Hey Dude

Ben Ernst, a divorced, good-natured, somewhat bumbling father from New Jersey, has bought the Bar None Dude Ranch seeking escape from his high-pressure job as a New York City accountant. His son, Buddy, is displeased with the change of locale, primarily because he is unable to use his skateboard on the desert sand. Buddy's dog Cassie was featured in Season 1, but was absent in Season 2.

For Season 1, the teenage staff consisted of two boys and two girls: Ted, an enterprising troublemaker; Danny, an easy-going Hopi Indian; girl-next-door Melody; and Brad, a rich girl from Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Brad, though she often wears dressy designer outfits at work, is a competent horse rider. Her love-hate relationship with Ted is a plot thread during the first half of the series.

When 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 become romantic rivals for Brad. The show's only other featured adult is Lucy, a tough, authoritative ranch hand. She is sometimes looked upon as a mother figure and the teens often ask her advice.

Each episode begins with a cold open that usually ends with a lame pun. After that, the show's logo appears over the end of the cold open, and then, each character is introduced as a horseshoe flips, followed by the show's logo again, and then, 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.

A skeptical Buddy (Josh Tygiel, left) tries to ignore Ted (David Lascher) and his scheming

• David Brisbin as Benjamin Ernst, Sr., ranch owner who is also 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 Indian. Torres was cast after auditioning in Tucson for the role.[1]
• 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. Tygiel was one of 120 Tucson-area boys who auditioned for the series.[1]

David Lascher and Joe Torres were nominated for a 1991 Young Artist Award in the Best Youth Variety or Game Show category for their roles on Hey Dude.[2]

Hey Dude was videotaped on location at the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch near Tucson, Arizona.[1] The show was produced by Cinetel Productions. Casting began in 1988 with local auditions held in Tucson.[1]

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/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 and a half miles east of Tucson, Arizona.

The series ran for 65 30-minute episodes over two years from 1989–1991. The episodes take place over the course of several consecutive summers, with cast members often recalling pranks and staff members from previous summers.

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.[4][5][6][7] The fourth season was released on DVD as a Shout Select title, available exclusively through Shout Factory's website and select Amazon.com sellers.[8] The fifth and final season was released on July 16, 2013, also as a Shout Select title.[9]

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

On May 9, 2017, the complete series was re-released as a general retail release.[12]

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

• Hey Dude at IMDb
• Hey Dude at TV.com