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Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War, two men on horses who are meant to be Brisco County, Jr and Lord Bowler.

There’s a Hidden Bruce Campbell Reference in Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War

Narrated by veteran actor Ed Harris, Netflix’s Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War delves into the events leading up to the infamous O.K. Corral shoot-out. And, as you’d expect from the title, Wyatt Earp and family are a big part of this docudrama. But there’s also a sneaky reference to Bruce Campbell’s fictional 90s cowboy show.

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No, I’m not making this up, though it’s easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for. The two main characters from Bruce Campbell’s The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Brisco County and Lord Bowler, crop up during the first episode, riding down main street.

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. was cancelled after one season, but it did get a lengthy run of 27 episodes. Unlike Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War, this tongue-in-cheek show wasn’t a stickler for accuracy. It featured time travel, anachronistic technology, and more, so it’s especially surprising that it’d get a nod on Netflix’s super-serious show.

Related: Where Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War Was Filmed

But, as spotted by a sharp-eyed IMDB user, Brisco and Bowler, seen from behind, appear in the show’s first episode, around the 44-minute mark. Ike Clanton is talking to his fellow outlaws about dealing with Wyatt Earp, and a bystander heads off to tell Earp. The scene switches to the town’s high street, and, on the left, you can see Brisco County and Lord Bowler.

The show doesn’t reveal their faces, and it’s unlikely that Bruce Campbell and Julius Carry, who played the characters on The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., were involved. But you can tell by their dress that it’s them, and if you’re a fan of the man-with-a-chin, it’s a neat nod to his non-Evil Dead work.

Wyatt Earp and Cowboy War is available to watch now.


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Chris McMullen
Chris McMullen is a freelance contributor at The Escapist and has been with the site since 2020. He returned to writing about games following several career changes, with his most recent stint lasting five-plus years. He hopes that, through his writing work, he settles the karmic debt he incurred by persuading his parents to buy a Mega CD. Outside of The Escapist, Chris covers news and more for GameSpew. He's also been published at such sites as VG247, Space, and more. His tastes run to horror, the post-apocalyptic, and beyond, though he'll tackle most things that aren't exclusively sports-based. At Escapist, he's covered such games as Infinite Craft, Lies of P, Starfield, and numerous other major titles.