The Rifleman
The Second Witness
TV Flash files “The Second Witness” as hour 23 of 168 in the TV Flash guide — The Rifleman (1958–1963) on ABC, season 1, episode 23, aired 1959-03-30, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E23: listed hour 23 of 168 in the The Rifleman guide, hour 23 of 40 in season 1. It aired 1959-03-30 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “The Boarding House” (S01E22). Next is “The Trade” (S01E24).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
As the second witness of a murder, Lucas is asked to travel to another town to testify at the accused man's trial. The catch is, the only other witness has been murdered and his killer has not been identified.
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Second Witness sit in the The Rifleman guide?
S01E23 is listed hour 23 of 168 — hour 23 of 40 in season 1, season 1 episode 23.
When did The Rifleman S01E23 air?
The Second Witness aired 1959-03-30 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Where should I start?
Start with Connors and Crawford as the ranch pair — the rifle is the visual, fatherhood is the engine. Early episodes carry the Peckinpah-era craft lore.
In the series
Why this series still plays
The Rifleman is a widowed dad, a boy, and a rapid-fire Winchester: Chuck Connors's athlete-to-star path, Johnny Crawford as Mark, parenting as much as gunplay. Watch it in 2026 as the family western that made a customized rifle toy-aisle history — frontier justice with a moral center and a lever-action snap.
ABC window: 1958–1963. **168 episodes, five seasons.** Chuck Connors as widower Lucas McCain, Johnny Crawford as son Mark, Paul Fix as Marshal Micah Torrance. Product: a family western that centered parenting as much as gunplay, a modified rapid-fire Winchester as the toy-aisle SKU. Arnold Laven created it; Sam Peckinpah was among early writers and directors. Violence came quick; lessons came quicker. Rex can keep the frontier hymn. This is a prop, a fatherhood premise, and a five-season window.
Filed against
- Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain
Chuck Connors played Lucas McCain on The Rifleman — a widowed dad, a boy, a rapid-fire Winchester, athlete-to-star path, Johnny Crawford as Mark, parenting as much as gunplay. Frontier justice with a moral center, a customized rifle as…
- Johnny Crawford as Mark McCain
Johnny Crawford’s Mark McCain made The Rifleman a family western — a widowed dad, a boy, a rapid-fire Winchester, Chuck Connors’s athlete-to-star path, parenting as much as gunplay. Frontier justice with a moral center and a customized…
- Paul Fix as Marshal Micah Torrance
Paul Fix played Marshal Micah Torrance on The Rifleman, the 1950s family western of a widowed dad, a boy, and a rapid-fire Winchester. Chuck Connors’s athlete-to-star path, Johnny Crawford as Mark, parenting as much as gunplay. TV Flash…