Law of the Plainsman(1959)

Law of the Plainsman is a Western series that aired on NBC from October 1959 to May 1960, starring Michael Ansara as Sam Buckhart, an Apache U.S. Marshal. The character first appeared in two episodes of The Rifleman before getting his own show—a groundbreaking move for network television at the time, as few programs featured Native Americans in lead roles. Buckhart is an educated man who attended Harvard after being raised by a cavalry officer he once saved. Returning to New Mexico, he works as a deputy marshal alongside his boarding house landlady Martha Commager and an orphan girl named Tess Logan. The series follows Buckhart navigating law enforcement in the Old West while balancing his heritage and education. Though Ansara had previously played Apache chief Cochise in Broken Arrow, he was of Syrian descent. The show also featured early appearances by Robert Harland and Wayne Rogers, who later found fame in M*A*S*H.