Dallas (1978 TV series)

This article is about the original 1978–1991 television series. For the sequel, see Dallas (2012 TV series).

Dallas
Dallas title card from 1979–1984
Created by	David Jacobs
Directed by	Irving J. Moore
Starring	Barbara Bel Geddes Jim Davis Lesley-Anne Down Patrick Duffy Kimberly Foster Linda Gray Larry Hagman Susan Howard Steve Kanaly Howard Keel George Kennedy Ken Kercheval Sasha Mitchell Cathy Podewell Priscilla Beaulieu Presley Victoria Principal Dack Rambo Donna Reed Barbara Stock Charlene Tilton Sheree J. Wilson
Theme music composer	Jerrold Immel
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	14
No. of episodes	357 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	45 minutes
Production companies	Lorimar Productions (1978–1986) Lorimar Telepictures (1986–1988) Lorimar Television (1988–1991)
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	April 2, 1978 (1978-04-02) – May 3, 1991 (1991-05-03)
Related
Knots Landing

The Southfork Ranch, home of the Ewing family

Dallas is a long running American prime time television soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. The show was famous for its cliffhangers, including the "Who shot J.R.?" mystery, and the "Dream Season", in which the entirety of season nine was revealed to have been a dream of one of the characters.

Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing. The show also starred stage/screen actress Barbara Bel Geddes as family matriarch Miss Ellie, and movie Western actor Jim Davis in his last role as Ewing patriarch Jock Ewing before his death in 1981. The series won four Emmy Awards, including a 1980 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series win for Barbara Bel Geddes.

Dallas was included in Time magazine's 2007 list of "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME". By the time the show concluded in 1991 it had become one of the longest lasting primetime dramas in American TV history, second only to Gunsmoke and Law & Order, which both tie as the longest lasting American TV dramas with 20 seasons for each show. Dallas' series finale was the second highest rated TV episode ever, behind MASH's finale, with a 53.3 rating and share of 80. Dallas' spinoff Knots Landing also lasted 14 seasons.

In 2010, TNT announced they were producing a new, updated series of Dallas. The new series, continuing the story of the Ewing family, premiered on TNT on June 13, 2012.

Origin and filming locations

The show debuted on April 2, 1978, as a five-part miniseries on the CBS network. Producers initially had no plans for expansion; however, due to the show's popularity, it was subsequently turned into a regular series and broadcast for 13 more seasons from September 23, 1978, to May 3, 1991. The first five episodes (originally viewed as a miniseries) are now considered to be season one — so in all the series had fourteen seasons.

The miniseries was shot entirely on location in Dallas, Texas, and at the Cloyce Box Ranch in Frisco, Texas. Later, most interiors for the show were shot at the MGM studios in Hollywood, with some exteriors being shot at the Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas, and other sections of Dallas, until 1989, when rising production costs led to all filming being relocated to California. Typically the cast and crew would spend six to eight weeks filming on-location sequences in the Dallas area during the summer prior to the season, then film the remainder of the season in the Los Angeles area; less than half of the episodes in a given season had on-location sequences filmed in Dallas. MGM built a full-size replica of the Southfork Ranch backyard and pool on one of its soundstages, allowing for filming of "location" shots during the latter part of the season.

Original premise

The show is known for its portrayal of wealth, sex, intrigue, and power struggles. Throughout the series the main premise is the longtime rivalry between the Ewings and the Barnes which came to head when Barnes daughter, Pamela Barnes (Victoria Principal) eloped with Ewing son, Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) in the first episode.

The back story was that, way back in the 1930s, John Ross "Jock" Ewing, Sr. (Jim Davis) had allegedly cheated his one-time partner, Willard "Digger" Barnes (guest stars David Wayne and Keenan Wynn), out of his share of their company, and married Digger's only love, Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Southworth (Barbara Bel Geddes). Ellie's family were - in contrast to Jock - ranchers, with great love for the land and the cattle. Following the marriage of Ellie and Jock, the Southworth family ranch, Southfork, became the Ewings' home, where Jock and Miss Ellie raised three sons: J.R. (Larry Hagman), Gary (guest stars David Ackroyd and Ted Shackelford) and Bobby.

J.R., the eldest Ewing son, unscrupulous and unhappily married to a former Miss Texas, Sue Ellen Shepard (Linda Gray), was frequently at odds with his youngest brother, Bobby, who had the morals and integrity that J.R. lacked. Middle son Gary was Ellie's favourite as he displayed Southworth traits; however, Gary had been in conflict with both Jock and J.R. since childhood and was dismissed as a weak link. While still young, Gary had married waitress Valene Clements (guest star Joan Van Ark), who produced the first heir, the petite and saucy Lucy (Charlene Tilton). Years prior to the series beginning, J.R. had driven Gary and Valene off Southfork, leaving Lucy to be raised by her grandparents.

During the first episodes of the series, the teenaged Lucy is seen sleeping with ranch foreman Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly). Later, Krebbs would be revealed as a half-sibling, an illegitimate Ewing son through an extramarital affair Jock had during World War II. Unhappy with his small, one-dimensional role, Kanaly considered leaving the show. To add depth to the Krebbs character, Hagman suggested that the writers create a plot wherein Ray becomes half-brother to J.R., Gary, and Bobby, noting his resemblance to Davis. The episodes where Ray and niece Lucy had a fling is, as Kanaly told Dinah Shore in an appearance on her show, "prayerfully forgotten, I hope".

Ray had previously engaged in a short fling with Pamela Barnes, the daughter (or rather, as it were later revealed, stepdaughter) of Digger Barnes. However, Pam fell deeply in love with Bobby, and the pilot episode begins with the two of them arriving at Southfork Ranch as newlyweds, shocking the entire family. J.R., who loathed the Barnes family, was not happy with Pam's living at Southfork, and constantly tried to undermine her marriage to Bobby. Meanwhile, Pam's brother Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), who had inherited Digger's hatred towards the Ewings, shared J.R.'s objections to the marriage, and continued his father's quest to get revenge.

As the series progressed, the focus gradually moved away from Bobby's and Pam's relationship - even though it lasted until Principal left the series in 1987 - and J.R., whose schemes and dirty business became the show's trademark, grew to be the show's main character. When the show ended in 1991, J.R. was the only character to have appeared in every episode.

Most of the seasons ended with ratings-grabbing cliffhangers. Some notable cliffhangers include the season three finale "A House Divided", which launched the landmark "Who shot J.R.?" storyline and was ranked #69 on TV Guide's list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time"; the finding of an unidentified floating female corpse in the Southfork swimming pool (season four); and a blazing house fire (season six).

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Dallas characters

Main cast

The original Ewing family. Clockwise from top right are: Larry Hagman (in cowboy hat), Linda Gray, Jim Davis, Charlene Tilton, Victoria Principal, Patrick Duffy, and Barbara Bel Geddes

For the original five-episodes miniseries - season one - six actors received the star billing: Barbara Bel Geddes as Ewing matriarch Miss Ellie Ewing, whose family was the original owners of SouthFork; Jim Davis as her husband Jock Ewing, the founder of Ewing Oil and head of the Ewing family; Patrick Duffy as their youngest son, heart-throb Bobby Ewing; Victoria Principal as Pamela Barnes Ewing, the daughter of the rivaling Barnes family, whom Bobby brings home as his wife in the pilot episode; Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing, the oldest son, who strongly objects to his new sister-in-law; and Charlene Tilton as Lucy Ewing, Bobby's and J.R.'s saucy teenage niece, whose parents had been driven off the ranch by J.R.

Not receiving top billing during the miniseries, although appearing in the majority of the episodes were Linda Gray as J.R.'s long-suffering, alcoholic wife Sue Ellen Ewing; Steve Kanaly as ranch hand Ray Krebbs, Pam's ex, who eventually turned out to be Jock's illegitimate son; and Ken Kercheval as Pam's brother Cliff Barnes, J.R.'s archrival. Gray and Kanaly were promoted to the regular cast as of the first episode of the fall of 1978, and Kercheval a year later.

Further on in the series, several new characters were added, as the original actors departed the series:

For season five, after guest starring since the second season, Susan Howard joined the main cast as Donna Culver Krebbs, politician and widow of a former Texas governor, who becomes Ray's first wife and mother to his daughter Margaret.

Season eight saw the addition of musical actor Howard Keel as wealthy, and sometimes hot-tempered rancher Clayton Farlow, Miss Ellie's husband following Jock's death, and Priscilla Presley as Bobby's teenage sweetheart Jenna Wade, who gives birth to Bobby's only biological child, Lucas, and eventually becomes Ray's second wife. Keel had recurred on the show since the fourth season, and Presley since season seven (the character of Jenna had however been played by Morgan Fairchild for a season two episode, and Francine Tacker for two episodes in season three). Temporarily replacing Barbara Bel Geddes in the role as Miss Ellie, Donna Reed also joined the main cast during the eighth season, until Bel Geddes returned in the following year.

Dack Rambo, portraying wandering cousin Jack Ewing, was promoted to regular status for season ten, after having appeared as a guest star since the end of the eighth season. He was, however, written out of the show midway through the tenth season. Jack's ex-wife April Stevens Ewing, played by Sheree J. Wilson, first appeared as a guest star during seasons ten and eleven, before being promoted to a main character for season twelve. Originally a scheming character, April eventually became Bobby's second wife, after his divorce from Pam.

The thirteenth season saw several additions to the main cast: Academy Award winner George Kennedy as Carter McKay, who buys Ray's ranch after Ray and Jenna move to Switzerland, and eventually becomes the head of Ewing Oil rival WestStar; Cathy Podewell as the young, naïve, Cally Harper, who becomes J.R.'s second wife; Sasha Mitchell as J.R.'s illegitimate, first born, son, James Beaumont; Kimberly Foster as April's devious sister Michelle Stevens, who marries both James and Cliff Barnes; and finally Lesley-Anne Down as PR woman Stephanie Rogers. While Kennedy and Podewell had appeared as guest stars throughout the twelfth season, Mitchell, Foster and Down's characters were all new to the series when they joined the regular cast.

Finally, for the fourteenth and final season, after guest starring in the last episodes of the season 13, Barbara Stock joined the cast as Cliff's fiancée Liz Adams.

Supporting cast

The Barnes family. Clockwise from top right are: Cliff Barnes, Pamela Barnes Ewing, Rebecca Barnes Wentworth, and Cliff & Pam's half sister Katherine Wentworth.

During its fourteen-year run, Dallas saw several actors appearing in supporting roles. Among the most notable are Mary Crosby (season 3-4 and 14) as Sue Ellen's scheming sister Kristin Shepard (also portrayed by Colleen Camp for two season 2 episodes), who has an affair with J.R. and is revealed to be the one who shot J.R. in the "Who Shot J.R.?" storyline; Jared Martin (seasons 3-6, 8-9, and 14) as Sue Ellen's cowboy lover, and Clayton's foster son, Steven "Dusty" Farlow; Leigh McCloskey (seasons 4-5, 8 and 12) as medical student Mitch Cooper, Lucy's husband; Audrey Landers (seasons 4-8 and 12-13) as Mitch's sister Afton Cooper, an aspiring singer and Cliff's longtime fiancée; stage actress Priscilla Pointer (season 4-6) as Rebecca Barnes Wentworth, Pam's and Cliff's estranged mother; Morgan Brittany (seasons 5-8 and 11) as Rebecca's daughter, Cliff's and Pam's crazy half-sister, Katherine Wentworth, who falls madly in love with Bobby; John Beck (seasons 6-7 and 9) as Mark Graison, Pam's beau after her first divorce from Bobby; Miss USA winner Deborah Shelton (seasons 8-10) as model Mandy Winger, longtime mistress of J.R.; Jenilee Harrison (seasons 8-10) as Jack's sister and Cliff's wife Jamie Ewing Barnes; and Andrew Stevens (seasons 11-12) as Casey Denault, a young hustler who works for J.R., romancing Lucy in order to get to her money.

Long-time child characters include J.R.'s and Sue Ellen's son John Ross Ewing III (portrayed for seasons 4-6 by Tyler Banks, and for seasons 7-14 by Omri Katz); Bobby's and Pam's adopted son Christopher Ewing (portrayed by Eric Farlow for seasons 6-8, and by Joshua Harris for seasons 9-14), and Jenna'a daughter Charlotte "Charlie" Wade (Shalane McCall, seasons 7-11, also played - as a toddler - by Laurie Lynn Myers for a season 2 episode).

Among the most frequently appearing business associates of the Ewing family are oil cartel members Jordan Lee (Don Starr, seasons 2-14), Marilee Stone (Fern Fitzgerald, seasons 2-13) and Andy Bradley (Paul Sorensen, seasons 2-10); Jock's good friend Marvin "Punk" Anderson (Morgan Woodward, seasons 4-11); and original WestStar Oil frontman Jeremy Wendell (William Smithers, seasons 4-5, 8-12). Other long-time Ewing acquaintances include Dallas PD detective Harry McSween, serving as J.R.'s source within police force (James Brown, seasons 2-12); family attorney Harv Smithfield (George O. Petrie, seasons 3-14); and Donna's stepson, US senator Dave Culver (Tom Fuccello, seasons 3-6, 8, 10-11 and 13-14).

Also appearing in many episodes are several background characters, including Bobby's secretaries Connie Brasher (portrayed by Donna Bullock in season 1, Ann Ford and Nancy Bleier in season 2, and Jeanna Michaels in season 2-4) and Phyllis Wapner (Deborah Tranelli, seasons 4-14); J.R.'s secretaries Louella Caraway Lee (Meg Gallagher, seasons 2-4) and Sly Lovegren (Deborah Rennard, seasons 5-14); Cliff's secretary Jackie Dugan (Sherill Lynn Rettino, seasons 2-5 and 7-14); Ewing Oil receptionist Kendall Chapman (Danone Simpson, seasons 6-14); Southfork maid Teresa (Roseanna Christiansen, seasons 6-14); and Oil Baron's Club staff Dora Mae (Pat Colbert, seasons 7-14), Cassie (Anne C. Lucas, seasons 5-10) and Debbie (Deborah Marie Taylor, seasons 11-14).

Main cast departures

By the end of the series, only three of the series' original characters (J.R., Bobby, and Cliff) were left in Dallas, the others having either died or left town.

Jock Ewing was the first main character to depart after the end of season four. He died offscreen in a mysterious plane-accident in South-America because actor Jim Davis had died mid-season in 1981.

Bobby Ewing's death in the season eight finale in 1985, alongside his subsequent absence during the following season, was explained away at the beginning of season 10 as the infamous "dream" year, which effectively erased anything that had happened during season 9.

Cousin Jack Ewing left Dallas to continue his travels and get away from J.R., midway through season ten, and returned a final time for two episodes towards the end of the season in 1987.

Pamela Ewing was severely injured in a car accident in the tenth season finale in 1987, and left Bobby and Christopher due to her apparent inability to let them see her in such a physically disfigured fashion. Nevertheless, while Victoria Principal never returned again to the series, Margaret Michaels, a Principal look-alike, played the character in the 1988-89 season premiere. Having undergone plastic surgery which explained the difference in her appearance, it was revealed that Pam was dying of a disease, though only she and her doctor knew. After this, Pam is never seen in Dallas again.

Donna Culver Krebbs and Ray Krebbs divorced in 1987 at the end of season ten, and the former moved to Washington, D.C. where she married Senator Andrew Dowling (guest star Jim McMullan), with whom she raised Ray's daughter Margaret. A year later Ray left Dallas with his new wife Jenna Wade and Jenna's children Charlie and Lucas (the latter fathered by Bobby), bound for Europe. Ray returned for five episodes in the beginning of the 12th season in 1989.

Lucy Ewing, who had left with husband Mitch at the end of the eighth season in 1985, returned to Southfork in spring 1988, only to leave again two years later, heading for Europe.

Sue Ellen Ewing left in 1989 in the season twelve finale, to move to London with her new husband, film director Don Lockwood (guest star Ian McShane).

Stephanie Rogers was let go as Cliff's PR representative in 1990 at the end of season 13 and subsequently left Dallas, making actress Lesley-Anne Down the most short-lived member of the regular cast, lasting only 13 episodes.

Barbara Bel Geddes' health caused her to miss half of the seventh season in 1983. After the season seven finale in 1984, she left the series entirely, and the role of Miss Ellie was recast with Donna Reed during season eight. Bel Geddes opted to return the following year in a high-profile public relations debacle that left Reed infuriated and in litigation with the series producers. Bel Geddes remained in the role until 1990 when Miss Ellie and Clayton left Dallas, traveling and eventually settling in Europe, near Ray and Jenna. Miss Ellie did not return for the final season.

When the final fourteenth season of the series commenced, ten actors received regular cast status. Although half of them would leave the show prior to the series finale, all of them remained billed in the series' opening sequence throughout the year. Clayton Farlow made four appearances, clearing up business that included deeding Southfork to Bobby; April Stevens Ewing tragically died early on in the season, while kidnapped on her honeymoon by the psychotic Hilary Taylor (guest star Susan Lucci); Cally Harper Ewing left Dallas midway through the season to build a new life, away from the Ewings, with a new boyfriend, and her and J.R.'s newborn boy; Liz Adams broke her engagement to Cliff and left Dallas near the end of the season, and James Beaumont left the show a couple of episodes prior to the series finale, to start a new life on the east coast with his newly discovered toddler son Jimmy, and Jimmy's mother Debra Lynn (guest star Deborah Tucker).

As the series concluded, McKay stayed put at WestStar, as powerful as ever; Michelle was left heartbroken, alone, and humiliated; Cliff was once and for all the sole owner of Ewing Oil; and Bobby, now owner of Southfork, was finally able to find closure after April's death. J.R., however, having lost both Ewing Oil and Southfork, as well as being abandoned by his sons, was at the end of his rope; the series ended with the unanswered question whether or not he had killed himself.

Family trees

Ewing family

Main article: Ewing family

Ellie Southworth

Jock Ewing

Margaret Hunter Krebbs

Cally Harper

Sue Ellen Shepard

J. R. Ewing

Vanessa Beaumont

Donna Culver

Ray Krebbs

Jenna Wade

Bobby Ewing

Pamela Barnes

Kate Whittaker

Gary Ewing

Valene Clements

unnamed son

John Ross Ewing

Debra Lynn Beaumont

James Beaumont

Margaret Krebbs

Lucas Krebbs (adopted by Ray)

Christopher Ewing (adopted)

Molly Whittaker

Lucy Ewing

Bobby Ewing

Betsy Ewing

Jimmy Beaumont

Barnes family

Digger Barnes

Rebecca Blake

Hutch McKinney

Ed Haynes

Pamela Barnes

Bobby Ewing

Jamie Ewing

Cliff Barnes

Afton Cooper

Tyler Barnes

Catherine Barnes

Christopher Ewing (adopted)

Pamela Rebecca Cooper

Episodes

Main article: List of Dallas (1978 TV series) episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally aired		Rank	Viewers (in ratings points)
			First aired	Last aired
1	5		April 2, 1978 (1978-04-02)	April 30, 1978 (1978-04-30)	42	19.0
2	24		September 23, 1978 (1978-09-23)	April 6, 1979 (1979-04-06)	40	18.4
3	25		September 21, 1979 (1979-09-21)	March 21, 1980 (1980-03-21)	6	19.1
4	23		November 7, 1980 (1980-11-07)	May 1, 1981 (1981-05-01)	1	27.6
5	26		October 9, 1981 (1981-10-09)	April 9, 1982 (1982-04-09)	1	23.2
6	28		October 1, 1982 (1982-10-01)	May 6, 1983 (1983-05-06)	2	20.5
7	30		September 30, 1983 (1983-09-30)	May 18, 1984 (1984-05-18)	1	21.5
8	30		September 28, 1984 (1984-09-28)	May 17, 1985 (1985-05-17)	2	20.97
9	31		September 27, 1985 (1985-09-27)	May 16, 1986 (1986-05-16)	6	18.8
10	29		September 26, 1986 (1986-09-26)	May 15, 1987 (1987-05-15)	11	18.6
11	30		September 25, 1987 (1987-09-25)	May 13, 1988 (1988-05-13)	21	15.2
12	26		October 28, 1988 (1988-10-28)	May 19, 1989 (1989-05-19)	30	13.9
13	27		September 22, 1989 (1989-09-22)	May 11, 1990 (1990-05-11)	43	—
14	23		November 2, 1990 (1990-11-02)	May 3, 1991 (1991-05-03)	61	—

Dallas originally aired on Saturday nights when it debuted as a regular series. Within a month, the show was moved to Sunday nights, where it would stay until halfway through the season, when it took a Friday-night slot. Dallas remained on Fridays until the show ended in 1991, alternating between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. airings.

The "Who Done It?" episode of Dallas that revealed "Who shot J.R.?", the famous 1980 cliffhanger, received the highest domestic ratings at that point with over 90 million American viewers tuning in for the answer, a record broken only by the last episode of M*A*S*H in 1983. The final episode of The Fugitive, broadcast in August 1967, was watched by a higher percentage of television-owning Americans (72%), although it had lesser absolute numbers. Internationally, Dallas still holds the record for the most-watched episode, with nearly 360 million viewers tuning in to see who shot J.R.

Broadcast history

• Sunday at 10:00-11:00 PM on CBS: April 2—30, 1978; October 15, 1978—January 14, 1979
• Saturday at 10:00-11:00 PM on CBS: September 23—October 14, 1978
• Friday at 10:00-11:00 PM on CBS: January 26, 1979—November 27, 1981; March 30—December 21, 1990
• Friday at 9:00-10:00 PM on CBS: December 4, 1981—March 16, 1990; January 4—May 3, 1991

Syndication

Beginning in fall 1984, Dallas was syndicated to local stations, although it did not achieve the same type of rating success as it did during its CBS primetime run. During the 1990s, the show aired on TNN, and from 2003 to 2008 it aired on SoapNet. On January 1, 2011, CMT aired the show for one day, and prior to the premiere of the 2012 sequel, episodes were shown on TNT and its website.

Cliffhangers

Dallas was notable for its cliffhangers. Throughout the series' run, nearly every season ended with some sort of cliffhanging ending designed to drive ratings up for the season premiere later in the year.

Miniseries/Season One cliffhanger: Although this really was not a cliffhanger, the end of the fifth episode of the original Dallas miniseries saw J.R. go up to the loft of the barn to talk to Pam, who had gone up there to find her cousin Jimmy, after Digger had fallen off the wagon at the Ewing barbecue. J.R., intoxicated, tries to convince her to tell Bobby not to leave the ranch. However, she does not want to be bothered, and, in trying to escape J.R., she falls from the loft, landing square on her stomach. Pam, who is pregnant, miscarries her unborn child. Later, Sue Ellen questions J.R. as to whether it was really an accident or did he mean for Pam to fall on purpose. J.R. says, "I did not." When Sue Ellen asks J.R. if he cares that Pam lost the baby, J.R. does not answer her, leaving it up to the viewer to decide.

Season Two cliffhanger: Sue Ellen's drinking problem has landed her in a sanitarium, where she is pregnant with a child she believes is Cliff Barnes'. She escapes from the sanitarium, gets drunk, and then gets into a severe car accident, putting her life and the baby's life in danger. The doctors deliver the baby, named John Ross Ewing III (after J.R [John Ross, Jr.]. and Jock [John Ross, Sr.]), but he is very small on delivery and is not out of the woods yet; nor is Sue Ellen, who, as the episode ends, is clinging to life. A very distraught J.R. is watching his wife at the end of the episode in tears, saying that she's "just gotta live."

Season Three cliffhanger: To cap off a season where J.R. has angered nearly everyone in the state of Texas, someone comes into his office late at night and shoots him twice. This episode sets off the now infamous "Who shot J.R.?" scenario which has been recreated numerous times.

Season Four cliffhanger: While heading to a late-night business meeting with Bobby, Cliff finds a woman's body floating in the Southfork pool. He jumps into the pool to see who it is, and when he looks back up, J.R. is standing on the balcony over the pool. Believing J.R. is responsible, Cliff says to his rival, "She's dead. You bastard."

Season Five cliffhanger: Cliff Barnes' year had not been a good one. Sue Ellen, with whom he'd had an off-and-on relationship, decided to return to J.R. and plans to marry him again (which J.R. manipulated solely so he can benefit from his father's will). In addition, J.R. helped to nearly drive Cliff's mother's company into bankruptcy, which cost Cliff his job. Cliff attempts suicide with an overdose of pills, and a guilt-ridden Sue Ellen rushes to his bedside as Cliff lies in a coma. J.R. tries to convince Sue Ellen that it was not anybody's fault but Cliff's for what happened, but Sue Ellen disagrees and says she does not know if she can remarry J.R. if Cliff dies, thus potentially jeopardising J.R.'s inheritance.

Season Six cliffhanger: A drunk Sue Ellen and Ray Krebbs' cousin Mickey Trotter are involved in an accident, in a car belonging to J.R., just outside Southfork. Sue Ellen emerges unhurt, but Mickey is paralyzed and in a coma. Ray finds out that the driver of the other car was Walt Driscoll, J.R.'s rival. He also learns that Driscoll deliberately caused the accident, thinking that J.R. was driving, as a means of revenge for being put in jail by J.R. earlier in the year. An angered Ray comes to Southfork late at night demanding answers from J.R., who was not expecting to see him. J.R. asks him what is going on and Ray says he's going to kill J.R. for what happened. J.R. throws a candle holder at Ray, which misses him and knocks over another candle holder with lit candles in it. As the two brawl, the candles ignite a fire and the smoke starts to creep into both John Ross and Sue Ellen's bedrooms as they sleep. J.R. notices the fire and tries to break free of Ray, finally knocking him out with a telephone, and runs upstairs to try to save his wife and son. Ray recovers and runs after J.R. but is consumed by smoke and falls. J.R. is hit with a falling beam as he gets upstairs and both men are unconscious as Southfork burns.

Season Seven cliffhanger: In what appears to be a copy of the season three cliffhanger, a mysterious figure enters the Ewing Oil building late one night. Proceeding to J.R.'s office, the figure produces a gun and fires three shots into the back of J.R.'s chair in which somebody is sitting. As the victim falls out of the chair and to the ground, we see it is Bobby Ewing that has been shot.

Season Eight cliffhanger: Bobby, who has been divorced from Pam for over a year and is now engaged to Jenna Wade, decides that he wants to remarry his ex-wife instead, and Pam agrees. The next morning, as Bobby is leaving Pam's house, someone drives a car at high speed toward Pam. Bobby shoves her out of the way just before she is hit but cannot get out of the way of the car in time to save himself. Bobby is rushed to the hospital where he later dies.

Season Nine cliffhanger: Evil businesswoman Angelica Nero intends to kill J.R. and his cousin Jack for double crossing her, but J.R. has her apprehended by the police. Unfortunately, Angelica has already had a bomb attached to Jack's car, which explodes with Jamie inside. After hearing this on the phone, J.R. runs out of his office to go to Jack's apartment. As he leaves the office, Sue Ellen arrives in the other elevator looking for him. As soon as she enters J.R.'s office, another bomb left by Angelica goes off, and the entire floor that houses Ewing Oil explodes, showering debris onto the street below. The scene then shifts to Pam in bed, the day after her marriage to Mark Graison. Pam wakes up to hear the shower running. Assuming it's Mark, she opens the shower door, only to find Bobby Ewing, alive and well. (In the Season Ten premiere, Bobby's death and all of Season Nine would be revealed as a dream that Pam was having).

Season Ten cliffhanger: The Ewings suffer a devastating loss as Ewing Oil is closed down by the US State Department as punishment for J.R.'s shady dealings which caused an international incident. Pam, on her way home to Bobby from the doctor's office after finding out she can finally conceive a baby, crashes into a fuel tanker which then explodes.

Season Eleven cliffhanger: J.R. and Sue Ellen's new beau Nicholas Pearce fight in J.R.'s penthouse hotel suite, and during the course of the fight Pearce goes over the balcony and falls to his death. Shocked by what she has just seen and believing that J.R. has killed her lover, Sue Ellen then picks up a gun from the floor and shoots J.R. three times. She then picks up the phone and tells the police she would like to report a double murder.

Season Twelve cliffhanger: Sue Ellen prepares to leave Dallas for good, but before she does she has one last surprise for her ex-husband J.R. Sue Ellen has made a biographical motion picture about her marriage to him (with actors portraying them and the other Ewings) and previews the film to J.R. who is shocked by what he has just seen. Sue Ellen tells J.R. that she is leaving Dallas, but if he ever crosses her again in the future - or even if she wakes up on the wrong side of bed one morning - she will release the film and J.R. will be made "the laughing stock of Texas" and ruined forever. She then leaves Dallas, triumphant at last.

Season Thirteen cliffhanger: After deliberately committing himself into a sanitarium in order to persuade a patient (Clayton's sister Jessica) to sign over her voting majority in Weststar Oil, J.R.'s plan backfires when Cally Harper, his latest scorned woman, and his illegitimate son James Beaumont coerce him into signing a property waiver before they will allow him to be released. Once he does, James tears up J.R.'s release papers anyway leaving him trapped in the sanitarium with no means of escape.

Season Fourteen cliffhanger: After finally losing Ewing Oil to Cliff Barnes, control of Southfork to Bobby, and being abandoned by his wife and children, a drunk and despondent J.R. begins walking around the ranch alone with a loaded gun wishing he had never been born. A gunshot is later fired in J.R.'s bedroom as Bobby returns to Southfork, and he rushes up to J.R.'s room and gasps, saying "Oh, my God!" as the series ends.

Spinoffs, sequels and adaptions

Knots Landing

Main article: Knots Landing

Prior to Dallas' premiere, series creator David Jacobs originated the idea for a drama series about four married couples. CBS, however, wanted a glitzy "saga-like" show, resulting in Jacobs creating Dallas. When the series proved to be a hit, CBS reconsidered Jacobs' original idea, which evolved into Dallas spin-off series Knots Landing in late 1979.

Knots Landing followed the lives of Lucy's parents, Gary (Ted Shackelford) and Valene (Joan Van Ark), as they move to California to start a new life. During the first seasons, several Dallas actors (Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Charlene Tilton and Mary Crosby) made guest appearance in the new series, portraying their Dallas characters, and Ted Shackelford and Joan Van Ark would continue to make the occasional appearance in Dallas.

The ongoing bond between the two series was eventually cut in 1986, as the tenth season premiere declared Bobby's death the previous year, a dream. Bobby's dying had had major influence on the Knots Landing story lines as well (including the naming Gary's newborn son "Bobby" in honor of his deceased uncle, and causing Gary's relapse into alcoholism). Unlike the Dallas producers, the Knots Landing writers were not ready to reset their series, resulting in the two series drifting apart, never to intervene with each other again.

Shackelford and Van Ark did however reprise their roles for the Dallas series finale, which showed what would have happened to their characters if J. R. had never existed.

Films and reunions

A prequel story, Dallas: The Early Years, was a made-for-TV movie that first aired on March 23, 1986 on CBS during the ninth season of the TV series.

There were also two made-for-TV reunion movies that aired on CBS several years after the series ended: Dallas: J.R. Returns (1996), which resolved the series finale cliffhanger, and the 20th anniversary TV movie Dallas: War of the Ewings (1998)

On November 7, 2004, CBS aired a prime-time special enitled Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork, in which the stars reminisced about their work on the series (by coincidence, actor Howard Keel, who played Clayton Farlow, had died earlier that same day).

Revival series

Main article: Dallas (2012 TV series)

In 2010, cable network TNT announced they had ordered a pilot for the continuation of the Dallas series. After viewing the completed pilot episode, TNT proceeded to order a full season of 10 episodes.

The new series premiered on June 13, 2012, centering primarily around John Ross and Christopher Ewing, the now-grown sons of J.R. and Bobby. Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray returned in full time capacity, reprising their original roles. The series is produced by Warner Horizon Television, a subsidiary of Warner Bros., which holds the rights to the Dallas franchise through its acquisition of Lorimar Television and is a sister company to TNT, both under the ownership of TimeWarner.

The new series is a continuation of the old series, with the story continuing after a 20-year break. It does not appear to take the events of the TV movies Dallas: J.R. Returns or Dallas: War of the Ewings as canon. Instead we find the characters as they are today, 20 years after the events of the Season 14 cliffhanger. In an interview with UltimateDallas.com, Cynthia Cidre was asked to describe the new Dallas. She responded, "I tried to be really, really respectful of the original Dallas because it was really clear to me that the people who love Dallas are [like] Trekkies, really committed to that show and I really did not understand that before, so I never wanted to violate anything that had happened in the past. On the other hand that was the past, twenty years had gone by, so at the same time I think we're properly balanced between the characters of Bobby Ewing, JR and Sue Ellen. I also have the new cast and it's John Ross and Christopher, the children of Bobby and JR, and their love interests. Total respect and a balance of old and new."

Other media

During the series' heyday, several magazines, books and merchandise was produced.

In 1980 a novel entitled "Dallas", based on the original five-episode miniseries, written by Lee Raintree, was published by Dell Publishing. It was later followed by another three novels, adapting the subsequent seasons: "The Ewings of Dallas", "The Men of Dallas" and "The Women of Dallas", all written by Burt Hirschfeld. Also, in 1985, "Dallas: The Complete Ewing Family Saga" written by Laura Van Wormer, was published, detailing the Dallas characters, the Ewing family, and the origin of the Southfork ranch.

In 1984 Datasoft released the video game Dallas Quest, and during the 1980s the LA Times Syndicate produced a Dallas comic strip for newspapers, written by Jim Lawrence. Illustrating the strip were Ron Harris, Thomas Warkentin, Padraic Shigetani, Deryl Skelton, and others.

Legacy

Main article: Dallas (TV series) in popular culture

In 2007, British comedian Justin Lee Collins went searching for all the stars of Dallas to bring them together for a special reunion party. The show was broadcast at 9 p.m. Sunday, May 27, 2007, on UK television network Channel 4 as part of the Bring Back... series. After hunting down most of the main cast by any means necessary (e.g., climbing over security fences and ambushing hotels), Collins interviewed them and gained more knowledge about some of the decisions made throughout the show's seasons. The participants amongst the cast were Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Ken Kercheval, Charlene Tilton, Susan Howard and Mary Crosby. He held his own Oil Baron's Ball, where none of the main cast turned up. However, the actor who played baby Christopher (Eric Farlow) attended. Charlene Tilton spoke in an interview in 2011 about the program, which she said was one of her and the cast's worst filming experiences ever.

On November 8, 2008, a reunion to commemorate the show's 30th anniversary was held at Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas, reuniting original cast members Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Ken Kercheval, Steve Kanaly and Charlene Tilton. Other cast members in attendance were Susan Howard, Audrey Landers, Mary Crosby, and Sheree J. Wilson. The front and back lawn of the fictional Ewing family home played host to a massive barbecue filled with people from the Dallas area, across the U.S. and around the world (who paid as much as $1,000) to reminisce and celebrate the series, as well as meeting with cast members. During the festivities, Kercheval said he was shocked to see the continued support for the show 17 years after it last aired. "I don't understand it," he said. "The staying power. Who knew?" Linda Gray also fondly remembered her time on the show: "I think it was a special time. It was a time when there weren't a hundred million channels and the Internet and all of the other things that came to existence."

In March 2011, the Texas Theatre in Dallas began showing two episodes of Dallas on the big screen every Sunday; over 100 patrons, some in costume of their favorite characters, appeared at the free screenings every week. However, the screenings came to an abrupt end in May 2011 after Warner Bros. issued a cease-and-desist against the Texas Theatre for unauthorised showings, citing the fact that those that were involved in the show's production were not getting paid or benefiting from these screenings.

J.R. Ewing's hat, a foremost symbol of the show's inherent "Americanness" that contributed to its hold over audiences on a global scale, is currently held in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History's collections.

In a popular Forbidden Broadway parody, an actress playing Mary Martin sings the song "Never Never Panned" to the tune of "Never Never Land" from the musical Peter Pan. One of the lines sung is "you too can be a star, like my son who plays J.R. on Dallas! We're never never panned!"

DVD releases

The show is rated  M  in Australia and  M  in New Zealand for its low-level violence.

	Season	Ep #	Region 1	Region 2 (UK)	Region 2 (Germany)	Region 4	Comments
	Seasons 1 and 2	29	August 8, 2004	November 1, 2004	May 20, 2005	October 22, 2004	The first-and-second-seasons DVD box set has five double-sided DVDs, which contain the 5 episodes from the miniseries and the 24 episodes from the first regular season. The Region 1 release includes a "Soap Talk" Dallas reunion special. Both Region 1 and Region 2 have three commentaries by actors Larry Hagman and Charlene Tilton, and series creator David Jacobs.
	Season 3	25	August 9, 2005	September 26, 2005	September 16, 2005	October 19, 2005	The third-season DVD box set has five double-sided DVDs, which contain the 25 episodes from that season. It includes commentaries by Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray on two major episodes and the special documentary Who Shot J.R.?: The Dallas Phenomenon.
	Season 4	23	January 24, 2006	May 22, 2006	June 16, 2006	May 5, 2006	The fourth-season DVD box set has four double-sided DVDs, which contain the 23 episodes from that season. It includes a cast reunion special from 2004: Dallas Reunion: The Return To Southfork, which aired on CBS on November 7, 2004.
	Season 5	26	August 1, 2006	November 17, 2006	November 17, 2006	December 6, 2006	The fifth-season DVD box set has five double-sided DVDs, which contain the 26 episodes from that season. It includes a documentary called: A Living Landmark: A Tour of the Real Southfork Ranch.
	Season 6	28	January 30, 2007	February 19, 2007	March 2, 2007	June 5, 2007	The sixth-season DVD box set has five double-sided DVDs, which contain the 28 episodes from that season. It includes a documentary that delves into the legacy of Dallas then and now.
	Season 7	30	July 31, 2007	September 17, 2007	August 17, 2007	TBA	The seventh-season DVD box set has five double-sided DVDs, which contain the 30 episodes from that season. It includes the story behind the iconic Dallas theme song and is titled The Music of Dallas.
	Season 8	30	February 12, 2008	February 18, 2008	March 28, 2008	TBA	The eighth-season DVD box set has five double-sided DVDs, which contain the 30 episodes from that season. The special feature is called Dallas Makeover – Travilla Style and deals with the Emmy Award-winning costumes of the show.
	Season 9	31	July 15, 2008	September 22, 2008	August 15, 2008	TBA	The ninth-season DVD box set has four double-sided DVDs, which contain the 31 episodes from that season. The special features include the documentary Seasons of Change, an in depth look at the most famous dream sequence of all time, the entire ninth season, and its impact on the storylines, the fans, and stars. There is also a look back at Season 8 to examine the effect of Barbara Bel Geddes' departure for a year, and her eventual return.
	Season 10	29	January 13, 2009	January 19, 2009	January 16, 2009	TBA	The tenth-season DVD box set has three double-sided DVDs, which contain the 29 episodes from that season. The opening episode, "Return to Camelot" is the two part syndicated version. This set contains no special features, unlike previous releases.
	Season 11	30	April 21, 2009	July 20, 2009	July 17, 2009	TBA	The eleventh-season DVD box set has three double-sided DVDs, which contain the 30 episodes from that season. The opening episode, "After the Fall" is the two part syndicated version. This set contains no special features, just as the previous release.
	Season 12	26	January 19, 2010	March 1, 2010	March 5, 2010	TBA	The Complete Twelfth Season DVD box set has three double-sided DVDs, which contain the 26 episodes from that season. Like Seasons 10 and 11, this set contains no special features.
	Season 13	27	April 13, 2010	September 13, 2010	November 5, 2010	TBA	The Complete Thirteenth Season DVD box set has three double-sided DVDs, which contain the 27 episodes from that season. Like Seasons 10, 11, and 12, this set contains no special features.
	Season 14	23	January 18, 2011	March 21, 2011	January 21, 2011	TBA	The Complete Fourteenth Season DVD box set has five single-sided DVDs, which contain the 23 episodes from that season. This is the first-ever season to contain single-sided discs.
	Movie Collection	4	April 12, 2011	TBA	July 8, 2011	TBA	Dallas: The Early Years, Dallas: J.R. Returns, Dallas: War of the Ewings, Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork
	The Complete Series	357	TBA	September 3, 2012	TBA	TBA	TBA

External links

• Ultimate Dallas: Official Guide to the series
• Dallas Fanzine: (Includes Exclusive Cast Interviews)
• Dallas at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com
• Dallas TNT Pilot