History Series / TheWildWildWest

[[quoteright:264:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Duality2_9802.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:264:In black and white (season one only) and [[GorgeousPeriodDress living color]].]]

''The Wild Wild West'' is a 1965-1969 Creator/{{CBS}} TV series that combined two then-popular genres: TheWestern and SpyFiction, following the anachronistic adventures of two Secret Service agents roaming the western United States during the UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant administration. James West (Creator/RobertConrad) was a borderline [[TheAce Ace]], the ladykilling man of action, while his partner Artemus Gordon (Creator/RossMartin) was a GadgeteerGenius and MasterOfDisguise (full list [[http://s385.photobucket.com/user/l8dreamr/library/Artemus%20Gordon%20Disguises?sort=6&page=1 here]]). Based on his work in this series, Martin the actor easily qualifies as a ''RealLife'' example of the latter.

The duo battled a wild assortment of [[MadScientist mad scientists]] and criminal masterminds, their most persistent foe being the EvilGenius dwarf Dr. Miguelito Loveless (Michael Dunn). Depending on how exacting a person's definition of {{Steampunk}} is, this series could be said to be the highest-profile example of the genre ever to appear on American live-action TV. More assuredly, it is the UrExample of CattlePunk.

* YouLookFamiliar:
** Victor Buono not only played the show's second recurring villain Count Manzeppi, but also played Wing Fat in the series premiere, and Dr. Henry Messenger in the show's second TV movie.
** Richard Kiel played Dr. Loveless' towering henchman Voltiare in three of the series' 1st season episodes. And also play Dimas in a fourth season episode.
** Veteran actor Nehemiah Persoff player General Andreas Cassinello in the premiere, but also Adam Barclay and Maor Hazard in subsequent episodes.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute:

* TechnicolorScience: Used lavishly once the series went to color.
* TemporarySubstitute: Jeremy Pike, Frank Harper, Ned Brown and Sir Nigel Scott pinch-hitting for Artie in season four.

* Mohs/WorldOfPhlebotinum: A new [[AppliedPhlebotinum gimmick]] seems to pop up in almost every episode, usually courtesy of Artemus Gordon.

* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Every episode title begins with "The Night...", and usually "The Night of the..."(although technically season one's "Night of the Casual Killer" is the only exception).

* YouLookFamiliar: Rampant throughout the series, e.g. Joan Huntington being the GirlOfTheWeek on three separate occasions ("The Night of the Red-Eyed Madmen" (with Toian Matchinga, who also appears in three episodes), "The Night of the Bottomless Pit" and "The Night of the Circus of Death"). Most striking example: when Dimas appears in "The Night of the Simian Terror," neither of our heroes notices how much he looks like Dr. Loveless's assistant Voltaire.

* [[DistressedDude James West Bondage]]: The agents end up in this situation with rather astonishing frequency.

* KeystoneArmy: General Grimm, the villain in "[[Recap/TheWildWildWestS1E11TheNightOfTheRedEyedMadmen The Night of the Red-Eyed Madmen]]" , has built his followers into a cult based on AsskickingEqualsAuthority, with his basic premise being that they would be able to defeat larger bodies of conventional soldiers thanks to their superior melee combat training. When West beats him in a one-on-one fight his group realizes the whole thing was BS and surrenders en masse.

''The Wild Wild West'' is a 1965-1969 Creator/{{CBS}} TV series that combined two then-popular genres: TheWestern and the [[SpyFiction Spy Drama]], following the anachronistic adventures of two Secret Service agents roaming the western United States during the UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant administration. James West (Creator/RobertConrad) was a borderline [[TheAce Ace]], the ladykilling man of action, while his partner Artemus Gordon (Creator/RossMartin) was a GadgeteerGenius and MasterOfDisguise (full list [[http://s385.photobucket.com/user/l8dreamr/library/Artemus%20Gordon%20Disguises?sort=6&page=1 here]]). Based on his work in this series, Martin the actor easily qualifies as a ''RealLife'' example of the latter.

''The Wild Wild West'' is a 1965-1969 Creator/{{CBS}} TV series that combined two then-popular genres: TheWestern and the [[SpyFiction Spy Drama]], following the anachronistic adventures of two Secret Service agents roaming the western United States during the UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant administration. James West (Creator/RobertConrad) was a borderline [[TheAce Ace]], the ladykilling man of action, while his partner Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) was a GadgeteerGenius and MasterOfDisguise (full list [[http://s385.photobucket.com/user/l8dreamr/library/Artemus%20Gordon%20Disguises?sort=6&page=1 here]]). Based on his work in this series, Martin the actor easily qualifies as a ''RealLife'' example of the latter.

* WouldHitAGirl: Seen in the opening credits sequence during three of the four seasons.

* ThemeTuneCameo:
** In the second TV movie, Artemus Gordon hums the main theme from the show while getting ready in front of a mirror.
** Not a ''theme'' tune cameo, but at the end of "The Night of the Sabitini Death," we get a clip of the music typically played during the first scene of a ''Series/GilligansIsland'' episode. See ActorAllusion on the trivia page.

* RecycledINSPACE: It's Franchise/JamesBond IN {{THE WILD WEST}}!

The duo battled a wild assortment of [[MadScientist mad scientists]] and criminal masterminds, their most persistent foe being the EvilGenius dwarf Dr. Miguelito Loveless (Michael Dunn). Depending on how exacting a person's definition of {{Steampunk}} is, this series could be said to be the highest-profile example of the genre ever to appear on American live-action TV. It is also the UrExample of CattlePunk.

* PunnyName[=/=]EpunymousTitle: The Wild Wild...James West?

''The Wild Wild West'' is a 1965-1969 Creator/{{CBS}} TV series that combined two then-popular genres: the {{Western}} and the [[SpyFiction Spy Drama]], following the anachronistic adventures of two Secret Service agents roaming the western United States during the UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant administration. James West (Creator/RobertConrad) was a borderline [[TheAce Ace]], the ladykilling man of action, while his partner Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) was a GadgeteerGenius and MasterOfDisguise (full list [[http://s385.photobucket.com/user/l8dreamr/library/Artemus%20Gordon%20Disguises?sort=6&page=1 here]]). Based on his work in this series, Martin the actor easily qualifies as a ''RealLife'' example of the latter.

The duo battled a wild assortment of [[MadScientist mad scientists]] and criminal masterminds, their most persistent foe being the EvilGenius dwarf Dr. Miguelito Loveless (Michael Dunn). Depending on how exacting a person's definition of {{Steampunk}} is, this series could be said to be the highest-profile example of the genre ever to appear on American live-action TV. It is the UrExample of CattlePunk.

''The Wild Wild West'' is a 1965-1969 Creator/{{CBS}} TV series that combined two then-popular genres: the {{Western}} and the SpyDrama, following the anachronistic adventures of two Secret Service agents roaming the western United States during the UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant administration. James West (Creator/RobertConrad) was a borderline [[TheAce Ace]], the ladykilling man of action, while his partner Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) was a GadgeteerGenius and MasterOfDisguise (full list [[http://s385.photobucket.com/user/l8dreamr/library/Artemus%20Gordon%20Disguises?sort=6&page=1 here]]). Based on his work in this series, Martin the actor easily qualifies as a ''RealLife'' example of the latter.

A 1965–69 Creator/{{CBS}} TV series which combined two then-popular genres: the {{Western}} and the SpyDrama, following the anachronistic adventures of two Secret Service agents roaming the western United States during the UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant administration. James West (Creator/RobertConrad) was a borderline [[TheAce Ace]], the ladykilling man of action, while his partner Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) was a GadgeteerGenius and MasterOfDisguise (full list [[http://s385.photobucket.com/user/l8dreamr/library/Artemus%20Gordon%20Disguises?sort=6&page=1 here]]). Based on his work in this series, Martin the actor easily qualifies as a ''RealLife'' example of the latter.

A 1965–69 Creator/{{CBS}} TV series which combined two then-popular genres: the {{Western}} and the SpyDrama, following the anachronistic adventures of two Secret Service agents roaming the western United States during the UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant administration. James West (Robert Conrad) was a borderline [[TheAce Ace]], the ladykilling man of action, while his partner Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) was a GadgeteerGenius and MasterOfDisguise (full list [[http://s385.photobucket.com/user/l8dreamr/library/Artemus%20Gordon%20Disguises?sort=6&page=1 here]]). Based on his work in this series, Martin the actor easily qualifies as a ''RealLife'' example of the latter.

* ReplacedWithReplica: "The Night of the Big Blackmail". The German Consul fakes a kinetescope of President Grant signing a treaty with an enemy nation, which if made public would destroy Grant's reputation. Jim West and Artemus Gordon infiltrate the German embassy and replace it with a joke version that makes the Consul look silly.

* CreateYourOwnVillain: The first reunion movie features a young man seeking revenge on James West for killing his father. [[note]] Or, to be more precise, causing his father to die from ulcers brought on by West repeatedly foiling his plans for world domination. [[CaptainObvious It was Loveless's son]] [[/note]]

* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Every episode title begins with "The Night..." (although technically season one's "Night of the Casual Killer" is the only exception).

A 1965–69 Creator/{{CBS}} TV series which combined two then-popular genres: the {{Western}} and the SpyDrama, following the anachronistic adventures of two Secret Service agents roaming the western United States during the UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant administration. James West (Robert Conrad) was a borderline [[TheAce Ace]], the ladykilling man of action, while his partner Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) was a GadgeteerGenius and MasterOfDisguise (full list [[http://s385.photobucket.com/user/l8dreamr/library/Artemus%20Gordon%20Disguises?sort=6&page=1 here]]). Based on his work in this series, Martin the actor easily qualifies as a ''RealLife'' example of the latter.)