After their reunion, the pair journey together over thousands of miles across the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains in search of Patricia; hence, the title The Quest.

A pilot movie aired on May 13, 1976 as a preview of the upcoming series;[3] it received strong ratings, placing in the top 20 programs for the week.

[5] The Quest aired at the 9/10 p.m. Wednesday timeslot,[6] deliberately targeting an adult audience after the failure of the family-oriented western Sara earlier in 1976.

Gerber intended to duplicate the "gritty realism, ... attention to detail, character and authenticity" of Police Story in the first prime time western since the end of Gunsmoke.

[39] Grady Hunt was nominated for the 1977 prime time Emmy Award in costume design for a drama or comedy series for his work on The Quest.