The Rebel

Set in the unsettled years after the Civil War, The Rebel follows Johnny Yuma, a former Confederate private who drifts through the frontier carrying the war's scars. He doesn't settle down; instead he keeps showing up in towns where tempers are hot and the law is thin, offering help to farmers, shopkeepers, and families under threat. Episodes are self-contained, pairing physical confrontations with quieter scenes that reveal Johnny's haunted past and complicated sense of honor. The series focuses on character moments and moral choices rather than long arcs, so each installment delivers a fresh conflict and a look at how a lone veteran tries to make sense of peace.

The show was created by Nick Adams, who also starred as Johnny Yuma. It ran on ABC from 1959 to 1961, producing 76 episodes, and was one of the few Goodson-Todman scripted projects. Reruns began airing on Me-TV in December 2011, bringing the series back to classic western audiences.

The Rebel didn't collect major industry awards or significant Emmy attention. Its recognition came more from viewers who remembered Adams' lead performance and the program's place in late 1950s television than from prize lists. Any acclaim has been modest and often retrospective.

As a piece of TV history, The Rebel stands out for presenting a restless, morally shaded ex-soldier rather than a polished, lawman hero. That angle helped shape a strand of westerns focused on inner conflict and ambiguity. Its status as a Goodson-Todman rarity and periodic reruns have kept it visible to collectors and genre fans who study how western television shifted tone after the 1950s.

Critical and audience response has been mixed, reflected in modest ratings on modern fan sites and a low average score from limited votes. Viewers note recurring themes of identity, the fallout of war, solitary responsibility, and frontier justice. The show appeals most to people interested in character-driven westerns and examples of postwar American television grappling with darker subject matter.