It seems like leaving is always hard to do, but for Pernell Roberts, leaving Bonanza was one of the easiest decisions he’d ever made. When pressed about the series years later, Roberts affirmed that he thought he made the correct choice in leaving. “I can’t image anyone still being interested in such ancient history,” he said. “Do I have any regrets? Hell no, I don’t have any regrets, other than I wished I would have left that show long before I did.”
Still, Roberts was aware that his departure earned himself a reputation in the industry, though it didn’t bother him too much.
“I know that I became some sort of example of supposed dim-wittedness and that producers would remind rebellious actors that if they didn’t shape up, they would find themselves in the same sorry condition that Pernell Roberts was in, but that was all too long ago to waste time on,” he said. “I didn’t regret my decision then, and I haven’t regretted it since, though it did lead to some very lean years.”
The “lean years” Roberts was referring to was a bit of a drought in his career until he signed on for Trapper John, M.D.
Roberts spoke of his new series in an interview with the Gannett News Service, where he admitted that he hadn’t faced such an opportunity in quite a while.
“Frankly, since I left Bonanza, I haven’t been faced with the question of whether I would agree to do another series because the opportunity for offers simply never arose.”
Of course, by the time Roberts signed on for Trapper John, M.D., it had been years since he had worn his cowboy hat, and the actor had grown and matured since then.
“A person can survive the bad times,” he said. “And there have been some difficult times, there has been a lot of stuff that has gone down very painfully. But you hang in and try not to be afraid. You tell yourself, ‘Hey, I’ve been here before and it hurts, but I’ll make it through. And you do.”