It really did reboot his acting career.
Before I watched the tv show, I remember reading that Schroder and Robert Urich were cast in leading roles. Great, I thought, casting is going to screw this up as bad as the casting of Glen Campbell almost ruined 1969’s True Grit. Surprisingly, to me, both were very good.
After watching the miniseries, my biggest casting quibble was Frederic Forest as Blue Duck. Charles Bronson was originally cast as Blue Duck, but had to drop out due to other commitments. Bronson may have been able to breathe McMurtry’s psychopathic Blue Duck into the role. Unfortunately Forest did not, not for me.