SQShowSquad
CalendarSign inJoin
Wanted: Dead or Alive
RELEASED·SERIES·EN

Wanted: Dead or Alive

Sat, Sep 6, 1958
  • Western
  • Action & Adventure
  • Drama
Series · Synopsis

Synopsis

Wanted: Dead or Alive is an American Western television series starring Steve McQueen as the bounty hunter Josh Randall. It aired on CBS for three seasons from 1958–61. The black-and-white program was a spin-off of a March 1958 episode of Trackdown, a 1957–59 western series starring Robert Culp. Both series were produced by Four Star Television in association with CBS Television. The series launched McQueen into becoming the first television star to cross over into comparable status on the big screen.

Where to watch

Streaming on

  • Starz Apple TV Channel↗
  • Starz Roku Premium Channel↗
  • Starz↗
  • Philo↗
  • Spectrum On Demand↗
  • Starz Amazon Channel↗
Cast

Top of the call sheet

  • Steve McQueen
    Steve McQueen
    as Josh Randall
Related

If you’re into this…

  • The Rifleman
    The Rifleman
    1958 · series
  • Centennial
    Centennial
    1978 · series
  • Bonanza
    Bonanza
    1959 · series
  • Into the West
    Into the West
    2005 · series
  • The Fall Guy
    The Fall Guy
    1981 · series
  • The Young Riders
    The Young Riders
    1989 · series
  • Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
    Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
    1993 · series
  • The Mandalorian
    The Mandalorian
    2019 · series
  • Walker
    Walker
    2021 · series
  • Renegade
    Renegade
    1992 · series
SQShowSquad
CalendarSign inJoin
Episodes

3 seasons · 94 episodes

Ended · 94 aired
Season 1
36 episodes · 36 aired
▾
  • E1
    The Martin Poster
    Aired · Sun, Sep 7, 1958 · 30m

    Josh goes after two brothers, Andy and Carl Martin, who killed his friend Marshall Jeff Wilcox.

  • E2
    Fatal Memory
    Aired · Sun, Sep 14, 1958 · 30m

    Josh is on the trail of an army deserter who has put up fake wanted posters about and army commander that he served under.

  • E3
    The Bounty
    Aired · Sun, Sep 21, 1958 · 30m

    Josh hunts for a vicious bounty hunter named Clark Daimler who gunned down an elderly fugitive wanted for murder.

  • E4
    Dead End
    Aired · Sun, Sep 28, 1958 · 30m

    Josh is hired to find and apprehend a ranch worker who stole $10,OOO, and then disappeared.

  • E5
    Passing of Shawnee Bill
    Aired · Sun, Oct 5, 1958 · 30m

    After losing one thousand dollars in a poker game to a stranger named Dan Poe, who claims to know where the wanted 'Shawnee Bill' can be found, sends the money away and introduces himself as Shawnee Bill, in order to get his award, Josh escorts the man over 170 miles to Colorado.

  • E6
    The Giveaway Gun
    Aired · Sun, Oct 12, 1958 · 30m

    Josh goes after a gunman he has never seen and can only identify by the peculiar way he draws his gun.

  • E7
    Ransom for a Nun
    Aired · Sun, Oct 19, 1958 · 30m

    A mother superior ask for Josh's help to find and free a nun taken hostage by a gang of outlaws who's boss is being escorted to Tuscon for trial.

  • E8
    Miracle at Pot Hole
    Aired · Sun, Oct 26, 1958 · 30m

    Josh Randall tracks down a man wanted for murder and turns him over to Sheriff Chute Wilson, but later learns that the Sheriff is corrupt and begins to have doubts about the wanted man's guilt.

  • E9
    The Fourth Headstone
    Aired · Sun, Nov 2, 1958 · 30m

    Josh pays a visit to his friend Sheriff Gladstone and offers his help to escort an attractive woman prisoner, who has killed three men, to another jail.

  • E10
    Til Death Do Us Part
    Aired · Sun, Nov 9, 1958 · 30m

    Attractive Stacy Torrance is wanted for murder, and when Josh learns her alleged victim, her husband Leo is alive, he tries to clear her of the charge.

  • E11
    The Favor
    Aired · Sun, Nov 16, 1958 · 30m

    Josh searches for a robbery suspect in a town run by outlaws.

  • E12
    Ricochet
    Aired · Sun, Nov 23, 1958 · 30m

    A woman's wish to find her missing husband involves Josh in a murder conspiracy.

  • E13
    Sheriff of Red Rock
    Aired · Sun, Nov 30, 1958 · 30m

    Sheriff Eckert let's his prisoners escape so two bounty hunters named Evans and Stoner can collect the reward money so it can be split three ways. Josh arrives in Red Rock with a prisoner and is placed in jail accused of using unfair tactics to get hold of the bounty.

  • E14
    Die by the Gun
    Aired · Sun, Dec 7, 1958 · 30m

    Josh is returning a prisoner to jail aboard a stagecoach, when he, the prisoner, and the coach driver are waylaid and menaced by two escaped killers who are heading for the Mexican border.

  • E15
    Rawhide Breed
    Aired · Sun, Dec 14, 1958 · 30m

    Josh and a passenger are the only two people that survived an Apache attack on the stagecoach that they were riding in. The two have a long walk to the next relay station, not realizing that the Kreager brothers are on their trail hopeing to free their brother who was in Randall's custody but died during the attack.

  • E16
    Eight Cent Reward
    Aired · Sun, Dec 21, 1958 · 30m

    Josh is hired for an unusual assignment: bring in Santa.

  • E17
    Drop to Drink
    Aired · Sun, Dec 28, 1958 · 30m

    Frank Parrish and his partner are after a diamond ring worth $20,000. They way-lay the pony express carrier carrying the package that has the ring. When the rider doesn't return to the town of Tipton, Josh Randall is hired to find the courier and the ring.

  • E18
    Rope Law
    Aired · Sun, Jan 4, 1959 · 30m

    A lynch mob overtakes Josh and his prisoner Brace Logan. Josh is overpowered and later, during his investigation he learns that Logan is innocent and the son of a respectable citizen is the real murderer.

  • E19
    Six-Up to Bannach
    Aired · Sun, Jan 11, 1959 · 30m

    Josh must reach Bannach to prevent the execution of an innocent man. The only way to get in time is by stagecoach. The one that Josh happens to pick is carrying boxes of dynamite.

  • E20
    The Spur
    Aired · Sun, Jan 18, 1959 · 30m

    Searching for wanted murderer Vic Warsaw, Josh is told that Warsaw was gunned down in a small town. But one clue alerts the bounty hunter that Warsaw may still be alive.

  • E21
    Reunion for Revenge
    Aired · Sun, Jan 25, 1959 · 30m

    Several escaped convicts believe that Josh's prisoner was responsible for sending them to jail, and are intent on revenge.

  • E22
    Competition
    Aired · Sun, Feb 1, 1959 · 30m

    While taking time away from his regular duties, Josh finds himself confronted by two bounty hunters who think he is on a big paying job, and they want a piece of the action too.

  • E23
    Call Your Shot
    Aired · Sun, Feb 8, 1959 · 30m

    Gabe Henshaw hires Josh to find the body of his son named Will. During his investigation, Josh learns that Jed Miller, the town's leading business man, killed Will in order to get Abbie Fenton, the love interest of Will Henshaw.

  • E24
    Secret Ballot
    Aired · Sun, Feb 15, 1959 · 30m

    Josh's army buddy, Ned Easter, is running for mayor against a ruthless candidate named Barney Pax, whose brother, the town's murderous Sheriff is wanted for murder.

  • E25
    The Corner
    Aired · Sun, Feb 22, 1959 · 30m

    Accused of killing a friend, bounty hunter Josh Randall tries to prove himself innocent.

  • E26
    Eager Man
    Aired · Sun, Mar 1, 1959 · 30m

    Fugitive Ted Nelson will surrender to his friend Josh Randall if his wife shares the reward. But another bounty hunter named Foley is closing in.

  • E27
    The Legend
    Aired · Sun, Mar 8, 1959 · 30m

    A wealthy rancher puts a bounty on Josh so he can hire him to lead himself and his children into the desert and find a one-hundred years old treasure.

  • E28
    Railroaded
    Aired · Sun, Mar 15, 1959 · 30m

    Josh comes to the defense of a boy accused of murdering an undercover Pinkerton detective aboard a train. With the help of a stable owner, Josh attempts to track down the real killer and bring him to justice.

  • E29
    Double Fee
    Aired · Sun, Mar 22, 1959 · 30m

    Josh is hired by an opera singer to help find her sister who was kidnapped and held for a $5,000 ransom.

  • E30
    The Kovack Affair
    Aired · Sun, Mar 29, 1959 · 30m

    Josh's old friend, Jesse Holloway is in love with the town's hotel owner, Meghan Francis, who is being threatened by a monstrous businessman named Kovak who wants to take the hotel over at any cost. Jesse sends for Josh to try and keep Kovak away, if possible without any use of violence.

  • E31
    Bounty for a Bride
    Aired · Sun, Apr 5, 1959 · 30m

    Fifteen years ago apache's kidnapped Damon Albright's daughter. The only way he can get her back, is after Josh marries her.

  • E32
    Crossroads
    Aired · Sun, Apr 12, 1959 · 30m

    While Josh track a suspected murderer, the fugitive's father plots to prevent the capture of his son.

  • E33
    Angels of Vengeance
    Aired · Sun, Apr 19, 1959 · 30m

    When Josh kills a young man in self-defence, the victim's father, head of a religious cult, orders the bounty hunters death.

  • E34
    Littlest Client
    Aired · Sun, Apr 26, 1959 · 30m

    Josh Randall is hired by a 10 year old girl to find her father, the reports of whose death she refuses to believe.

  • E35
    The Conquerors
    Aired · Sun, May 3, 1959 · 30m

    A banker hires Josh to find his runaway son, who has joined a mercenary army that preys on mexican towns.

  • E36
    Amos Carter
    Aired · Sun, May 10, 1959 · 30m

    Josh tries to reconcile two families who's feud has reached dangerous proportions.

Season 2
32 episodes · 32 aired
▾
  • E1
    Montana Kid
    Aired · Sun, Sep 6, 1959 · 30m

    A kid is the key for Josh to find Johnny Deuce who cheated during a poker game and took a lot of money off Josh, who goes after Deuce to get his money back.

  • E2
    The Healing Woman
    Aired · Sun, Sep 13, 1959 · 30m

    Tom takes his very ill son away from medical help and takes him to a witch, a so-called healer, jeopardizing his son's full recovery.

  • E3
    The Matchmaker
    Aired · Sun, Sep 20, 1959 · 30m

    Josh reluctantly plays matchmaker and enlists the aid of Amy Williams to teach Charlie the proper way to behave and act so that he can confidently find his own bride.

  • E4
    Breakout
    Aired · Sun, Sep 27, 1959 · 30m

    Prison officials allow Josh to go undercover and help Tom Dunn, an imprisoned criminal, to breakout out in order to find out where he has hidden the fifty thousand dollars from a bank robbery.

  • E5
    Estralita
    Aired · Sun, Oct 4, 1959 · 30m

    While hot on the trail of a murderer, Josh comes across a man about to be lynched by a group of vigilanties. The victim happens to be the same man that Randall has been chaseing. With the help of a woman Josh and the man escape the mob, but later the killer realizes that the person who freed him is actually a bounty hunter.

  • E6
    The Hostage
    Aired · Sun, Oct 11, 1959 · 30m

    Condemned murderer Jumbo Kane shoots the town's sheriff, then promises to free him in exchange for another hostage. Josh volunteers to be the hostage.

  • E7
    The Empty Cell
    Aired · Sun, Oct 18, 1959 · 30m

    Josh delivers a prisoner to a man posing as a sheriff, who then frees the criminal and takes the bounty hunters reward.

  • E8
    Bad Gun
    Aired · Sun, Oct 25, 1959 · 30m

    When he realizes that he sold a customer a defective gun, a firearms salesman hires Randall to retrieve the weapon before any damage is done.

  • E9
    The Tyrant
    Aired · Sun, Nov 1, 1959 · 30m

    While seeking the bounty for an army deserter and some stolen goverment property, Josh rides into a small town and has his gun confiscated by a homicidal marshal named Asa Wynter who rules the town with an iron fist.

  • E10
    Reckless
    Aired · Sun, Nov 8, 1959 · 30m

    Well-known businessman Tate Bradley hires Josh and other bounty hunters to find Tony Eagan who killed his son, but was ruled an accident. When Randall finds the supposed killer and returns him-Bradley refuses to pay the bounty because Eagan is still alive.

  • E11
    Desert Seed
    Aired · Sun, Nov 15, 1959 · 30m

    Josh is hot on the trail of a wanted fugitive named Juan Gomez. Randall's search leads him to a small village near the Mexican border, where the man is seeking refuge from his family.

  • E12
    Twelve Hours to Crazy Horse
    Aired · Sun, Nov 22, 1959 · 30m

    Josh delivers Dan Murdock, wanted for multiple murders, to the Sheriff of Mesa City. While there Josh learns that one of the murdered victims is the brother of Sheriff Hayes who will take revenge while transporting his prisoner to Crazy Horse. Josh joins both men to prevent any wrong doing on the trail back to Crazy Horse.

  • E13
    No Trail Back
    Aired · Sun, Nov 29, 1959 · 30m

    Josh goes after robbers who have bungled the job---one of them has been bitten by a rabid dog.

  • E14
    Man on Horseback
    Aired · Sun, Dec 6, 1959 · 30m

    Charley Red Cloud is blamed for the murder of Will Bascomb. Bascomb's brother, Merv places a high bounty on Red Cloud. Josh agrees to go after him, even though he has to enter hostile Apache territory.

  • E15
    Chain Gang
    Aired · Sun, Dec 13, 1959 · 30m

    Josh is arrested for a minor offense and put into jail, not knowing he is the replacement on a chain gang working a local mine.

  • E16
    Vanishing Act
    Aired · Sun, Dec 27, 1959 · 30m

    Josh is on the trail of bank robber Bart McCready. He tracks him to a town and discovers that McCready is performing as an escape artist with the name of 'The Great Bartolo'.

  • E17
    Mental Lapse
    Aired · Sun, Jan 3, 1960 · 30m

    Josh tries to help an amnesia victim who has tacked up posters offering a reward for information about himself.

  • E18
    Angela
    Aired · Sun, Jan 10, 1960 · 30m

    Angela Pryor is seeking revenge againts the man who murdered her father during a burglary. Josh is after the same man too, and must decide if it's worth the bounty or having the killer hang for his latest deed.

  • E19
    The Monster
    Aired · Sun, Jan 17, 1960 · 30m

    Josh Randall goes after an elephant trainer who's using his animal to scare away whole towns so he can plunder everything in sight.

  • E20
    The Most Beautiful Woman
    Aired · Sun, Jan 24, 1960 · 30m

    Josh will do almost anything for money---even search for a woman reported dead.

  • E21
    Jason
    Aired · Sun, Jan 31, 1960 · 30m

    Josh Randall caught 'Doc' Phillips, the partner of outlaw Clell Fennon, and wants to use him as bait to get Fennon. Deputy Jason Nichols admires Josh so much the he wants to become a bounty hunter and ride with Randall and has an idea on how to capture Fennon.

  • E22
    The Partners
    Aired · Sun, Feb 7, 1960 · 30m

    Josh gets arrested for horse theft, then he finds out it was Jason who put him behind bars because Jason wants to go after notorious outlaw Billy Joe Henry and bring him in alone without Josh's help.

  • E23
    Tolliver Bender
    Aired · Sun, Feb 14, 1960 · 30m

    Old Tolliver Bender's testimony is needed at a trial. Bender is to be hanged in a nearby town, and his captors inform Josh that they demand a hostage to assure that Tolliver will be returned to be executed. Josh's partner Jason Nichols is selected as the hostage.

  • E24
    A House Divided
    Aired · Sun, Feb 21, 1960 · 30m

    Josh is hired by an attractive woman to find and clear the name of her father wrongly accused of murder. The real killer hires Jason to find the same man too.

  • E25
    Triple Vise
    Aired · Sun, Feb 28, 1960 · 30m

    Josh and his partner Jason travel to Mexico, on behalf of Al Hemp, who wants them to find his brother Billy wanted for a crime.

  • E26
    Black Belt
    Aired · Sun, Mar 20, 1960 · 30m

    Josh goes after a korean named Sammy Wong wanted for murder. The weapon he uses is his hands. Sammy's a karate expert.

  • E27
    The Pariah
    Aired · Sun, Mar 27, 1960 · 30m

    Asked to keep an eye on a friends son, Josh learns that the young man is actually a cold-blooded thief with a bad heart.

  • E28
    Vendetta
    Aired · Sun, Apr 10, 1960 · 30m

    Josh captures and returns a wanted recruit to an Army Camp. The commanding officer re-instates the wanted man and refuses to pay Randall his bounty money.

  • E29
    Death, Divided by Three
    Aired · Sun, Apr 24, 1960 · 30m

    Josh and Jason are on the trail of an outlaw wanted for murder in Arizona. But someone else is seeking the same man too-the killers wife.

  • E30
    The Inheritance
    Aired · Sun, May 1, 1960 · 30m

    Clint Davis, owner of the largest ranch west of Missouri, is blind and dying, and hires Josh Randell to find his son.

  • E31
    Prison Trail
    Aired · Sun, May 15, 1960 · 30m

    Josh and Jason are returning four prisoners to prison. On their way they encounter a stranger who keeps following them. From the prisoners themselves Josh learns that the stranger is out to kill them before they reach the prison.

  • E32
    Pay-Off at Pinto
    Aired · Sun, May 22, 1960 · 30m

    The bank of Pinto has been recently robbed. The banks owner, Tom Wing, hires Josh to go to Santa Fe to pick up funds to be returned to his bank. On his way back, Josh is robbed too, and the citizens of Pinto are outraged and want to see Tom Wing hanged.

Season 3
26 episodes · 26 aired
▾
  • E1
    The Trial
    Aired · Thu, Sep 22, 1960 · 30m

    Daniel Trenner is wanted for court martial because of his cowardice several men is his platoon lost their lives. Josh is after Trenner for other reasons and wants to stop the trial.

  • E2
    The Cure
    Aired · Thu, Sep 29, 1960 · 30m

    Emily Kendrick hires Josh to keep her beloved Harry from drinking himself to death, she has matrimony on her mind and with the arrival of Harry's brother for the wedding, she wants to make sure that all goes as planned.

  • E3
    Journey for Josh
    Aired · Thu, Oct 6, 1960 · 30m

    Josh is delivering a female prisoner and becomes smitten with her, unknown to him is her accomplice, who is following them to break her loose.

  • E4
    The Looters
    Aired · Thu, Oct 13, 1960 · 30m

    Josh is on his way to River City to pick up three prisoners, when an unexpected tornado destroys the jail, killing the sheriff. Josh is on the hunt to recapture the escapees.

  • E5
    The Twain Shall Meet
    Aired · Thu, Oct 20, 1960 · 30m

    A Boston newspaperman accompanies Randall on a manhunt to obtain an exclusive story, but his pacifism offers problems when Randall corners his prey.

  • E6
    The Showdown
    Aired · Thu, Oct 27, 1960 · 30m

    Johnny Haywood, a childhood friend of Josh's, claims to be innocent of the crime he is accused of. When he escapes, Josh is ordered to bring him back - dead or alive.

  • E7
    Surprise Witness
    Aired · Thu, Nov 3, 1960 · 30m

    Josh captures a notorious killer but no one wants to testify against him, until a surprise witness come forward, his mother.

  • E8
    To the Victor
    Aired · Thu, Nov 10, 1960 · 30m

    Josh is hired by the men of the town to try and persuade the ladies to return to their homes after rebelling against their husbands' gunplay.

  • E9
    Criss-Cross
    Aired · Thu, Nov 17, 1960 · 30m

    When Josh mistakenly brings in the wrong man, the man is released and finds the real criminal, and notifies Josh of the man's whereabouts.

  • E10
    The Medicine Man
    Aired · Thu, Nov 24, 1960 · 30m

    Josh and a phony medicine man help out a man who was framed and falsely accused of the theft of a huge sum of money.

  • E11
    One Mother Too Many
    Aired · Thu, Dec 8, 1960 · 30m

    Josh is hired by Beth a widow, to find her runaway son, who is currently in the care of her vindictive mother-in-law.

  • E12
    The Choice
    Aired · Thu, Dec 15, 1960 · 30m

    Jane Koster asks Josh's help with her husband, Frank who is also a bounty hunter. He is out looking for Stacy Lenz with a score to settle and Jane fears for his life.

  • E13
    Three for One
    Aired · Thu, Dec 22, 1960 · 30m

    Josh with prisoner Tom Fellows in tow, stops in the town of Center City overnight, unaware that one of Tom's cohorts is devising a plan to free him.

  • E14
    Witch Woman
    Aired · Thu, Dec 29, 1960 · 30m

    Josh Randall faces the wrath of a terrified Mexican village when he attempts to protect a schoolteacher who refuses to give in to the local witch doctor. The witch doctor demands that she be allowed to treat the schoolteacher's expectant wife.

  • E15
    Baa-Baa
    Aired · Thu, Jan 5, 1961 · 30m

    Josh is hired to find Baa-Baa a beloved pet of Mrs. Goode's. Her husband is desperate to find Baa-Baa as he is in the dog house with her until Baa-Baa returns. Josh reluctantly goes and looks for the lost sheep admist much ridicule from other ranchers and cowboys alike.

  • E16
    The Last Retreat
    Aired · Thu, Jan 12, 1961 · 30m

    Sarah Lawton's identification led to killer Clem Robinson's conviction. Now Clem has escaped from prison, and Josh is hired for protection by Mrs. Lawton because her lawyer husband is a coward.

  • E17
    Bounty on Josh
    Aired · Thu, Jan 26, 1961 · 30m

    Josh is asked to meet a client at the hotel, at his arrival he is shot. Josh tries to figure out who is behind the shooting.

  • E18
    Hero in the Dust
    Aired · Thu, Feb 2, 1961 · 30m

    Josh is hired by Harry Weaver to find his twin brother Pete. Pete is using his resemblence to his brother to get away with murder.

  • E19
    Epitaph
    Aired · Thu, Feb 9, 1961 · 30m

    Josh tries to return an old friend and former sheriff who robbed a bank to stand trial, but the journey becomes dangerous after another bounty hunter gets involved.

  • E20
    The Voice of Silence
    Aired · Thu, Feb 16, 1961 · 30m

    Josh is hired by Frank Hagen to protect his deaf-mute daughter Carol Hagen while he's away on business. During Josh's stay at the Hagen Farm, he encounters a strange drifter and former bank robber named Harry Brice accompanied by his criminal partners.

  • E21
    El Gato
    Aired · Thu, Feb 23, 1961 · 30m

    A timid photographer named Archie Warner comes west with hopes of being the first to shoot a photo of a famous Mexican bandit. Josh happens to be a friend of "El Gato", and is hired by Archie to meet him.

  • E22
    Detour
    Aired · Thu, Mar 2, 1961 · 30m

    Martin Fairweather has two lovely daughters which are the objects of a young man's affection. Papa doesn't want to lose his best cook and best cleaner so he proceeds to chase any possible suitors away. Josh's job is to distract Papa long enough for the girls to elope!

  • E23
    Monday Morning
    Aired · Thu, Mar 9, 1961 · 30m

    After being coerced into stealing a large amount of money from his workplace, Charlie Glover has a change of heart and hires Josh to help him return the money before his boss finds out.

  • E24
    The Long Search
    Aired · Thu, Mar 16, 1961 · 30m

    Yoshika Nakamura comes west to find a man named Bill Timmons who promised to marry her when he visited Japan. Yoshika hires Josh to help her locate Timmons, and during his venture learns about Japanese culture.

  • E25
    Dead Reckoning
    Aired · Thu, Mar 23, 1961 · 30m

    Barbara Decker asks Josh to find her husband Paul and bring him back alive before the Taggert brothers catch up with him for murdering their brother.

  • E26
    Barney's Bounty
    Aired · Thu, Mar 30, 1961 · 30m

    Josh tries to reconcile an old friend and his son while they pursue a pair of escaped prisoners who make off with Barney's horses.