Bonanza was a television Western which aired on NBC from 1959 until 1973. The series became the second longest-running TV Western, after Gunsmoke. Bonanza focused on the Cartwrights, owners of the Ponderosa ranch, and their attempts to help friends and neighbors in nearby Virgina City. In 1970, for the second season of Sesame Street, series stars Lorne Greene (Ben Cartwright), Michael Landon (Little Joe), and Dan Blocker (Hoss) appeared in multiple inserts, in character, on the Virginia City set, and with their horses. Greene and Landon subsequently did similar duty on The Electric Company.