...Chester Goode, or McCloud (the series, not the character)?
As I get older I sleep less, and watch a lot of MeTV as I lie abed. (Weather Channel, too. Love "Prospectors".) Of the successful NBC "Mystery Movies" (the others being "Columbo" and "McMillan & Wife" -- what's this with Gaelic-American characters?), "McCloud" is far and away the worst, starting with the inane, ersatz-cowboy theme music. The composer (Mancini, I assume) probably dashed it off in 15 seconds.
The basic idea is a hoary one -- the fish out of water. But it doesn't hold water. The conflict between McCloud and Clifford (J D Cannon) seems arbitrary and contrived. Because neither character is properly fleshed out, we have no idea why there should be friction between two police officers (supposedly) working towards the same end.
The only legitimate gripe Clifford has against McCloud is his tendency to run off on his own -- without backup, and often at risk to his life. NO INTELLIGENT LAWMAN WOULD DO THIS. (See David Gerrold's thoughts about Captain Kirk.) Not even Chester Goode is that foolish.
Of course, this gives the "country bumpkin" the opportunity to show how much cleverer, abler, and braver he is than the stuffed-shirt city folk. This trope has pleased audiences at least since Ma & Pa Kettle.
"McCloud" is devoid of plausibility. I can believe Dennis Weaver as Chester, but not as McCloud. Unlike "Gunsmoke", where Weaver is continually playing a well-defined character (and doing it superbly), McCloud is little more than a handsome actor in attractive Western clothing, with an appealing drawl. (Talk about type-casting.) As a human being, McCloud is as vaporous as the object whose name he shares.
The series depends heavily on "get the characters into trouble, then get them out", the antithesis of good drama. "McCloud" is a stereotyped action program that gives us little reason to have any profound interested in its characters. *
This episode (with its archly cute title) is considered among the worst of the series (which is saying something, considering the general lousiness of the others I've seen). It's little more than a long and annoying chase, which wastes the talents of everyone concerned. And its "borrowings" are beyond annoying.
When McCloud and Broadhurst try to escape by hiding in a corn field, guess what happens? Just guess. That's right! And when truckers from the evil trucking company stupidly try to crush Bonnie and McCloud's car (do they really think they won't be noticed?), we're treated to a lame version of another Dennis Weaver movie. All this chasing about includes some of the worst rear-projection riding-in-automobile scenes I've seen.
It's notable that the Oklahoma police are portrayed as thugs, all-too-ready to believe that McCloud is a murderer. Hey, guys, he's white. How can he be a murderer?
It is this repeated lack of plausibility, and a continuing failure to develop interesting dramatic situations, that renders "McCloud" a waste of time. Who cares?
* There's an episode of "Car 54" in which Toody is looking for a gift for a retiring officer. In the 25 minutes it runs, we learn more about the characters and their relationships than from a dozen "McCloud" episodes.