Very strange children's special from Canada.

I actually saw this firsthand.

 This Canadian children's special aired on the US cable channel Nickelodeon a few times around 1982 to 1984. Two cowboy heroes discover a valley of dinosaurs in the old west. Shot entirely in a TV studio, both are played by kids (Mike Myers and David Ferry) who ride on plastic prop horses, often in front of a chromakeyed background. The dinosaurs are small puppets that look as though they may have been cobbled together from toys or plastic model kits. Visible seems and joints with equally visible wires moving them. The sets are a small single stage with dressing that is moved around a little and a lot of miniatures that are of the quality of a roadside tourist trap diorama. A good diorama, but still, not very scenic. A store-bought electric train is featured.

 Very strange and obtuse programming. I suspect that only a very small child would find it interesting. But then if you like weird stuff then you wont be disappointed by this either. Both kids play it completely serious as though they are adult desperados. 

 This was in the pioneer days of basic cable and Nick had no commercials and relied largely on inexpensive programming made for them in Canada, such as "You Can't Do That on Television" or 1970s programs imported from Britain such as the original "The Tomorrow People", "Black Beauty" "Into The Labyrinth" and "Danger Mouse" which was the first ever sponsored program on the channel and inexpensive children's films as well as movies in the public domain. American PBS programs also aired as well as their own US programming often shot in TV studios for next to nothing. No one would appreciate this now, but it was great fun. 

 Too bad no one VHS'd Range Ryder. Maybe it will pop up on YouTube some day. One can only hope.

 I have no idea if it was a serialized program cut together. It may very well have been. Nick was known to do this with other programming and in many cases did the opposite; take a feature length film and cut it into four or five "chapters" and air it over a week". If you are a hater, then you are definitely going to HATE Range Rider. But if you love the diverse and the bizarre, you are going to LOVE this. There is some sort of genius behind it.. or insanity. Imagine a producer at a local affiliate news station or maybe a 1970 children's show host seeing one of the live action Hanna Barbera programs like "Danger Island" or Sid and Marty Kroft shows like "Land of the Lost" and thinking "I CAN DO THAT! NO PROBLEM!" and you would likely end up

The adventure genre features exciting journeys, quests, or expeditions undertaken by characters who often face challenges, obstacles, and risks in pursuit of a goal. Adventures can take place in a wide range of settings, from exotic and fantastical locations to historical or even everyday environments.

The family genre features stories specifically created to be suitable for a wide range of age groups within a family. Family-oriented content is designed to be enjoyed by both children and adults, often providing entertainment that is wholesome, relatable, and appropriate for all members of a family to watch or experience together.

Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

In this adventure set in the Alberta Badlands of 1904, ex-Mountie Range Ryder and his sidekick, the Calgary Kid, must battle Mayor Morgan of Steveville who intends to crown himself Emperor of Alberta instead of allowing Alberta's entry into Confederation. Morgan also wants Susan Canfield, the Calgary Kid's mother, as his Empress but she wants no part of his evil plan. The film is presented in three "reels": Trouble on the Tracks, in which four trains have been lost, cutting off Steveville and causing Range Ryder and the Calgary Kid to investigate; Blasts From the Past, in which Morgan and his henchman Stratton plan to blow up the bridge as Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier's train crosses; and Renegade Roundup, which finds Range Ryder and the Calgary Kid riding tame dinosaurs to battle Morgan's army and other dinosaurs unearthed by the dynamite blast.

David Ferry and Janet-Laine Green in Range Ryder & The Calgary Kid (1977)

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Mike Myers, David Ferry, and Janet-Laine Green in Range Ryder & The Calgary Kid (1977)

Range Ryder & The Calgary Kid

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