Did you know that Bonanza’s Dan Blocker died from complications after undergoing routine surgery and that on-screen brother Michael Landon was the one who had to decide how to write Dan’s character off of the series? Bonanza is a classic Western television series that ran for 14 seasons, making it the second-longest-running Western television series in history, behind only Gunsmoke. Many attribute the end of the series to the tragic and untimely death of actor Dan Blocker, who played the character of Eric “Hoss” Cartwright on the beloved program. Dan died soon after filming of the show’s 13th season wrapped, and this drastically affected the outcome of the ensuing 14th season.
Initially, the 14th season premiere of Bonanza was meant to revolve around the character of Hoss getting married. However, following the death of Dan Blocker, this script needed to be rewritten from the ground up. Michael Landon, who would later become better known for his work on Little House on the Prairie, played Dan’s younger brother in the series. Not only did Michael play the character of Little Joe Cartwright, but he was also a writer on the beloved show. It was Michael Landon who had to decide how to write the character of Hoss off of Bonanza, and the show ended up making history when it was revealed during its 14th season premiere that Hoss had passed away off screen. Never before had a beloved main character been killed off on a television series. Join Facts Verse as we explore why Dan Blocker’s last episode of Bonanza is hard to watch.
