Which Actor Was Supposed to Be ‘Bonanza’s New Star, But Got Fired After One Episode?

BONANZA, Michael Landon (bottom right), 1959-73 — Everett Collection

Sometimes, behind-the-scenes stories from TV shows sound so dramatic, they rival the on-screen action. That was certainly the case for Bonanza, when the series recruited a bran-new stars … and then fired him after just one episode.

In the first episode of Bonanza‘s fourth season, “The First Born,” which aired on September 23, 1962, viewers were introduced to Barry Coe as Clay Stafford, a character revealed to be Little Joe’s older half-brother. It seemed like the show was setting up a brand-new Cartwright to settle on the Ponderosa.

Behind the scenes, though, the decision was not just about expanding the family tree for storytelling reasons. Pernell Roberts, who played Adam, had been vocal about wanting to leave the series, so the producers decided to test the waters by adding Coe, who was charming and good-looking, as a potential replacement, in the event that Roberts followed through on his plans.

It was a bit of a gamble … and one that did not end up working out as well as they had hoped.

Everett Collection

Roberts had no issue with the plan — resistance, instead, came from another actor on the series. Michael Landon, who had become the heartthrob of the show as Little Joe, reportedly felt that Coe’s presence threatened his place in the spotlight. In Coe’s 2019 obituary, The Hollywood Reporter noted that Landon supposedly feared that Coe’s Clay Stafford would pull focus away from the role he had carefully built. According to accounts from cast members and show historians, Landon pushed back strongly, and Lorne Greene supported him.

Production was paused, a meeting was held, and by the end of filming, the decision was made. Instead of joining the Cartwrights permanently, Clay Stafford was written out of the story. The script was quickly reworked so that Clay chose to ride on rather than stay with his newfound family and Coe’s time on Bonanza began and ended in the span of a single episode.

What do you think? Could you have seen Coe as a positive addition to the cast, or do you think the right decision was made to scrap his character?