Casting the right actors for a television series is no easy feat, especially for a Western. Without the right cast, your series can fall flat, no matter how promising the plot or the writing of the show might be.

It seems that the casting directors for The Big Valley had good luck in spades when it came to creating the Barkley family. Helmed by matriarch Victoria Barkley, played by the talented Barbara Stanwyck, audiences latched onto the Barkley family as if they had known them for a lifetime.

By the time the series was renewed for a second season, the cast and crew knew their way around the television industry and had no interest in messing with a good thing.

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"We plan no cast changes because we were careful to select the right people for our pilot," said Arthur Garner, a producer on The Big Valley, during an interview with The Daily Report. "We have ideal balance in our cast with a veteran 'pro' like Barbara and two talented, experienced actors such as Dick Long and Peter Breck."

Coupled with more established actors like Stanwyck and Long were rising stars like Lee Majors and Linda Evans. With their natural talent, the two actors were able to hold their own on the series. Viewers welcomed the newcomers with open arms.

"It is difficult for me to say how pleased we are with the international reaction and acceptance of our two new stars, Lee Majors and Linda Evans," said Garner. "My associates and I knew we had finds in Linda and Lee, but the way the pair came over on the series was, perhaps, even a bit better than we expected."