The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams: Season One [UK] [DVD] (1974)

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF GRIZZLY ADAMS features Dan Haggerty as James Grizzly Adams, a character loosely based on a 19th century woodsmen. After being accused of a crime he did not commit, Adams Haggerty takes sanctuary in a remote mountain area in the American west, where he discovers and befriends an orphaned grizzly cub. The cub eventually grows into a full-sized Grizzly bear that Adams affectionately calls Ben. Together, Adams and Ben learn to survive in the wilderness, assisted by an old trader named Mad Jack played by Denver Pyle and a Native American named Nakoma played by Don Shanks. Impressed with the way Adams has adapted to his environment and for his uncanny rapport with animals, Nakoma and Jack come to appreciate Adams' harmonious existence with nature. Unfortunately, Adams needs to be watchful for bounty hunters, even as he protects the wildlife he grows to cherish. Compelling, entertaining and hugely popular, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF GRIZZLY ADAMS offered it's audience a unique viewing experience, vastly different from the sitcoms and dramas that flooded the airwaves at the time.