Even in a TV landscape overflowing with Westerns, The Rifleman stood out. Debuting in 1958, the show starred lantern-jawed former pro athlete Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain, the titular rifleman — a Civil War veteran turned rancher on the unsettled New Mexico frontier. McCain owned a customized Winchester that could fire 12 shots in rapid succession and he wasn’t afraid to use it, but only when he absolutely had to, setting him apart from some TV gunslingers of the time.
The Rifleman was also unique in that McCain was a widowed father, singlehandedly raising his young son Mark (Johnny Crawford) in a loving home with firm moral values. The show was reportedly the first ever to portray a single parent, and the combination of exciting Western action and traditional family values made the show an instant hit. The Rifleman ran for five seasons and over 160 episodes before it went off the air in 1963.