For the song by Kula Shaker, see Hey Dude (song).
Hey Dude
Genre
CreatorDee LaDuke
Director
Starring
Theme music composerDale Jarvis
ComposerLong Run Music
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Num seasons5
Num episodes65
Executive producerGeoffrey Darby
ProducerStephen Land
CameraMulti-camera
Runtime24–25 minutes
Company
  • Cinetel Productions
NetworkNickelodeon
First airedJuly 14, 1989
Last airedAugust 30, 1991

Hey Dude is an American Western comedy series created by Dee LaDuke that aired on Nickelodeon from July 14, 1989, to August 30, 1991, consisting of 65 half-hour episodes produced over five seasons. It is set on the fictitious Bar None Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. It portrays the lives of the ranch owner, his son, their ranch hand, and four teenage summer employees. The series is aimed primarily at a teenage audience.

Premise

Benjamin Ernst, a divorced, good-natured, somewhat bumbling father from New Jersey, bought the Bar None Dude Ranch seeking escape from his high-pressure job as a New York City accountant. His accident-prone son, Buddy, is displeased with the change of environment, primarily because he is unable to use his skateboard on the desert sand. In Season 1 of the series, the teenage staff consisted of two boys and two girls: Ted, an enterprising troublemaker; Danny, an easy-going Hopi teenager and Ted's best friend; girl-next-door Melody; and Brad, a rich girl from Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Though Brad often wears dressy designer outfits at work, she is a competent horse rider. Her love-hate relationship with Ted is a plot thread during the first half of the series. After David Lascher left the show during Season 3 in 1990, Ted was replaced by Ernst's nephew Jake, an eccentric slacker who likes to play the drums. Not long after, Kyle, a somewhat dim but handsome cowboy type, joined the ranch. When Ted returned to the show, he and Kyle became romantic rivals for Brad. The show's only other featured adult is Lucy, a tough, authoritative ranch hand. She is sometimes viewed as a mother figure to the teens and they often ask her for advice. Each episode begins with a cold open that usually ends with a pun. After that, the show's logo appears over the end of the cold open. Each character is then introduced as a horseshoe flips, followed again by the show's logo, after which the opening sequence fades out. Each episode ends with an instrumental version of the show's theme song while the credits roll over stills from the episode.

Characters

  • David Brisbin as Benjamin Ernst Sr., a ranch owner who is also a successful accountant in New Jersey.
  • Kelly Brown as Bradley "Brad" Taylor, a riding instructor from a rich Grosse Pointe, Michigan family
  • Debra Kalman as Lucy, ranch hand foreman and supervisor
  • David Lascher as Ted McGriff, senior staff
  • Christine Taylor as Melody Hanson, lifeguard and dance instructor from Allentown, Pennsylvania
  • Joe Torres as Danny Lightfoot, a Hopi teenager.
  • Geoffrey Coy as Kyle Chandler, Lucy's ex-boyfriend's son
  • Jonathan Galkin as Jake Decker, Mr. Ernst's nephew from Los Angeles, California
  • Josh Tygiel as Benjamin "Buddy" Ernst Jr., Mr. Ernst's son who is spending the summer with his father in the ranch.
  • Cassie, Buddy's dog, was featured in Season 1, but was absent in Season 2

Lascher and Torres were nominated for a 1991 Young Artist Award in the Best Youth Variety or Game Show category for their roles on Hey Dude.[1]

Production

Hey Dude was videotaped on location at the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch in Tucson, Arizona.[2] The show was produced by Cinetel Productions. Casting began in 1988 with local auditions held in Tucson.[2] Josh Tygiel, who was cast as protagonist Buddy Ernst, was one of 120 Tucson-area boys who auditioned for the series.[2] Joe Torres was cast as Danny Lightfoot after auditioning in Tucson for the role.[2]

While most of the show was technically shot on the property of the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch, the familiar "ranch" that was known to television viewers was actually built from scratch roughly a mile away from the main public areas. This was done so ranch guests would not be bothered by the production and to create buildings with a more "western" look, which was not offered by the relatively modern and luxurious Tanque Verde. The main lodge, boys and girls bunks, guest lodge (which doubled as cast dressing rooms) and the stable were all built specifically for the production.

After the show ended production, the buildings were abandoned and several are still standing to this day, albeit in much disrepair.[3] The swimming pool that was frequently used on the show is the main pool for the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch and is still in use by guests. The set is located at 32°14′26″N 110°41′24″W, about fifteen miles east of Tucson, Arizona.

Podcast and Cast Reunion

In December 2022, Lascher and Taylor began a video based podcast called "Hey Dude... The 90s Called!" The duo frequently discuss their time on the series. Each episode also features a guest who worked in the entertainment industry in the 1990s, including a variety of their co-stars from the show. In January 2026 the entire main cast reunited (along with several writers) and filmed a live reunion broadcast on location at Tanque Verde Guest Ranch. It was the first time they had reunited as a group since the show stopped airing, and for most their first visit back to the original sets. It was also the first time any cast members had seen Torres since 1991, and a chance to put to rest ongoing rumors to his whereabouts.[4]

Episodes

The series ran for 65 episodes over two years from 1989 to 1991. Each season takes place over the course of one summer in the lives of ranch staff, with cast members often recalling pranks and colleagues from previous summers.

Home media

The first season of Hey Dude became available for download from the iTunes Store on July 29, 2008. The second season of Hey Dude became available for download from the iTunes Store in August 2010. The third season of Hey Dude became available for download from the iTunes Store on November 29, 2011 (only containing 12 out of 13 episodes). All five seasons of the series are available for purchase as DVD or streaming episodes through Amazon.com.

On April 11, 2011, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired the rights to the series. They subsequently released the entire series on DVD in Region 1.[5][6][7][8] The fourth season was released on DVD as a Shout Select title, available exclusively through Shout Factory's website and select Amazon.com sellers.[9] The fifth and final season was released on July 16, 2013, also as a Shout Select title.[10]

On March 10, 2015, Shout! released Hey Dude: The Complete Series on DVD as a Walmart exclusive in full screen format.[11] It is also available through Amazon.com.[12]

On May 9, 2017, the complete series was re-released as a general retail release.[13]

On March 24, 2021, the series (with the exception of "They're Back" from Season 4) was added to Paramount+.[14]

DVD nameEp #Release date
Season 113July 19, 2011
Season 213January 31, 2012
Season 313June 19, 2012
Season 413April 9, 2013♦
Season 513July 16, 2013♦
Complete Series65March 10, 2015
May 9, 2017 (re-release)

♦—Shout! Factory Exclusives title, sold exclusively through Shout's online store

References

  1. ^ "Hey Dude Awards". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  2. ^ Raines, Elaine (March 11, 2009). "Local talent was featured in 'Hey Dude'". Arizona Daily Star. Archived September 1, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  3. ^ Blevins, Joseph (April 14, 2014). "The ranch from Hey Dude is still out in the desert, gathering dust". A.V. Club
  4. ^ "Nickelodeon's Hey Dude is Doing a Virtual Reunion That Will Bring Back It's Most Elusive Cast Member". emeraldcityvideo.net. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  5. ^ Lambert, David (April 11, 2011). "Hey Dude – Are You Sitting Down for This?". TV shows on DVD. Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  6. ^ McCutcheon, David (June 8, 2011). "Hey Dude Strolls In – DVD Preview". dvd.ign.com. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  7. ^ Lambert, David. "Hey Dude - 'Season 2' of Nickelodeon's Live-Action Classic Scheduled for DVD". TV shows on DVD. Archived from the original on 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  8. ^ Lambert, David. "Hey Dude - In-Store Release of 'Season 3' DVDs is Announced by Shout!". TV shows on DVD. Archived from the original on 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
  9. ^ "Hey Dude: Season 4 | Shout!Factory". Archived from the original on 2013-09-26. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  10. ^ "Hey Dude DVD news: Press Release for Hey Dude - Season 5: The Final Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-25. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  11. ^ "Hey Dude: The Complete Series (Walmart Exclusive) (Full Frame)". Walmart.com. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  12. ^ "Hey Dude: The Complete Series: HEY DUDE: THE COMPLETE SERIES: Amazon Video". Amazon.com. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  13. ^ A 'Wide' General Release for 'The Complete Series' from Nick/Shout! Archived 2017-06-15 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "Hey Dude". Paramount+. June 1996. Retrieved March 24, 2021.