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The Cowboys was a short-lived Western television series based on John Wayne's 1972 film of the same name. From February 6 through May 8, 1974, it broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company television network. Jim Davis, Diana Douglas, Moses Gunn, A Martinez, Robert Carradine, and Clay O'Brien starred in the television show. The series was produced by David Dortort, best known for his work on Bonanza and The High Chaparral. The television show, like the film, featured the escapades of seven boys working on a ranch in New Mexico in the 1870s. The Cowboys began as an hour-long show, but ABC chose to cut it down to a half-hour format. The format adjustment did not result in greater viewership, and the show was canceled early. Cal Bellini played Wa-Cha-Ka in "The Indian Givers," Kevin Hagen played Josh Redding in "Death on a Fast Horse," and Lurene Tuttle played Grandma Jesse in "Many a Good Horse Died."