemble "meaningless business phrases using overused business buzzwords" – for example, "This product will incentivize big data and demonstrate innovative performance in the playing field."


title: Buzzword

text: "Forbes" hosts an annual "Jargon Madness" game, in which 32 of "corporate America's most insufferable expressions" are played off against each other in a bracketed, basketball-style tournament to determine the buzzword of the year.


title: Buzzword

text: LinkedIn publishes an annual list of buzzwords to avoid in creating résumés (British English: CVs) – "trite, empty words that may sound good to your ear but say almost nothing". The 2014 list: "motivated", "passionate", "creative", "driven", "extensive experience", "responsible", "strategic", "track record", "organizational", and "expert".


title: Buzzword

text: When people are approaching a meeting where they expect the presenters to use many buzzwords, they may prepare a game of buzzword bingo, where players score points each time a particular buzzword is used.


title: Buzzword

text: The "Weird Al" Yankovic album "Mandatory Fun" contains the song "Mission Statement", which is a long list of essentially meaningless buzzwords.


title: Rage Against the Machine discography

text: The discography of Rage Against the Machine, an American rock band, consists of four studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, one demo album, 17 singles, four video albums and 15 music videos. Formed in Los Angeles, California in 1991 by vocalist Zack de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk, the band signed to Epic Records and released its self-titled debut album in 1992. The album reached number 45 on the United States "Billboard" 200 and was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of three million units. "Rage Against the Machine" singles "Killing in the Name", "Bullet in the Head" and "Bombtrack" charted in the United Kingdom and several other regions.


title: Rage Against the Machine discography

text: The band returned in 1996 with its second studio album "Evil Empire", which topped the "Billboard" 200 and was again certified three times platinum by the RIAA. Lead single "Bulls on Parade" was the band's first to chart in the US, reaching number 11 on the Alternative Songs chart, number 36 on the Mainstream Rock chart, and number 62 on the Radio Songs chart. The group's first video release, 1997's "Rage Against the Machine", reached number 2 on the "Billboard" Music Video Sales chart and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. 1999's "The Battle of Los Angeles" topped the "Billboard" 200 and the Canadian Albums Chart.


title: Rage Against the Machine discography

text: Rage Against the Machine released its final studio album, a collection of cover versions called "Renegades", in 2000, reaching number 14 on the "Billboard" 200. The band broke up prior to the album's release, after de la Rocha announced his departure in October that year. "The Battle of Mexico City" video album was released in 2001, reaching number 4 on the "Billboard" Music Video Sales chart. Two years later, "Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium" reached number 7 on the Music Video Sales chart and the top 100 of the "Billboard" 200.


title: Rage Against the Machine discography

text: In 2009, the band achieved its first UK Singles Chart number 1 when "Killing in the Name" became Christmas number one as the result of a Facebook campaign. To celebrate the achievement, the group reunited for a free concert at Finsbury Park in London on June 6, 2010, which was later released in the form of "Live at Finsbury Park" in 2015 and reached number 2 on the "Billboard" Music Video Sales chart.


title: Baal Veer

text: Baal Veer was an Indian fantasy television series that premiered on 8 October 2012 on SAB TV. It starred Dev Joshi in the titular role. It was produced by Optimystix Entertainment, and its screenplay was written by Rohit Malhotra.


title: Baal Veer

text: The show aired for 1,111 episodes and went off air on 4 November 2016. The show was aired on Sony SAB's sister channel, Sony PAL, in 2015.


title: Baal Veer

text: In the universe, there is a planet called Pari Lok (Fairy Realm), where all the good fairies reside. Each of them has a different ability and each fairy is named after her special powers. The mother and leader of the fairies is the Queen Fairy - Rani Pari, who is the head of the power of love and righteousness in the whole multiverse. Below her, is a cabinet of important fairies (Pari Sabha) who maintain various departments of Pari Lok.


title: Baal Veer

text: On the other side, there is an evil fairy, Bhayankar Pari and her sidekick- Tauba-Tauba. They always plot to create terror on Earth, due to which Rani Pari assigns different fairies at particular locations on Earth.


title: Baal Veer

text: The year is 2012 AD, two fairies visit Rani Pari and inform her about the strange behaviour of children of Earth, who seemed to have been influenced by an evil power. Rani Pari assures them that she will try to find out about this and sends them back. On the same day, in night-time, all the fairies gather at the entrance of Rani Mahal (Royal Palace) due to the scary behaviour of Earth's children. The Pari Lok is in a state of alarm due to havoc on the Earth. Rani Pari manages to placate them, but at the same time, Bhayankar Pari enters and creates an environment of terror in Pari Lok. She challenges Rani Pari that she will surely destroy Earth and spread evil, while Rani Pari will not be able to do anything. She tells her that she is the one who has hypnotized children, due to which they are behaving strangely. She says her that she will soon find the child and challenges Ranipari to save her beloved child if she can.


title: Baal Veer

text: Many years ago, it was the time for Maa Pari (mother of the fairies) to pass her throne to another fairy. All the fairies thought that she would choose Bhali Pari as her successor as she had saved Pari Lok from an accident. Maa Pari felt that Bhali Pari wanted to become Rani Pari, that's why she had saved Pari Lok. She was too selfish as she only wanted to rule and not to serve. Considering this, Maa Pari declared Bahuroopi Pari (Multiform Fairy), as the Rani Pari (Queen Fairy). An infuriated Bhali Pari, burning in the fire of anger and jealousy, she destroys her existence and her spirit transforms into Bhayankar Pari, the empress of evil powers. She vows to avenge the betrayal that she had borne.


title: Baal Veer

text: When Baalveer was born, Bhayankar Pari tries to capture the child but Rani Pari comes at the right moment and saves him. Rani Pari gets unconscious due to Bhayankar Pari's attack, but a maid in that house takes Baal Veer with him leaving Bhayankar Pari furious. A fairy takes him to Parilok, but some fairies are not satisfied with that so everyone went to Rani palace to see Rani pari. Rani pari, the Queen of Parilok, the mother of Baalveer,fairies and the residents of the Fairy realm. She is the sole decision-maker. She recognizes the child , suddenly motherly love awakens in her heart and told everyone that thereafter he will reside in Parilok. Some fairies are not satisfied with her decision but they can't disobey Rani Pari's words. She also named him "Baalveer" and from then she only takes care of him as his mother and he is the first human to have resided in the Fairy Realm. Later he was accepted by all the fairies.


title: Baal Veer

text: Ranipari decides that Baalveer is the only one who can defeat Bhayankar Pari and make an end to her terror. Rani Pari announces that Baalveer will be awarded the power of seven fairies. Some fairies disagree with this and criticize Rani Pari's decision. But, Ranipari has full faith on her son Baalveer. So nobody can't disobey Ranipari's words. In a prestigious ceremony, Baalveer is blessed with the power of Saptapari (Cabinet of Seven prominent fairies of Pari Lok) which consists of:


title: Baal Veer

text: Rani Pari sends Baalveer to Earth. She guides him to a cottage-tea-shop owner who employs him. Later when Baalveer, as a waiter, meets Mahesh Dagli, the sole earner from Dagli household in Mumbai, India; he adopts Baalveer as his own child seeing his pitiful condition (unaware of his true identity). Baalveer introduces himself as Ballu. The Dagli family is known as Saat Sachhon ka Parivar (The Family of Seven who never lie). It consists of Mahesh, Mahesh's father (Amit), his mother (Kasturi), his wife (Smita), his children Manav and Meher, and his younger brother (Rocky).


title: Baal Veer

text: Bhayankar Pari plots various times in order to kill Baalveer and fairies, but fails in each attempt. In her attempts to destroy Pari Lok, she also summoned Tabahi-Pari, but failed. Later, she turned Rani Pari into stone and attained the kingdom of Pari Lok by deceiving Baalveer. However, the fairies under the guidance of Baalveer, get Pari Tara and Raj-Dand (Supreme powers of Pari Lok) back from Bhayankar and capture her in prison. While, capturing her, they accidentally release Bhawandar Pari (Tycoon Fairy). She secretly prevents them from curing Rani Pari. Finally, when the fairies cure Rani Pari and she turns to her original form,everyone was so happy to see their mother back. Bhawandar manages to free Bhayankar Pari from the prison. Rani Pari attacks Bhayankar Pari with no delay, but Bhayankar tricks Bhawandar Pari and the weapon used by Rani Pari makes an end to Bhawandar Pari.


title: Baal Veer

text: Again Bhayankar Pari uses various methods to spread evil but fails. She also summons Nukeeli and Kateeli Pari, but even that doesn't work. Then finally, she resurrects her best friend- Chall Pari for her mission. The fairies organise a Satkar Samaroh (Honouring Ceremony) for Baalveer to appreciate his achievements. During the dance session, when there was noise all around, Chall Pari shoots an arrow at Baalveer and herself sticks to Rani Pari's wand which disables it. Rani Pari sees the arrow moving towards Baalveer, but unable to use her wand, she moves in front of Baalveer and the arrow strikes her. She sacrifices herself to save her beloved son Baalveer. After somedays Ranipari came in front of Baalveer and says that she loves him very much and always be there with him forever.


title: Baal Veer

text: The fairies and Baalveer make an end to Chall Pari, but Bhayankar manages to survive. Soon, Naaraz-Taaraz Pari realise their mistakes and admit their true identity in front of Baal Pari and other fairies. They forgive them and Naaraz-Taaraz tell them the way to kill Bhayankar. In the same manner, the fairies and Baalveer manage to kill Bhayankar pari.


title: Baal Veer

text: Soon, the natural resources of Pari Lok through their extraordinary signs convey to the fairies that a new Rani Pari will be entering Pari Lok through a special seashell of Pavan Nadi (Holy river). A new Rani Pari originates from the Pavan Nadi and is welcomed with great pomp and show. She raises a necessity of another hero who could help Baalveer. The fairies finally find another hero and name him Jaiveer. The new Rani Pari asks Baalveer and Jaiveer, as a mode of training, to reach a special palace by crossing the Sandhi Nadi (Connecting River). While doing so, Jaiveer secretly makes Baalveer slip into the river and Baalveer is declared to be dead. Pari Lok mourns the loss of Baalveer. The fairies as per the order of new Rani Pari, donate their powers to Jaiveer and immediately, the environment of Pari Lok turns strange. The wands of fairies and their powers are absorbed by Rani Pari and she is revealed to be none other than Bhayankar Pari herself. Jaiveer was also formed by her. The fairies get shocked on seeing her alive. She reveals that as she sensed that the fairies were planning to kill her, she had already arranged for a new body, that her spirit entered after her death. Then she sealed the shell from which Rani Pari was going to originate and herself, disguised as Rani Pari.


title: Baal Veer

text: She then captivates the fairies as her maids and Jaiveer starts spreading evil on Earth. The shining Royal blue shades of Pari Lok blacken out and black fumes get all over. By tricking Bhayankar, Natkhat Pari and Naaraz Pari obtain their and other fairies' magical wands and powers. As they go to open the magical shell, Bhayankar again manages to capture them, but Natkhat Pari accidentally slips into Sandhi Nadi, the same river in which Baalveer had fallen. Ironically, Natkhat finds herself on a seashore of Mumbai. She realises that the river in which she had slipped into, was Sandhi Nadi and magically connects Pari Lok to another planets. Thus, she infers that in this way, Baalveer would also be alive. She manages to find Baalveer and makes him remember his memories. Both of them unlock the real new Rani Pari, she regains the powers of Pari Lok from Bhayankar Pari. Bhayankar Pari escapes from there. Then, the new Rani Pari and Baalveer kill Jaiveer and she is welcomed in Pari Lok with great pomp and show. Pari Lok is cured from the effect of Bhayankar Pari and it again starts shinning in its shades. New Rani Pari fortakes the throne of Pari Lok and guides and helps Baalveer in his mission.


title: Baal Veer

text: New Ranipari also take care of Baalveer and fairies similar to previous Ranipari whose love is eternal. Whenever Baalveer had a confusion he first discusses it with Ranipari like previous Ranipari whom he loves very much.Bhayankar Pari again uses various methods to destroy Pari Lok and even resurrects Mahabhasma Pari but failed. Bhayankar kills Natkhat Pari, when the later was in the disguise of Baalveer. Bhayankar Pari again summons Nukeeli-Kateeli Pari, Chakravyuh Pari, Saarangi, Bhraman Pari and Patanga Pari, but to her disappointment all failed to defeat Baalveer. Many other villains get resurrected, like Kaakli Dayan, Hubahu, Exam Ghost etc. time to time, but Baalveer manages to defeat them as well. Then Bhayankar Pari resurrects Daityaani Pari, but in her ego, Daityaani tricks Bhayankar into prison. Bhayankar Pari escapes from the prison. Rani Pari gives Baalveer an extraordinary weapon and he kills Bhayankar Pari using the same.


title: Baal Veer

text: Soon, the spirits of five evil powers - Bhayankar Pari, Bhawandar Pari, Kateeli Pari, Chakravyuh Pari and Mahabhasma Pari get resurrected by Daityaani. All of them sacrifice their spirit to form Mahavinashini Pari, the fairy with the power of five elements. Daityaani refers to Mahavinashini as her slave, which hurts the ego of the latter.


title: Baal Veer

text: Mahavinashini, feeling insulted, then overpowers and kills Daityaani and herself plots again the fairies. Mahavinashini is killed soon by Baalveer.


title: Baal Veer

text: Even after 1st Ranipari's death, she helped Baalveer many times. On Earth, Manav and Meher excel in all their tasks and prove to be rising stars in academics. Observing their excellence, Rani Pari blesses them with powers and names them as Baalmitra and Baalsakhi respectively, to help Baalveer in his mission and adventures.


title: Baal Veer

text: A new evil power- Prachandika gets released from prison, when her sister Virus destroys Pari Lok. Virus is killed and Prachandika tries to avenge Rani Pari for the same. The fairies and Baalveer reconstruct Pari Lok. Prachandika fails in all of her attempts and finally manages to gain Kanishka Tara, which blesses her with the boon of desired death (Iccha Mrityu). Baalveer, along with Baalmitra and Baalsakhi, manages to kill Prachandika. The evil on Earth is finally destroyed. There is peace and righteousness everywhere. Rani Pari sends Baalveer to Gol-Gol Graha to restore peace there as well. The series ends at the note of 'The triumph of Good over Evil'.


title: Hindustan Contessa

text: The Hindustan Contessa is an automobile which was manufactured by Hindustan Motors (HM) of India from 1984 to 2002. It was based on the Vauxhall VX Series of 1976 to 1978, itself a development of the Vauxhall Victor FE. When introduced in 1983, it was one of the few Indian manufactured luxury cars in the market. One of its few indigenous competitors was the short-lived Standard 2000 which was based on the Rover SD1 and the Premier 118 NE was based on Fiat 124. The Contessa was a popular choice amongst government officials.


title: Hindustan Contessa

text: By the late 1970s, HM was ready to introduce a more modern car in the Indian market after having produced the ageing Ambassador for three decades. They were successful in acquiring the production tooling and technology of the Vauxhall VX Series, a car that was phased out in the UK in 1978. The production line was set up alongside the Ambassador at Uttarpara near Kolkata and the first test cars were ready by 1982. Series production was underway by the spring of 1984.


title: Hindustan Contessa

text: To keep development costs in check, the HM Contessa was introduced to the Indian market with the 1.5 L BMC B-Series engine which also powered the Ambassador in a slightly modified form along with the Hindustan four-speed gearbox both from the early 1950s.The Contessa was thus a car introduced in 1984 with a 1970 body and 1950 engine and gearbox. The press was upbeat about the roomy interior and plush ride, but was critical about the grossly underpowered engine and equally primitive gearbox. Top speed was only around , although there was also a version with higher 8.3:1 compression which offered .


title: Hindustan Contessa

text: By the late eighties, Hindustan had tied-up with Isuzu of Japan and started manufacturing their 1.8 L 4ZB1 petrol engine and matching five-speed gearbox for installation in the Contessa. The new car was called the Contessa Classic with distinctive "CLASSIC" and "1.8GL" badging on the trunk lid. The Isuzu-engined car quickly displaced the BMC-engined model, which was phased out in short order. The car achieved an increased top speed of around 160 km/h.


title: Hindustan Contessa

text: Even though the Contessa was based on a 1970s design, the interior was quiet and the seats were considered to be extremely comfortable. The basic design of the Contessa has remained the same throughout its life, though HM made minor updates throughout the life of the model such as a revised grille during the 1990s. Numerous features like fuel injection, power windows, power steering, bigger bumpers, upgraded headlights, air conditioning, etcetera, were introduced in phases to keep the car appealing to the premium customer.


title: Hindustan Contessa

text: In the 1990s, Hindustan started manufacturing the 2.0 L Isuzu 4FC1 diesel engine that came to power the Contessa Diesel. The diesel was a reasonably strong seller, considering its high price. A turbo diesel version was introduced a few years later.


title: Hindustan Contessa

text: However, after the advent of more modern cars from GM, Ford, Fiat, Tata, etcetera, the demand for the Contessa began to wane. Maruti Suzuki had grabbed the lion's share of the market and intense competition between the new auto manufacturers brought modern fuel-efficient cars to the Indian marketplace in the late 1990s. The constant rise of petrol prices was the final nail in the coffin for the now comparably thirsty Contessa, which was phased out in 2002. Towards the end of production, there were three versions of this car; the 1.8 GLX (Isuzu petrol), 2.0 DLX (Isuzu diesel) and 2.0 TD (Isuzu turbo diesel).


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7.1 million visitors, it was the eighteenth most visited museum in the world and the second most visited natural history museum in the world after the Natural History Museum in London. Opened in 1910, the museum on the National Mall was one of the first Smithsonian buildings constructed exclusively to hold the national collections and research facilities. The main building has an overall area of with of exhibition and public space and houses over 1,000 employees.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The museum's collections contain over 145 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts, the largest natural history collection in the world. It is also home to about 185 professional natural history scientists—the largest group of scientists dedicated to the study of natural and cultural history in the world.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The United States National Museum was founded in 1846 as part of the Smithsonian Institution. The museum was initially housed in the Smithsonian Institution Building, which is better known today as the Smithsonian Castle. A formal exhibit hall opened in 1858. The growing collection led to the construction of a new building, the National Museum Building (known today as the Arts and Industries Building). Covering a then-enormous , it was built in just 15 months at a cost of $310,000. It opened in March 1881.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: Congress authorized construction of a new building on June 28, 1902. On January 29, 1903, a special committee composed of members of Congress and representatives from the Smithsonian's board of regents published a report asking Congress to fund a much larger structure than originally planned. The regents began considering sites for the new building in March, and by April 12 settled on a site on the north side of B Street NW between 9th and 12th Streets. The D.C. architectural firm of Hornblower & Marshall was chosen to design the structure. Testing of the soil for the foundations was set for July 1903, with construction expected to take three years.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The Natural History Building (as the National Museum of Natural History was originally known) opened its doors to the public on March 17, 1910, in order to provide the Smithsonian Institution with more space for collections and research. The building was not fully completed until June 1911. The structure cost $3.5 million (about $85 million in inflation-adjusted 2012) dollars. The Neoclassical style building was the first structure constructed on the north side of the National Mall as part of the 1901 McMillan Commission plan. In addition to the Smithsonian's natural history collection, it also housed the American history, art, and cultural collections.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: Between 1981 and 2003, the National Museum of Natural History had 11 permanent and acting directors. There were six directors alone between 1990 and 2002. Turnover was high as the museum's directors were disenchanted by low levels of funding and the Smithsonian's inability to clearly define the museum's mission. Robert W. Fri was named the museum's director in 1996. One of the largest donations in Smithsonian history was made during Fri's tenure. Kenneth E. Behring donated $20 million in 1997 to modernize the museum. Fri resigned in 2001 after disagreeing with Smithsonian leadership over the reorganization of the museum's scientific research programs.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: J. Dennis O'Connor, Provost of the Smithsonian Institution (where he oversaw all science and research programs) was named acting director of the museum on July 25, 2001. Eight months later, O'Conner resigned to become the vice president of research and dean of the graduate school at the University of Maryland. Douglas Erwin, a paleontologist at the National Museum of Natural History, was appointed interim director in June 2002.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: In January 2003, the Smithsonian announced that Cristián Samper, a Colombian with an M.Sc. and Ph.D. from Harvard University, would become the museum's permanent director on March 31, 2003. Samper (who holds dual citizenship with Colombia and the United States) founded the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute and ran the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute after 2001. Smithsonian officials said Samper's administrative experience proved critical in his appointment. Under Samper's direction, the museum opened the $100 million Behring Hall of Mammals in November 2003, received $60 million in 2004 for the Sant Hall of Oceans, and received a $1 million gift from Tiffany & Co. for the purchase of precious gems for the National Gem Collection.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: On March 25, 2007, Lawrence M. Small, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the organization's highest-ranking appointed official, resigned abruptly after public reports of lavish spending.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: On March 27, 2007, Samper was appointed Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian. Paul G. Risser, former chancellor of the University of Oklahoma, was named acting director of the Museum of Natural History on March 29.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: Samper's tenure at the museum was not without controversy. In May 2007, Robert Sullivan, the former associate director in charge of exhibitions at the National Museum of Natural History, charged that Samper and Smithsonian Undersecretary for Science David Evans (Samper's supervisor) ordered "last minute" changes in the exhibit "Arctic: A Friend Acting Strangely" to tone down the role of human beings in the discussion of global warming, and to make global warming seem more uncertain than originally depicted. Samper denied that he knew of any scientific objections to the changes, and said that no political pressure had been applied to the Smithsonian to make the changes. In November 2007, "The Washington Post" reported that an interagency group of scientists from the Department of the Interior, NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and National Science Foundation believed that, despite Samper's denial, the museum "acted to avoid criticism from congressional appropriators and global-warming skeptics in the Bush administration". The changes were discussed as early as mid-August 2005, and Dr. Waleed Abdalati, manager of NASA's Cryospheric Sciences Program, noted at the time that "There was some discussion of the political sensitivities of the exhibit." Although the exhibit was due to open in October 2005, the "Post" reported that Samper ordered a six-month delay to allow for even further changes. The newspaper also reported that it had obtained a memo drafted by Samper shortly after October 15, 2005, in which Samper said the museum should not "replicate" work by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. A few weeks later, a NOAA climate researcher advised a superior that the delay was due to "the debate within the administration and the science community over the existence and cause of global warming". During the delay, Samper asked high-level officials in other government agencies and departments to review the script for the exhibit, ordered his museum staff to make additionals changes, and rearranged the sequence of the exhibit panels so that the discussion of climate change was not immediately encountered by museum visitors. Shortly before the exhibit opened in April 2006, officials at NOAA and the United States Department of Commerce expressed to their superiors their opinion that the exhibit had been changed to accommodate political concerns. In an interview with "The Washington Post" in November 2007, Samper said he felt the exhibit displayed a scientific certainty that did not exist, and expressed his belief that the museum should present evidence on both sides and let the public make up its own mind.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The controversy became more heated after the press reported that Samper gave permission for the museum to accept a $5 million donation from American Petroleum Institute that would support the museum's soon-to-be-opened Hall of Oceans. Two members of the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents (which had final say on accepting the donation) questioned whether the donation was a conflict of interest. Before the board could consider the donation, the donor withdrew the offer.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: Risser resigned as acting director of the museum on January 22, 2008, in order to return to his position at the University of Oklahoma. No new acting director was named at that time. Six weeks later, the Smithsonian regents chose Georgia Tech president G. Wayne Clough as the new Secretary. Samper stepped down to return to his position as Director of the National Museum of Natural History.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The remainder of Samper's tenure at the museum proved less controversial. In June 2008, the Victoria and Roger Sant family donated $15 million to endow the new Ocean Hall at the museum. The museum celebrated the 50th anniversary of its acquisition of the Hope Diamond in August 2009 by giving the gemstone its own exhibit and a new setting. In March 2010, the museum opened its $21 million human evolution hall.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: In January 2012, Samper said he was stepping down from the National Museum of Natural History to become president and chief executive officer of the Wildlife Conservation Society. Two months later, the museum announced it had received a $35 million gift to renovate its dinosaur hall, and a month later the Sant family donated another $10 million to endow the director's position. On July 25, 2012, Kirk Johnson, vice president of research and collections at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, was named Samper's successor effective October 29, 2012. By 2013, as Sant Director, Johnson oversaw a museum with 460 employees and a $68 million budget. A four-year strategic plan was released in 2021.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The NMNH represents 90% of the Smithsonian Institution’s collections and forms one of the largest, most comprehensive natural history collection in the world. The Smithsonian gives an approximate number for artifacts and specimens of 146 million. More specifically, the collections include 30 million insects, 4.5 million plants preserved in the Museum's herbarium, and 7 million fish stored in liquid-filled jars. The National Collection of Amphibians and Reptiles has more than tripled from 190,000 specimen records 1970 to over 580,000 specimen records in 2020. Of the 2 million cultural artifacts, 400,000 are photographs housed in the National Anthropological Archives. Through off-site active loan and exchange programs, the museum's collections can be accessed. As a result, 3.5 million specimens are out on loan every year. The rest of the collections not on display are stored in the non-public research areas of the museum and at the Museum Support Center, located in Suitland, Maryland. Other facilities include a marine science center in Ft. Pierce, Florida and field stations in Belize, Alaska, and Kenya.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: Research in the museum is divided into seven departments: anthropology, botany, entomology, invertebrate zoology, mineral sciences, paleobiology, vertebrate zoology.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: One collection of nearly a million specimens of birds, reptiles, and mammals kept at the museum has been maintained by the Biological Survey unit of the U.S. Geological Survey. This division had started in 1885 as an economic ornithology unit of the Agriculture Department. Clarence Birdseye and Clinton Hart Merriam had worked in this organization. As of February 2018, the unit's funding is planned to be cut, and it is not clear what would happen to the collection.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The National Gem and Mineral Collection is one of the most significant collections of its kind in the world. The collection includes some of the most famous pieces of gems and minerals including the Hope Diamond and the Star of Asia Sapphire, one of the largest sapphires in the world. There are currently over 15,000 individual gems in the collection, as well as 350,000 minerals and 300,000 samples of rock and ore specimens. Additionally, the Smithsonian's National Gem and Mineral Collection houses approximately 45,000 meteorite specimens, including examples of every known type of meteorite, and is considered to be one of the most comprehensive collections of its kind in the world.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The collection is displayed in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals, one of the many galleries in the Museum of Natural History. Some of the most important donors, besides Hooker, are Washington A. Roebling, the man who built the Brooklyn Bridge, who gave 16,000 specimens to the collection; Frederick A. Canfield, who donated 9,000 specimens to the collection; and Dr. Isaac Lea, who donated the basis of the museum's collection of 1312 gems and minerals.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The David H. Koch "Hall of Human Origins" opened on March 17, 2010, marking the museum's 100th anniversary. The hall is named for David H. Koch, who contributed $15 million to the $20.7 million exhibit.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The Hall is "dedicated to the discovery and understanding of human origins," and occupies of exhibit space. This exhibit includes 76 humans skulls, each of a different species, eons apart. Each of these species is a human, signified by the ""Homo"" genus name. One species that can be found in this gallery is the "Homo heidelbergensis", which lived 200,000–700,000 years ago. In addition, there is a female skull from "Homo floresiensis", a human species that possibly only went extinct just 17,000 years ago. The exhibit includes an interactive human family tree that follows six million years of evolution, and a "Changing the World" gallery that focuses on issues surrounding climate change and humans' impact on the world.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The Hall's core concept idea is "What Does It Mean To Be Human", and focuses on milestones of human evolution such as walking upright, bigger brains, and symbolic thought.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: Also covered is the Smithsonian's significant research on the geological and climate changes which occurred in East Africa during significant periods of Human Evolution.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The exhibit highlights an actual fossil Neanderthal and replicas created by famed paleoartist, John Gurche.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The exhibit also provides a complementary web site, which provides diaries and podcasts directly from related fields of research.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The companion book, "What Does It Mean To Be Human", was written by Richard (Rick) Potts, the curator, and Christopher Sloan.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The Hall of Dinosaurs has fossilized skeletons and cast models, including a "Tyrannosaurus rex" cast facing a "Triceratops" cast. This "Triceratops" exhibit shows the first accurate dinosaur skeleton in virtual motion, achieved through the use of scanning and digital technology." The collection consists of 46 "complete and important specimens" of dinosaurs.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: In May 2012, billionaire David H. Koch donated $35 million toward the cost of a $45 million upgrade to the 30-year-old, dinosaur hall. The hall closed in April 2014 and reopened in June 2019.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: In June 2013, the Smithsonian obtained a 50-year lease on a "T. rex" fossil skeleton owned by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. It is the first "T. rex" skeleton to be displayed at the museum, which until now has only had the cast of a skull. The specimen, known as the , was found on Corps-owned land in the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in Montana in 1988. It has since been on display at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana (which helped excavate the fossil). The "Wankel rex" (whose skeleton is 85 percent complete) was to be unveiled at the Museum of Natural History on National Fossil Day, October 16, 2013, and was supposed to be on display until the dinosaur hall exhibit closed for renovation in the spring of 2014. The long skeleton will be the centerpiece of the dinosaur hall when it re-opens in 2019. The Museum of the Rockies (which did not own the skeleton but was the repository for it) has about a dozen "T. rex" specimens, including one which is eighty percent complete. Only about six museums in the United States have a "T. rex" skeleton. The Museum of the Rockies is a Smithsonian affiliate museum, and had long promised to find a "T. rex" for the Smithsonian to display.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: Due to the 2013 federal government shutdown, the fossil did not arrive in Washington, D.C. Smithsonian officials said it remained in storage in Montana, and would not arrive at the Smithsonian until late spring 2014. Packed up in 16 crates, the "T. rex", named "Nation's T. rex" by the Smithsonian, traveled from the Museum of the Rockies and arrived at the National Museum of Natural History on April 15, 2014. The "T. rex" was displayed in the Rex Room, while specialists performed a conservation assessment and the Smithsonian Digitization Program scanned each bone, to create a 3-D model for research. The Nation's T. rex is the centerpiece of the new fossil hall, which opened in 2019.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The Behring Hall of Mammals was designed by Reich + Petch. The mammal specimens are presented as works of modern art within minimal environmentals. Visitors discover mammal's evolutionary adaptions to hugely diverse contexts, and ultimately discover that they too are mammals.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The museum has the largest collection of vertebrate specimens in the world, nearly twice the size of the next largest mammal collections, including historically important collections from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its collection was initiated by C. Hart Merriam and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (later the Department of the Interior), which expanded it in the 1890s-1930s.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The O. Orkin Insect Zoo features live insects and exhibits about insects and entomologists. Different habitats have been created to show the type of insects that live in different environments and how they have adapted to a freshwater pond, house, mangrove swamp, desert, and rain forest. The zoo is sponsored by Orkin, a pest control company.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The Sant Ocean Hall opened on September 27, 2008, and is the largest renovation of the museum since it opened in 1910. The hall includes 674 marine specimens and models drawn from the over 80 million specimens in the museum's total collection, the largest in the world. The hall is named for the Roger Sant family, who donated $15 million to endow the new hall and other related programs.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The collection includes: a North Atlantic right whale, a giant Lion's mane jellyfish model, a aquarium, one female giant squid displayed in the center of the hall and a male displayed off to the side, an adult coelenterate, and a "Basilosaurus".


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The museum also provides the Smithsonian Ocean Portal, a complementary web site that provides regularly updated, original content from the museum's research, collections, and Sant Ocean Hall as well as content provided by more than 20 collaborating organizations, including Archive, Census of Marine Life, Consortium for Ocean Leadership, Encyclopedia of Life, INDUCT, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, National Geographic, NOAA, New England Aquarium, Ocean Conservancy, Oceania, Pew Charitable Trusts, Sea Web, Save Our Seas, Scrips Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, World Heritage Marine Programmer.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: This exhibit and associated website "examines the diversity, dynamism, and global influence of Africa's peoples and cultures over time in the realms of family, work, community, and the natural environment."


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: Featuring a live butterfly pavilion allows "visitors to observe the many ways in which butterflies and other animals have evolved, adapted, and diversified together with their plant partners over tens of millions of years." The exhibit was designed by Reich + Petch.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: This exhibit displays a "variety of vertebrate skeletons grouped by their evolutionary relationships."


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: Opened since 2013, this exhibit is the museum's interactive and educational area. Using microscopes and touch screens, the area hosts various interactive activities and puzzles visitors can experience and contains a "collection zone" that houses over 6000 different specimens and artifacts visitors are able personally handle. The area also hosts various events such as allowing visitors to meet and discuss with Smithsonian scientists and hosting school groups.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: "This hall explores some examples from various cultures in the western world including northern Iraq, ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome and the recent discovery of the Iceman, a Copper Age mummy found in an Italian glacier." This exhibit closed September 26, 2010.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The Korea Gallery was a special showcase to celebrate Korean traditions and examine its unique influence and complex role in the world today.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The exhibit expressed the continuity of the past by highlighting enduring features of Korean culture which have influence and resonance today. The exhibit used the Smithsonian ceramics collection as well as a rich selection of photographs, ritual objects and traditional Korean carpentry to communicate and connect to both the local Korean community and an international audience. Traditional art forms, such as ceramics and calligraphy, along with mythological figures, language, large feature photographs and illustrations spoke to a range of shared historical memories which connected Koreans at home and abroad.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: Personal stories of modern Koreans, as told in their own voices, provide a context to discuss some of the many issues that face the divided country today. Korea's incredible transformation from 'The Hermit Kingdom' to a world power is traced through its impact on the arts, the economy and popular culture. The exhibit was designed by Reich + Petch. This exhibit closed in 2017.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: In the lower level, there is a bird exhibit, Urban Bird Habitat Garden, with all the migratory and native birds to Washington, D.C.


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: Beneath the building's rotunda is the Baird Auditorium, named for the second Secretary of the Smithsonian Spencer Fullerton Baird. The Baird Auditorium was completed in 1909, designed and built by the R. Guastavino Company under the direction of Rafael Guastavino, Jr. using Catalan vault tile ceiling. The American Institute of Architects calls the Baird Auditorium the museum's "greatest interior space." According to architectural scholar Dr. John Ochsendorf, the Baird Auditorium's "daring geometry" in tile construction by the Guastavino company "spans 90 feet (27 meters) with a remarkable shallow dome in acoustical tile, and could only have been built by a company with decades of experience in tile vaulting."


title: National Museum of Natural History

text: The Baird Auditorium has a long history of performances and events. The Baird was the location of the astronomical 'Great Debate,' also called the 'Shapley–Curtis Debate,' on April 26, 1920 on the topics of spiral nebulae and the size of the universe. Merle Travis gave a country guitar music concert in the Baird Auditorium on October 23, 1976. In early February 1977, Muddy Waters performed in the Baird as part of the Smithsonian Institution's blues series presented by the Division of Performing Arts.


title: Seminary

text: A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called "seminarians") in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, in academics, or mostly in Christian ministry. The English word is taken from the Latin "seminarium", translated as "seed-bed", an image taken from the Council of Trent document "Cum adolescentium aetas" which called for the first modern seminaries.


title: Seminary

text: In the United States, the term is currently used for graduate-level theological institutions, but historically it was used for high schools.


title: Seminary

text: The establishment of seminaries in modern times resulted from Roman Catholic reforms of the Counter-Reformation after the Council of Trent. These Tridentine seminaries placed great emphasis on spiritual formation and personal discipline as well as the study, first of philosophy as a base, and, then, as the final crown, theology. The oldest Catholic seminary in the United States is St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore founded in 1791. In the United States, Protestant institutions also widely adopted the term 'seminary' for independent graduate schools (separate from a university) to train their ministers. The oldest such Protestant seminary in the United States was founded in Andover, Massachusetts in 1807 as the Andover Theological Seminary and was affiliated with the Congregationalist Church. After two mergers and a number of relocations, Andover is now part of the Yale Divinity School, in New Haven, Connecticut.


title: Seminary

text: Seminaries in the Catholic Church are divided into minor seminaries for teenagers and major seminaries for adults, including both college seminaries (though in the U.S. these are often called minor seminaries) for undergraduate students and post-graduate seminaries for those who already have a bachelor's degree. There are also seminaries for older adults who are well out of school, such as the Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Massachusetts, and for other more specialized purposes.


title: Seminary

text: All seminaries are run either by religious orders or by dioceses or other similar structures. Often a seminary will train both that particular order's or diocese's priests and the priests of other orders or dioceses that select that particular seminary for its priests. For instance, Saint John's Seminary in Boston, Massachusetts trains priests for many of the other dioceses in New England which are suffragan dioceses of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. Either way, a man who seeks to enter a seminary to become a priest must be sponsored by either a diocese or by a religious order.


title: Seminary

text: Often a diocese might be attached to or affiliated with a larger Catholic college or university so that the larger college and its faculty provides more general education in history or theology while the seminary focuses on topics specific to the needs of future priests, such as training in canon law, the sacraments, and preaching, or specific to the particular order or diocese. For instance the Theological College in Washington, D.C. is part of The Catholic University of America.


title: Seminary

text: Further, in Rome there are several seminaries which educate seminarians or already ordained priests and bishops and which are maintained by orders or dioceses from outside of Italy. For instance, the Pontifical North American College, which trains priests from the United States and elsewhere, is supported by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.


title: Seminary

text: The International Council for Evangelical Theological Education was founded in 1980 by the Theological Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance. In 2015, it would have 1,000 member schools in 113 countries.


title: Seminary

text: In some countries, the term "seminary" is also used for secular schools of higher education that train teachers; in the nineteenth century, many female seminaries were established in the United States.


title: Seminary

text: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) hosts seminary classes for high school students ages 14 to 18, as part of the Church Educational System. Unlike use in other religious contexts, the word "seminary", in an LDS Church context, does not refer to a higher education program designed to train students that they may obtain a church-based career. LDS seminary students do not get high school credit for their seminary studies.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., often referred to as just Brisco or Brisco County, is an American weird western television series created by Jeffrey Boam and Carlton Cuse. It ran for 27 episodes on the Fox network starting in the 1993–94 season. Set in the American West of 1893, the series follows its title character, a Harvard-educated lawyer-turned-bounty hunter hired by a group of wealthy industrialists to track and capture outlaw John Bly and his gang. Bruce Campbell plays Brisco, who is joined by a colorful group of supporting characters, including Julius Carry as fellow bounty hunter Lord Bowler and Christian Clemenson as stick-in-the-mud lawyer Socrates Poole.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: While ostensibly a Western, the series routinely includes elements of the science fiction and steampunk genres. Humor is a large part of the show; the writers attempted to keep the jokes and situations "just under over-the-top". A large number of episodes involve the Orb, a powerful device from the future. John Astin plays Professor Wickwire, an inventor who assists Brisco with anachronistic technology including diving suits, motorcycles, rockets, and airships. The search for new technology and progressive ideas, what the writers of the show called "The Coming Thing", is a central theme throughout the series.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: "Brisco" was developed by Boam and Cuse at the request of Fox executive Bob Greenblatt. Impressed by the duo's work on the script for the 1989 film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", Greenblatt suggested they develop a series that bore the tone and style of vintage movie serials. The initial ideas and proposals from the show's writers were more often suited for film than television and had to be scaled down. "Brisco" was one of the last television shows to be filmed on the Warner Bros. Western backlot. Randy Edelman composed the distinctive theme music, which has been reused by NBC during its coverage of the 1997 World Series and the Olympic Games.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: During its broadcast run, "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." garnered a small but dedicated following and was well received by critics. The series earned high ratings at the beginning of its season, but later episodes failed to attract a substantial number of viewers. Fox canceled the show at the end of its first and only season. In 2006, Warner Home Video released a DVD set containing all 27 episodes. The series has been remembered fondly by critics, who praise its humor and unique blend of genres.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.", is set in a fictional American Old West of 1893. Robber barons control the financial and industrial interests of the West from the boardrooms of San Francisco's Westerfield Club. The famous U.S. Marshal Brisco County, Sr. (R. Lee Ermey) has apprehended a gang of outlaws and its leader, the notorious John Bly (Billy Drago). While transporting them to stand trial, County is murdered and the gang escapes. Meanwhile, in a nearby mine, a group of shackled Chinese workers unearths "The Orb", a large golden globe studded with rods. A worker draws one of the rods from out of the Orb, then touches several of his co-workers with it. As each worker is touched with the rod he is imbued with superhuman strength which they use to break the iron chains binding them, thus freeing themselves. The murder of Brisco County, Sr., and the discovery of the Orb set into motion the major plots of the series.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Members of the Westerfield Club hire Brisco County, Jr. (Bruce Campbell), the son of the slain U.S. Marshal, to track and re-capture Bly and his gang. The Westerfield Club's timid lawyer, Socrates Poole (Christian Clemenson) relays instructions and financial support to Brisco. Another bounty hunter, Lord Bowler (Julius Carry), who is known for his expert tracking skills, also hopes to capture Bly. Bitter over the elder County's fame, Bowler treats Brisco as a rival. The two men often find themselves reluctantly joining forces to achieve a common goal. Later in the series, Brisco and Bowler work together as partners and friends.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: In the pilot episode, Brisco tracks John Bly's second-in-command, Big Smith (M. C. Gainey). In a battle on a train car, Brisco knocks Smith off the train and into a river; he is assumed dead until he reappears later in the series. Brisco, Bowler and Socrates hunt the rest of Bly's gang in subsequent episodes. All ten of the gang members are captured or killed, and Brisco's pursuit of Bly, who is seeking the Orb for its supernatural power, frequently puts him into contact with the object. Each encounter with the Orb reveals a fantastic effect on people who use it. In the episode "The Orb Scholar", Bly shoots Brisco and leaves him to die. Professor Ogden Coles (Brandon Maggart), a scientist who studies the Orb, heals Brisco with the device. In the episode "Bye Bly", it is revealed that Bly is a fugitive from the distant future who has traveled to 1893 to steal the Orb. Bly plans to use the Orb to travel back to his time and rule the world. Instead, Brisco uses the Orb to travel through time to save Bowler's life. Brisco eventually kills Bly by stabbing him with a rod from the Orb, causing Bly to disintegrate into a pile of ashes. Series creator and executive producer Carlton Cuse said that the Orb represents faith and that depending on the intentions of those who use it, the object rewards or punishes them accordingly.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: The pilot episode introduces several characters who make recurring appearances throughout the series. Big Smith's moll Dixie Cousins (Kelly Rutherford) is a saloon singer and con artist who has a brief romantic encounter with Brisco. In later episodes, Dixie becomes Brisco's primary love interest. In his first mission, Brisco also meets Professor Albert Wickwire (John Astin), an eccentric scientist who returns to help many times during the series. Wickwire's ideas and inventions play into Brisco's interest in technology and the future, something Brisco calls "The Coming Thing". Pete Hutter (John Pyper-Ferguson) is a hapless mercenary working for Bly. He has a compulsive attachment to his "piece" (pistol), and given any opportunity will pontificate about topics such as art and philosophy. Pete appears throughout the series as a comic foil to trade barbs with the heroes. He appears to be killed three times during the series, but returns each time with a comic excuse for why he didn't die. The second half of the series includes many episodes with Whip Morgan (Jeff Phillips), a young cardsharp whose attempts to assist Brisco and Bowler often end up causing trouble.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: The show features classic Western motifs such as train robberies and gunfighter showdowns, in combination with atypical elements. Much of the series is devoted to the science fiction plot surrounding the Orb, and it is this mix of the Western genre with fantasy that has helped "Brisco" maintain its cult status. In almost every episode, the characters discover or are confronted by what is, for the time, fantastic technology. In the pilot episode, Brisco and Professor Wickwire modify a rocket to run on train tracks. In the episode "Brisco For the Defense", Brisco uses a slide projector to show a trial jury fingerprint evidence. Professor Wickwire returns many times in the series to assist with technology, including tinkering with motorcycles and rescuing the heroes with a helium-filled zeppelin. Campbell told "Starlog" magazine, "It's kind of Jules Verne meets "The Wild Wild West"." The presence of futuristic technology in a Victorian era Western places the series in the steampunk genre; it is one of the few such shows to have aired on prime-time television. At least one-third of the show's episodes contain steampunk or Weird West elements. Though "technology-out-of-time" frequently intrudes into the plots of "Brisco", the fantastic machines or methods rarely appear again. Some of these out-of-time technologies were archaic renderings of those prevalent in the 20th century, and two film researchers, Cynthia Miller and A. Bowdoin Van Riper, suggest that followers of the show may be puzzled that such inventions, so useful in their own lives, are not exploited further.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: According to Cuse, the show was purposely set in 1893, exactly 100 years before the series premiered in 1993. Brisco is meant to be aware of the imminent changes in society and technology and actively looks for them. The writers of the show, and also the character of Brisco, refer to this concept as "The Coming Thing". Elaborating on this theme, Campbell said, "Basically this show is about the turn of the century, when the Old West met the Industrial Era. Cowboys still chew tobacco and ride the range and states are still territories, but over the horizon is the onset of electricity, the first autos and telephones. Brisco is in the middle of a transition from the past to the future." The collision of cowboy characters with puzzling technology and other anachronisms generates humor throughout the series. The writers made it a point to insert scenes mirroring the pop culture of the 20th century, from the apparent invention of the term "UFO" in the pilot episode to the appearance of a sheriff who looks and acts like Elvis Presley. Speaking about the humor of the show, Campbell said, "I would say 30 percent of each episode is being played for laughs. But it's not a winking at the camera, "Airplane"-type of humor. We're funny like "Indiana Jones" is funny; the laughs come primarily from the wide variety of ridiculous, colorful characters that come in and out of this series."


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Bruce Campbell went through five auditions for the role of Brisco before he was hired. In his first audition with the casting director, Campbell spontaneously did a standing flip. The stunt impressed the casting director so much that during each subsequent audition, Campbell was asked to do the flip again. In his final audition, Campbell assured the network executives that if hired for the role, he would work hard to make the show a success. In an interview, Campbell said, "It's every actor's dream to play a cowboy, so when this opportunity came up, I mean, yeah, where do I sign?" He added that working on "Brisco" provided him with acting opportunities he would not have otherwise had. Cuse said getting Campbell "was just one of those collisions between an actor and a script that was just perfect ... I can't imagine Brisco having ever existed without him." Writing in "Auxiliary Magazine", Luke Copping claimed that Brisco was Campbell's "last great" role before the actor fell into "a period of self-parody and overt camp that he did not redeem himself from until joining the cast of "Burn Notice"".


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Christian Clemenson went to Harvard with Cuse but still went through the normal audition channels to get the part of Poole. Clemenson was apprehensive about pursuing one of the lead roles in a television show because of the long time commitments involved. He later said, "The similarities between this show and "The Wild Wild West", and my character to that show's Artemus Gordon, was an important hook for me. It was one of my favorite shows growing up, and as soon as I saw that "Brisco County" was based on the same kind of material and attitude as that show, I called my agent and said, 'I'll do anything I have to do to get this. Clemenson applied his experiences at Ivy League schools to play the uptight Poole. Praising Clemenson's work on "Brisco", Cuse said, "You can't give him anything he's not capable of doing. He adds the voice of intelligence and caution to balance our cast".


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Julius Carry saw great potential in the character of Bowler. He had researched black cowboys for a project in college and used that knowledge in his portrayal of Bowler. Carry said that Bowler was similar to the real-life black deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, in that "Reeves always got his man and would often pull off incredible tricks to bring people in." Carry knew Clemenson from the time they worked together on the Western television pilot "Independence". He had no knowledge of Campbell, but approved of the choice for the leading man after watching "Army of Darkness". He later told "Starlog", "I saw that he would be very good with the physical stuff and that he could deliver a one-liner. I knew the situation would be good." The original direction for Bowler was to have him constantly oppose Brisco, but as the series progressed the writers saw the good-natured chemistry between the actors and decided to make Brisco and Bowler a team. Bowler's race was never an issue in the show. According to Cary Darling, a television critic, this attitude is different from serious Westerns and "may hew more to the truth than one might think". He said historians have noted that black cowboys were common and that conflicts with white cowboys were rare.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Kelly Rutherford's portrayal of Dixie Cousins, with her emphasis on innuendo and subtext, has been described as "less Miss Kitty ("Gunsmoke") than Mae West". Rutherford said that playing Dixie allowed her to fulfill her "fantasy of being Madeline Kahn in "Blazing Saddles"". When John Astin was cast he was best known for his portrayal of Gomez Addams in "The Addams Family". Cuse said that he and the writers enjoyed paying homage to the television star of their childhoods: "For us, it was like, 'Oh wow, we get to meet John Astin in the guise of employing him on this show!


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: In 1989, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was released in the cinemas. It was a commercial success, earning its producers US$115 million from domestic screenings. The action-packed story, unfolding in a manner reminiscent of Saturday matinee movie serials, about the adventures of an archaeologist was written by Jeffrey Boam, with development and story help from Carlton Cuse; this film was their third collaboration, after "Lethal Weapon 2" and "3". According to Cuse, Bob Greenblatt, an executive at Fox Broadcasting Company, engaged him and Boam to develop a television series "because of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"". Greenblatt wanted a show that had a style similar to the "Indiana Jones" movies. Cuse started watching old serials and noticed that many fell into two genres: Westerns and science fiction. This gave Boam and Cuse the idea to combine the genres. They decided to emulate the serials' style; for example, each act within an episode begins with a title, usually a pun, and ends with a cliffhanger.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Boam and Cuse did not intend for the series to be historically accurate. Their aim was to create an action-adventure with a modern feel. Cuse told "USA Today", "We're not approaching this show as if we were doing a period piece. We see it as a contemporary program. Our characters just happen to be living in the West with 1990s sensibilities. The "Indiana Jones" movies were period pieces too, but you never thought of them that way." Anachronisms and pop culture references were intentionally inserted into the series. The show was intended to be family friendly, so violence was minimized in favor of having Brisco think his way out of dangerous situations. Boam said, "In the two-hour pilot Brisco doesn't even once have to shoot his gun. Our violence is cartoonish. There is no pain and suffering." Bruce Campbell was prominently featured in advertisements, billboards, and even a trailer shown in movie theaters. When the series was being promoted in the summer of 1993, Fox Entertainment chief Sandy Grushow said that if Campbell "isn't the next big television star, I'll eat my desk".


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Cuse served as show runner and head writer. Boam, who served as executive producer, also contributed scripts for the show. The writing staff included John Wirth, Brad Kern, Tom Chehak, David Simkins, and John McNamara. They followed Cuse's informal instruction that the tone of the show remain "just under over-the-top": the series would be humorous but not too campy. Every member of the staff participated in breaking down and analyzing the stories they conceived. Worth commented, "there was a very high percentage of ideas that worked in the room and got translated to paper that worked when you put them on film. That doesn't always happen." Cuse described long hours writing the show, including several overnight sessions. Each episode of "Brisco" was filmed in seven days, so the turn-around time for scripts was one week. McNamara said that he became a "student of TV history" while writing for "Brisco", reviewing old episodes of "Maverick" for inspiration on using humor in the Western genre. He said the writing team felt the television audience was ready for a "trans-genre form", because much of the audience grew up with "Lethal Weapon", "", and "The Wild Wild West". Researchers Lynnette Porter and Barry Porter acknowledge the writer's familiarity with Mark Twain's novel "Pudd'nhead Wilson". Porter and Porter describe the novel as an "ancestor text", because the characters of Brisco and Bly both refer to it, and say that this type of literary device is used again by Cuse in "Lost".


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: One of the challenges the writers faced was scaling down their ideas to make them feasible for production. Cuse said that he let such ideas flourish because of his relative inexperience with writing for television series. An example given by the writers was Boam's idea for a full-sized "pirate ship on wheels". The writers quickly realized they needed to scale the idea down to something the production designers could create. They settled on putting a full pirate crew on a stagecoach with cannons. Kern said it was better to "shoot past the mark, and come back to it, rather than start below it". He elaborated on this, saying, "if you envision the 40-foot galleon and go back from that, you'll always end up with more than if you start out with a pirate on a horse."


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: As the series progressed during its broadcast season, the writers received frequent notes and directives from Fox network executives calling for increases and decreases in the science-fiction, comedy and traditional Western elements. Cuse said, "I think we did a particularly good job of maintaining continuity with all the schizophrenic notes we were getting from the network." However, midway through the first season, the writers made a thematic shift from science-fiction to more comedy and adventure. Cuse said, "We were biting off more than we could chew... we were trying to do a comedic action adventure Western, with tongue-in-cheek humor, genuine drama, plus science fiction. All these things added too many elements to serve simultaneously." By the final third of the series, the writers had wrapped up the science-fiction plot with the Orb and focused more on traditional Western motifs.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.", was filmed primarily on the Warner Bros. soundstages. Town and street scenes were staged on the Western backlot, known as Laramie Street. It was one of the last Western shows to use the backlot. Cuse said that logistics were a problem because so many of the Hollywood Western sets and towns had been torn down by the 1990s. Outdoor scenes were shot on the Warner Bros. ranch in Valencia, California; Bronson Canyon in Los Angeles; and the Valuze Ranch in Santa Clarita, California. Some of the locomotive scenes from "Brisco" were filmed on location at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, California. A painting used in the show as a backdrop to create illusions of greater depth perspectives is exhibited at the park.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Comet was portrayed by five horses, each with a different talent. The main horse was Copper, chosen by veteran wrangler Gordon Spencer because it was calm and gentle. Campbell nicknamed the horse "Leadbelly" due to its ability to remain calm during action or dialogue scenes. Another horse, Boss, was used for long-range shots, chase scenes, and elaborate stunts, such as leaps through windows. Ace was called in when the crew had to shoot scenes in which the horse reared. Near the end of the season, a horse named Comet was trained, its name chosen so that the horse would get used to hearing it on set. The "true show horse" was Strip, which was adept at doing tricks, such as lip movements, head nods, and hoof stamping. According to Spencer, all those stunts "as well as tying the knots and opening the door and going into rooms and all of that" were done by Strip. For these scenes, Spencer would stand off-camera and use a stick to signal Strip. Campbell had a special pocket sewn into his costume and filled it with grain to reward Strip after every take. No other horse had more scenes than Strip and Copper. With white colorings on his nose and legs, Strip's appearance was chosen for Brisco's steed; Copper and the other horses were touched up with "clown white" greasepaint to match Strip's markings.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Foley artist Casey Crabtree provided sounds for horse hoof movements, work that was praised by sounds effects industry expert David Yewdall. He said of Crabtree's work on "Brisco", "Her horses sounded so natural and real – their hooves, the sound of their hooves on the texture of the ground, the sound of saddle movement, bridle jingles – it was as good as anything I would want for a feature film, and this was episodic television." The make-up on many of "Brisco"'s episodes was done by veteran artist Mel Berns Jr.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Two props of the Orb were made. One of the prop Orbs was used for stunts and had retractable rods. A second version was manufactured from cast bronze, making it heavy: "You really didn't want to have to handle it," Campbell said. The rocket car seen in the pilot episode was built by special effects coordinator Kam Cooney and was a working vehicle with an internal combustion engine and throttle controls. Some items used in the show had been repurposed from older productions, and some would later be used in other shows. For example, the steam locomotive seen in the pilot episode was the same as the one used in "Back to the Future Part III". Two of Carry's prop guns – rifles whose barrels were sawed-off in fashion of the Mare's Leg – were later reused in the science fiction television series "Firefly".


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Composed by Randy Edelman, the distinctive theme music gained recognition beyond the show's following; in the mid-1990s, NBC Sports had commissioned Edelman to compose theme music for its NFL coverage. At the time, NBC had often used excerpts from film scores as theme music for its sports broadcasts, and had used a portion of Edelman's "Gettysburg" score for the Breeder's Cup. A portfolio Edelman sent NBC included the "Brisco" theme, and by 1996 it was being used during coverage of the Olympics; the theme would be retired after the 2016 games. NBC used it again as the theme for their coverage of the 1997 World Series. Edelman said, "It was original, and it seemed to have the right spirit. It's got a very flowing melody, it's triumphant, and it has a certain warmth. And it has at the end of it, what all television things like this have, a 'button', an ending flourish that works really well if they need to chop it down into a 15-second thing."


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Cary Darling said that the "booming" theme song was "part "Magnificent Seven", part Aaron Copland and as grand and wide as 'Big Sky Country' ".


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.", premiered on the Fox network at 8:00 pm on Friday, August 27, 1993, with a two-hour pilot movie. To bolster viewer interest in the show, Fox rebroadcast the pilot two days later at 7:00 pm. Both airings of the pilot returned strong ratings. "Brisco's" ratings for the pilot and first episode were high, particularly with the demographic of adults aged 18–49. The series was aired in Canada, including on Global Toronto (channel 29).


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: The pilot movie was followed by 26 episodes, each 45 minutes long and airing at 8:00 pm on Fridays. Fox Entertainment chief Sandy Grushaw openly touted "Brisco" and its star Bruce Campbell. The network fully expected the show to be its breakout hit of the year, a distinction which eventually went to "Brisco"s follow-up, "The X-Files". Hoping that more viewers would follow "Brisco" as it progressed, Fox approved producing an entire season of the show, despite post-pilot low ratings. Subsequent episodes failed to attract more viewers and the show was cancelled at end of its first and only season. After the series ended, Fox retransmitted the show on Sunday nights at 8:00 pm during July and August 1994. The show was later broadcast for a short time in syndication, airing on the U.S. cable channel TNT.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: As the season progressed, the ratings declined, greatly hurting the show's chances of being renewed. Writer John McNamara partially blamed "Brisco"s low ratings on its Friday 8:00 p.m. time slot. He said not many people watch television at that time, so "fighting for numbers" then was "like being stuck on Normandy beach". Grushaw acknowledged the high quality of the show and the vocal support from its small fan base. "Obviously the viewers are very passionate about the show... and when you read some of the things they have to say, it gives you real pause", Grushaw told "USA Today" in 1994. By May of that year, Grushaw said renewing "Brisco" was a 50–50 call. At the end of its season, "Brisco" was one of the lowest rated shows of the year, and Fox confirmed its cancellation in June.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: "Brisco"s writers were planning for another season before the show's cancellation. They had not penned the ending of the first season as a finale for the series and had broad ideas for the second season, which would have featured Brisco settling in as the sheriff of a small town. In his autobiography, Campbell mused, "To explain why a TV show is canceled is almost impossible. Ironically "Brisco", with its off-kilter humor, wouldn't have been developed on any other network, yet the appeal of 'Westerns' was still rural – not the side Fox's urban bread was buttered on."


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Writer and supervising producer Brad Kern reflected on the show's cancellation, saying, "Ten years later, everybody you talk to... they all love the show. I think that was the biggest disappointment about the show not coming back. We knew we were doing something special." Told of the show's success in the "TV Guide" "Save Our Shows" poll, Sandy Grushow said, "Obviously I'm happy and not entirely surprised", but added, "You can't dismiss a season's worth of ratings." Kim Manners, director on nearly a third of the "Brisco" episodes, said working on the series gave him an opportunity to grow creatively. He told writer Joe Nazzaro, "It really woke me up as a director, almost spiritually", and that directing for "Brisco" was a large contributing factor to his success as a regular director on "The X-Files". Manners said, "When they didn't give it a second year, I was devastated", adding that he wished Cuse would have made a feature film based on "Brisco". Considering the show's short life, Cuse later commented, "If the show could have survived into a second season, I think it could have ended up running for actually a long time. Some shows just sort of fall through the cracks in the right away and they kind of stay on the air long enough to aggregate an audience. I think if circumstances had been different, "Brisco" could have had a much longer life." Cuse also said the Friday night time slot hurt "Brisco"s chances of building an audience, saying, "We were on at 8 p.m. on Friday night, which is sort of a death slot – I mean people do still go bowling – few shows have succeeded in that slot."


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: In 2005, Kirthana Ramisetti of "Entertainment Weekly" posted that "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.", deserved to be released on DVD. Gord Lacey, the creator of the website TVShowsonDVD.com, told the New York "Daily News" that "Brisco" was among the five most requested shows on the site. Lacey spent several years lobbying industry contacts to get "Brisco" released on DVD. This led to correspondence with Cuse, who also wanted to get a DVD set produced. On July 18, 2006, Warner Home Video released "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series" on DVD in Region 1, an 8-disc DVD set that contains all 27 episodes of the series. The release includes commentary tracks from Campbell and Cuse; an interactive menu of Brisco's signature references narrated by Campbell; "The History of Brisco County, Jr.", documentary; a feature called "A Reading from the Book of Bruce"; and another gallery hosted by Campbell focusing on the gadgets from the show.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: In July 1993, "Brisco"s two-hour pilot was screened for television critics in Los Angeles. Initial critical reaction to the pilot was positive and focused on the humor and the science fiction plot points. "USA Today"s Matt Roush enjoyed the campy humor and the cast of the show, saying it worked on many levels and would "please all but the family curmudgeon". Calling "Brisco" "one of the best shows of the fall season", Jennifer Stevenson of the "St. Petersburg Times" praised the show's "intelligent, satirical asides". Kay Gardella wrote in the New York "Daily News" that the pilot set itself "apart from others of genre" with its humorous script and sight gags. The "Los Angeles Times" called "Brisco" "gratifying nonsense", and praised Campbell and the supporting cast for supplying humor without "going over the top". Some critics, such as Walter Goodman of "The New York Times" and David Hiltbrand of "People", found the supporting characters "weakly cast" and not as strong as Campbell in the lead. Other reviewers praised the overall look of the show, such as Todd Everett of "Variety", who approved of the "strong comic-book visual style" and the pilot's high production values. Writing in "The Washington Post", Tom Shales said that the pilot's production was "more movielike than serieslike".


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: The pilot's science-fiction plot elements were appreciated by "New York" magazine, which wrote favorably about the "millenarianism" of the show, including Brisco's use of a rocket to travel on railroad tracks. While Rod Dreher of the "Washington Times" liked the "nifty" Orb subplot, some critics responded negatively to the Orb. The "Washington Post"s Shales called the Orb "hokey supernatural bunk". Other reviewers complained generally about the broad mix of genres and number of subplots in the pilot. While "TV Guide"s Jeff Jarvis roundly praised the quality of the pilot and called "Brisco" his favorite Fox show of 1993, he criticized the pilot for being "padded with outlaws and mysterious orbs". Diane Werts of "Newsday" similarly said that "Brisco" "just about hits the bulls eye" with its "sharp wit" and "thrill a minute" action, although she noted that the pilot was over-packed with characters and subplots. Writing in "The New York Times", Goodman said, "The writers try everything, including some business involving raiders of a lost orb, without much of a payoff."


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: "Entertainment Weekly"s Ken Tucker enjoyed the "nervy attempt to do something different with the TV Western" in the pilot and said that "Brisco County is less a satire of the Western's cliches than a revitalization of them." Writing in the "Toronto Star", Greg Quill said that the pilot introduced "Brisco" as "a western in the loosest use of the term". Quill noted that the pilot includes "every cliche in the western movie arsenal", but that "everything, from characters to plot turns, is skewed away from the norm", and that the pilot episode rose above the level of western spoof to become an "outrageously confident tribute to... the best of the genre".


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: During the broadcast run of "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.", "TV Guide" featured a positive review of the show in its Couch Critic column and wrote, "It's as funny as it is exciting, which is not an easy combo to pull off... it's fresh and funny and different, and that's why we like it." The magazine twice listed "Brisco" as a family-friendly TV program: "Back when some of us grew up, Westerns were synonymous with great family entertainment, but – let's be honest – some of them were dull as dust. Not this one. "Brisco" is a Western with a sense of humor, filled with impish action for kids and adults."


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: "The Wall Street Journal" reviewed a host of Westerns from 1992 and 1993 and said that "Brisco" was "the most sheer fun of the bunch", calling it "a period piece with slick production values and a mix of drama and humor, fast pace and high camp". In an article on the 1993 television season, the "Toronto Star"s Greg Quill wrote that "Brisco" was a program that represented "American TV craft at the top of its form". In contrast, Elvis Mitchell of "Spin" magazine gave "Brisco" a scathing review, calling the show's premise a "tedious... rickety gimmick". Mitchell acknowledged the show's "quick reflexes", but said the humor was "uncomfortable" with a "cynical quickness". He added, ""Brisco County" relieves us of the burden of laughing. It spends too much time looking at itself in the mirror, admiring its own adorable dimpled half-smile."


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Viewership figures for "Brisco" fell as its season progressed and in 1994, it was listed in "TV Guide"s annual "Save Our Shows" article. Readers were requested to write in and vote to save one of the four listed shows – one from each television network – that were in danger of being cancelled. "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.", won with 34.7 percent of the 72,000 votes cast. Cuse said the vote "reaffirms for me a feeling I've had – namely that the Nielsens aren't accurately reflecting people's interest in this show", adding that, given Fox's then relatively small share of the market, it was notable that the show got more votes than any of the programs from NBC, CBS, and ABC.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: Writing in "USA Today", Matt Roush encouraged readers to watch the low-rated show, saying that families should watch it rather than "that interchangeable T.G.I.F. tripe". He said, "Brisco is mighty lavish but even more mightily loony, happily saddled with broad sight gags and tortured puns." Bruce Fretts of "Entertainment Weekly" speculated that mainstream success eluded the show because of its mixing of genres. He said, ""Brisco" refuses to behave like a normal Western, mixing in sci-fi, slapstick, and... kung fu." "Chicago Tribune"'s Scott Williams praised "Brisco" for its "strong supporting cast" and "superb physical comedy and crisp dialogue". He said the show should have been a hit, but that the Friday night time slot hampered its ratings.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: "Brisco" was criticized early on for the violence it portrayed; meant to be comical, a scene in the pilot in which four villains accidentally kill each other in a crossfire troubled critics instead. Cuse insisted that the show was still appropriate for children, saying, "I think we're very conscious of violence and I think we've made an effort to avoid violence in the pilot and in the future episodes". Halfway through the season, U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan singled out "Brisco" as the most violent show on television based on a study at Minnesota's Concordia University, in which students watched 132 hours of network and cable programming, during the week of September 28 to October 4, 1993. The students tallied each act of violence, and found that "Brisco" had 117 violent acts per hour. The study deemed "Brisco" more violent than the film "Beverly Hills Cop", which was also viewed for the study. Cuse called the criticism "patently ridiculous", noting that only one episode of the show was viewed, in which a boxing match takes place. Each punch and jab was counted as an act of violence. Cuse spoke out against legislation to curb television violence, saying that politicians were "chasing a false objective". He said it was the job of a show's producer to control the moral content of a television program and the parents' duty to monitor what their children watch.


title: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

text: The "Los Angeles Times" printed a story about Senator Dorgan's efforts to elicit a response from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with the title "Fox Tops Tally of Violence on Major TV Networks Media: Study of a week of prime-time shows also lists 'Brisco County' as bloodiest series. Senator wants FCC to issue report card, name sponsors". Cuse responded by writing a letter to the editor. In the letter, entitled "'Brisco County' Is a Family-Oriented Series", Cuse objected to the newspaper story title labeling "Brisco" as the "bloodiest series". He said that Senator Dorgan's press release did not mention blood and that the show's violence should be viewed in context. Cuse added the show had been listed as family friendly in other publications, and that he read every viewer letter sent regarding the show. "The overwhelming majority praise "Brisco County" for being a show that the entire family can watch together. After 15 original airings, I have not received one single letter criticizing the show on the grounds of violence or violent content." When the US Senate discussed forcing broadcast and cable networks to regulate violent programming, Cuse said that self-regulation within the industry was a positive move. As he operated on his "own internal moral principles", the measures would not affect his week-to-week work.