# Hey Dude (1989)

> A teenage Nickelodeon comedy about the summer staff and owners of a Tucson dude ranch.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1911

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 65
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, family, western
- Created by: Dee LaDuke
- Network: Nickelodeon
- Cast: David Brisbin, Kelly Brown, Debra Kalman, David Lascher, Christine Taylor, Joe Torres, Jonathan Galkin, Geoffrey Coy
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096610/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: wholesome, breezy, comforting, goofy, upbeat

## Synopsis

Hey Dude (1989-1991) is an American western comedy series created by Dee LaDuke for Nickelodeon. Set at the fictional Bar None Dude Ranch near Tucson, Arizona, it follows the ranch's owner Benjamin Ernst Sr. (David Brisbin), his son, the ranch hand Brad Taylor (Kelly Brown), and a female ranch hand Lucy (Debra Kalman) as they keep the working dude ranch running. Four teenage summer employees, including Ted McGriff (David Lascher), Melody Hanson (Christine Taylor) and Danny Lightfoot (Joe Torres), provide the central friction and comedy as they take on chores, romantic crushes and small-scale mishaps across the season. The engine of each episode is simple: a ranch task goes sideways, and the young staff must improvise their way out before the guests arrive. The show runs five seasons of thirteen half-hour episodes each, a light episodic format rather than a continuing serial. It is a Nickelodeon original live action series, the network's second after Out of Control, and it carries the bright, goofy energy of early nineties kids' sitcoms. Fans of Zoey 101, The Adventures of Pete & Pete and Lonesome Dove will find a comparable blend of youthful comedy, wholesome family warmth and rural adventure.

## Shows like Hey Dude

- [Zoey 101 (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/1676)
- [Clarissa Explains It All (1991)](https://ember.film/tv/231)
- [Wildfire (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/2338)
- [Life with Derek (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/4413)
- [10 Things I Hate About You (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/16231)
- [100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/6083)
- [Drake & Josh (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/1929)
- [Jessie (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/35822)
- [California Dreams (1992)](https://ember.film/tv/238)
- [All That (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/3628)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt