The Magnificent Seven (TV series)

The Magnificent Seven was a short-lived Western Action-Adventure that ran on CBS from 1998-1999. Like its film namesake (and origin in The Seven Samurai), it was a story about seven unlikely men (and ultimately heroes) who band together to save a unprotected town (in this case, a isolated village made up of freed slaves and displaced American Indians) who end up sticking around to protect the local town. Unlike the movie, all seven of the main characters survive the pilot episode and are joined by various townspeople for further adventures.

This series provides examples of:
"Vin: Nice shot, pard.
 * Accidental Aiming Skills: After Ezra shoots a man from a mirror's reflection.

Ezra: Dreadful. I was aiming to kill him but the mirror was cracked."

"Vin: You shoot a cannon pretty well, pard.
 * And later:

Ezra: Dreadful. I was trying to hit Anderson."

"JD: Whoa. I hear you fellas are headed for a fight. My name is JD Dunne, and I can ride. Whoa. And I can shoot."
 * Badass Longcoat: Chris Larabee Winked at in the Pilot where our first scene of Larabee frames him coming out of the swinging bat-wing doors in afternoon sunlight, wind kicking up his black duster. Oh, and he's also smoking. Almost qualifies as a small Crowning Moment of Awesome.
 * Badass Preacher: Josiah Sanchez, big-time.
 * Up the ante by having him played by Ron Perlman.
 * Big Damn Heroes: Pretty much every episode, whether the move ends out working out for them or not.
 * Bounty Hunter: Vin Tanner used to be one of these.
 * Boxed Crook: How Ezra gets roped into staying.
 * Calling the Old Man Out: Ezra to his mother Maude pretty much every time they meet.
 * Changed My Mind, Kid: Ezra in the pilot
 * Chivalrous Pervert: Buck Wilmington
 * Circuit Judge: Orin Travis
 * City With No Name: The Seven's town is never named onscreen, though the fandom has universally adopted "Four Corners".
 * Clear My Name: Vin is wanted in Texas for a murder he didn't commit, a problem which comes up periodically but is never actually resolved.
 * Combat Medic: Nathan Jackson
 * Cool Old Lady: Nettie Wells of "The Collector".
 * Crusading Widower: Chris
 * Cycle of Revenge: "Vendetta" There's a whole family of crazies from Kansas City complete with suitable black costuming and scary Mom.
 * Disguised in Drag: In "Working Girls", Ezra winds up as this.
 * Driven to Suicide:
 * Gold Tooth: Ezra has one.
 * Guns Akimbo: Let's face it, with the exception of possibly Nathan, everyone of the seven is armed to the teeth with not just a signature character gun, but a backup one too. JD is notable for having matching pistols which he frequently fires simultaneously. (Sometimes while flying through the air ala "Hot Fuzz")
 * Gun Twirling Frequent throughout the series- as it is a Western. JD displays some fancy gun work in the Pilot to show he's good enough to join the seven. Totally backfires when he falls off his horse as a result.

"JD: I'll be fine, Buck. Look what I found. Navy colt .44! (Spins the chamber dramatically)
 * This later turns into a wink at Juggling Loaded Guns when JD takes the position of Sheriff:

Buck: Don't do that, okay? It can come loose and then it could come out. Put the gun down. You're going to be sheriff?

Buck ends up being right when the gun falls to pieces just when JD needs it."

"Nathan: Why would we want to use a cheater?
 * I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Ezra gives Li Pong enough money to go back to her family in San Fransisco, even though he wants her to stay with him.
 * In the Back: Chris to JD, "You don't shoot nobody in the back."
 * It Works Better With Bullets: Vin, in "The New Law" gets the drop on a thief and takes the bullets out of his gun before "arresting" him.
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: Ezra, especially in the episode "Chinatown".
 * Knife Nut: Nathan
 * The Magnificent Seven Samurai
 * Naive Newcomer: Oh, JD.
 * Never Learned to Read: Vin; he's learning later on however.
 * Nothing Up My Sleeve: Ezra Standish
 * Parental Abandonment: Maude always dumped Ezra at any relative's house when he was a child, only coming back to get him when she needed his help in a con.
 * Pocket Protector: Ezra gets shot, but it turns out the large sums of money he was thinking of making off with stopped the bullet. Played for laughs when he decides it's best his friends don't trust him with holding the finances in the future - despite its life-saving capabilities.
 * Professional Gambler: Ezra and Maude Standish
 * Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The entire premise of the pilot rests on said misfits becoming the The Magnificent Seven Samurai. Hence the name of the show.
 * Recycled the Series
 * Recruiting the Criminal: Chris offers Ezra a spot after seeing him run a scam.

Chris: Might need one."

"Ezra: Well, sir, now that we are rid of that loathsome curmudgeon, you may effect my emancipation.
 * The Remnant: The antagonists for "Ghosts of the Confederacy"
 * Romancing the Widow: Buck and Ezra make a bet on which one of them can get close to a widowed woman on a wagon train, by making nice with the woman's bratty son. Josiah ends up winning.
 * Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Ezra

JD: Huh?

Ezra: Let me out."

" Ezra: As for myself, I'm a few well-played poker games away from owning this saloon. And with no guns in town, there should be fewer ways for disgruntled losers to seek reprisal.
 * She Cleans Up Nicely: Casey Wells (JD's crush) with a little help from some of the guys. Due to her Tomboy nature, JD has thought of her more in terms of competition until she shows up in a dress. Backfires when she loses the skirt while tripping in public.
 * Son of a Whore: Buck
 * Southern Belle: Maude Standish, or at least she does a good impression.
 * Southern Gentleman: Ezra Standish.
 * Take Up My Sword
 * Tar and Feathers: Ezra narrowly escapes this in "The New Law" after gambling with an entire clan. Possibly lampshaded earlier in the episode by Vin:

Vin: There's always tar and feathers."

"Nathan: Is that tar on your face?
 * And then later that week:

Ezra: Look, we really need to leave this municipality now.

Vin: Make some new friends Back there, Ezra?

Ezra: Uh, I neglected to abide by a fundamental tenet in my line of work. Never gamble with an entire clan. Hyah!"


 * What Could Have Been: Originally, the plan was for Buck to die of the injury he receives near the end of the pilot and be replaced by a member of the Confederates who'd sided with the heroes, but the creators liked Dale Midkiff's chemistry with the rest of the cast so much that they rewrote the script to keep him.
 * Where the Hell Is Springfield: It's never specified what state the Seven's town is in.
 * Yandere:
 * Young Gun: JD Dunne