It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Expected more

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Like the other reviewers, I saw the series at a seminal time, when I'd just graduated from college, and was very influenced by it. However, having just watched the European release of the pilot on DVD, what struck me was the similarity to Easy Rider (SPOILER ALERT!) Remember the early scene in which Fonda and Hopper stop at a rural adobe farm house occupied by an old friend and his poor, but happy Hispanic family? There's an extremely similar family in Bronson. One character in Bronson is also philosophical artist, very similar to a few of the zen hippies encountered in East Rider. Also, the ultimate destination of both traveling teams is New Orleans. That's a minor similarity, but still, I think, shows much of Easy Rider was inspired by Then Came Bronson.I rated the pilot an 8, but I give it a 10 if Bonnie's character had a reunion with Michael Parks' on PARENTHOOD and they rode off together on a Harley. (full-dresser trike at their age, of course)

JimBronson.com started its evolution in late 2007, living and working in Japan, I noticed on the Japanese television one day the TV series Then Came Bronson. I suddenly was swept back to 1969 when I was 18 and saw the show, bought a bike and tried to live out the Bronson mystique that summer. Also in 2007 I was learning how to build websites and launched a page for TCB, and met Greg and Billy, now charter members of Bronson's Garage. From that time forward Peter, Bill, Tom, Don, David and Jim have been inducted into the Garage, and we have become friends with Jerry who painted the original bikes and Birney, the man whom Bronson's life and adventures were based. We have celebrated the 40th & 41st Anniversary of TCB, with reunions of Bronson's Garage members at various locations. Our You Tube channel is as populated with nostalgia as JB.com. Come back in time and recapture your youth and enjoy the TV show that inspired us to ride. Until then you hang in there and we'll see ya on the long lonesome highway! - Mike's Bike (Webmaster JB.com)

I must have been in the summer of 1969 when a friend of mine said that he had heard that they were filming an episode of Then Came Bronson near by. We were born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado. So the 4 of us jumped in the car, I was to young to drive but my friend wasn't, along with my cousin who was visiting from Utah away we went to find Bronson. In the mountains of Colorado during the summer they film a lot of movies so we had to go from Hotel to Hotel in Canon City to find him, finally some one knew where he was in a rented house in some neighborhood that I couldn't find again if I had to. We pulled up in the driveway and out he came, he was friendly beyond what any of us could imagine. We sat with him and watched the Johnny Cash Show and ate carrot sticks. He was such a great guy to be so kind to a bunch of kids, none of us has ever forgotten the day or the guy. I think that the show was so popular with young men because this guy was free, just going from town to town helping people, meeting people, but it was all so simple then our generation thought we could save the world. You live on Michael, live on brother.

When I was 15, I was a Star Trek kid and my dad was more the Mannix type. Needless to say, we argued quite a bit over what to watch on TV. But one show we both loved was Then Came Bronson. And we were both incredibly disappointed when it was canceled after such a short run. This series pilot is a tale of a disillusioned young corporate type (Michael Parks, in an understated performance reminiscent of James Dean) whose world is shaken by the suicide of a friend. He takes off across the US on a Harley, hooking up with a young and somewhat spoiled wedding fugitive (Bonnie Bedelia).There are quite a few good supporting performances in a film that many at the time compared to Easy Rider (but in fact now seems less dated, at least that's what I thought when TBS reran it about three or four years ago). Though there are indeed similarities between the two, Then Came Bronson probably has roots closer to Jack Kerouac's On The Road and the TV show Route 66 than Easy Rider. Sad to see that this movie isn't available on DVD. Maybe one day...