Dallas

[songanddanceman2]

So did anyone else watch this?

I LOVED it, it really feels like Dallas and the new cast slot in perfectly. This has to be one of the most successful shows to come back

[EricMontreal22]

I liked it a LOT more than IO expected to, especially since I thought CYnthia Cidre's only other attempt writing a soap, Cane, was a mess despite a good cast, and had heard the grumbles aboput creator David Jacob's offer to be a consultant being rejected.

It DOES feel a lot like a simple continuation of the show, as if it had never left, rather than a reboot (I admit I was expecting something as disastrous as Melrose Place's reboot, despite the fact that even in its last years Dallas always had a better core). I admit I was a bit disappointed by the wedding cameos--will we see more of Lucy at least? (Or her Knots Landing parents, not that they ever paid much attention to her...)

My main problem is the young cast. They're awfully pretty, and also kinda bland. They're decent actors (well aside from Jesse Metcalf, who at least isn't trying to play a bad boy), but I am still a bit worried about a bait and switch with, after a few episodes, nearly all of the drama revolving around them with just cameos of the three former stars--particularly given Hagman's health and the fact that Linda Gray has hinted at not being featured as much as she thought she would. But, we'll see. It's nice to have a full on, irony-free, primetime soap again (though Revenge filled some of that niche for me), even if Dallas ranks third out of my 80s primetime soap list (Knots being first, then Dynasty, though Dynasty fell apart worse than Dallas, then Dallas and then Falcon Crest, in case anyone cared).

The critical reaction has been surprisingly strong too, though nearly everyone seems to think the yougn cast needs to get more interesting (I think one problem is, true to most modern youth soaps, they just are so pretty--so was the original Dallas cast but they also had more distinctive and different looks from one actor to another, not so homogonized).

ENt Weekly this week had a nice oral history/interview about Dallas in the past, how awful the TV movies were (which are largely being ignored), etc. I didn't know Victoria Principal ostracized herself so much from anything, and anyone Dallas, or that Hagman spent every single day drunk (at least tipsy) until 1995 when he had liver issues. Of course I never watched Dallas "live" until its final year and had to catch up with the TNN reruns.

[songanddanceman2]

I thought i would hate the young cast but i have to say i liked most of them a lot and they slotted in very well, i found their stories interesting as well and for the first time ever really liked Brewster in something.

They have said that the original cast wont become back ground players (ala 90210) and will be very much a part of the series. Lucy will pop up again (though i never liked her in the original).I would be happy if none others came back other than the central 3 and of course Cliff Barnes who is coming back.

I also thought Brenda Strong was a perfect wife for Bobby.

All in all i thought the 2 hour premiere was very strong, and not just in a nostalgia way but in a fresh exciting way.

The ratings were good in terms of viewers (almost 7 million) but the all important 18-34 demo was only average at a 1.5, but i guess they knew a lot of older people would watch who grew up on the show.

I LOVED the original Melrose Place and enjoyed the remake to a point but it was on the wrong network, it also felt like it was throwing old cast members in to save the show. Dallas has done a far better job.

[EricMontreal22]

My isue with the Melrose remake was it felt more 90210 to me. The cast felt *awfully* young and not too different from the cast of 90210--maybe part of that was I was 13-15 at the time I watched Melrose Place the closest (I really lost interest in the final years), so they just seemed older, but I don't think so. But that was partly the fault of being on the CW. It didn't help that they got rid of Colin E, who was a crush of mine from All My Children and a decent actor, or that the headwriters were taken from Smallville (I never got why they didn't ask Charles Pratt Jr back--he had just left his soap, and was behind Melrose Place's peak years rating wise even if he also created flops like Models Inc and Titans, but he said he was never approached). Heather Locklear was brought on way too late,a nd having Sidney killed off for a pointless murder mystery in the first episode was a mistake (not ot mention, from the episodes I saw, the other old cast cameos, like Daphne Zuniga were badly handled--she didn't even seem like the same character). It was just poorly handled.

But you're right, judging merely from the first two episodes, Dallas has kept the original's tone much better. I might warm to the new cast--like I said, Metcalfe aside, I think they're fine acting wise. I hope you're right that the old cast continues to play a major role--and I agree that we don't really need any other returns aside from Barnes--and of course Dallas has an easier time than Melrose does (or even Knots would have) at creating young characters because it's always been about family dynasties.

Oh I loved the retro, re-tooled opening credits (though I wonder why they dropped the face photos). Even the end credits were classic yellow on black retro (at least here in Canada, in the US they probably showed them as a brief split screen with ads for other shows like most American stations do).

[ArtMan]

I would introduce Val and Gary's twins into the mix. They would be around the 20-21 year range and continue the family dynamics.

[EricMontreal22]

Depending on who was cast, I think that could add aninteresting family dynamic to the mix, though maybe saved for next season. Joan Van Ark is looking a bit rough with her surgeries, but I'd love to see her and Ted Shackelford do cameos, even if the world of Knots seemed to seperate pretty heavily from Dallas at least by the time of Dallas' dream season.

Songanddanceman, I've read that since TNT is cable, the 18-49 demo isn't as all important as it is for network tv. Surely they knew that, at least initially, most of the audience would be people who familiar with the original show.

[StockardFan]

I enjoyed it! Loved hearing the theme song and the opening credits being so similar to the old ones!

[bdwaygirl]

I was bored. Larry Hagman's eyebrows look like a Longhorn and John Ross's accent has got to go.

[kooky]

"You Can't Go Home Again" that says it for me .......

[Luscious]

I loved it! Enjoyed it much more than I expected to. It's definitely a throwback to 80's nighttime soaps, and that's what I loved about it. Predictable, clich¯d, over-the-top and easy to follow. Fun! The perfect summertime guilty pleasure.

Can someone refresh my memory and tell me what became of Victoria Principal's character Pam?

[CarlosAlberto]

Pamela Barnes Wentworth Ewing is dead.

[songanddanceman2]

EricMontreal22 yeah the show is on cable so the demo is not as important as it is on Network but it still matters and still decides what stays on the air. The big thing though it has going for it is it's selling well around the world.

The Melrose cast were too young, though i did LOVE Katie Cassidy in the remake.

[EricMontreal22]

Didn't Pam come back as a new actress (plastic surgery from her burns) but refused to tell Bobby who still thinks she's dead? Anyway, there's no way in Hell Victoria would return to the show or character.

Apparently Ted Shackelford and Joan Van Ark were asked to do cameos on Dallas, but declined due to the cameos being so brief (this is from tvguide).

[ArtMan]

Eric, thats correct. Under the disguise of the "new" Pamela...she had a fatal disease. But the show never officially said the character was dead. So you know what that means in the soap world...somewhere Pam is alive!!! But your right, Victoria Principal would never come back. I read that also in TV Guide about Joan and ted. Even if it was a cameo, they should have come back for the fans.

[TheatreDiva90016]

"It DOES feel a lot like a simple continuation of the show, as if it had never left, rather than a reboot"

That's because it's not a re-boot. They've said all along it is a continuation.

"The series is a continuation of the original series of the same name that aired on CBS from 1978 to 1991, and is not a reboot or a remake."

[Luscious]

Why wouldn't Victoria Principal come back if asked? It's not like she's all that busy. Can't recall the last time I laid eyes on her.

[CarlosAlberto]

Yes they attempted to bring back the character with another actress...and it failed. She left never to return, abandoning both Bobby and Christopher which went so against the character's nature. Pamela, at least the Pamela played by Victoria Principal and beloved by many DALLAS fans would never have done that.

Victoria Principal has gone on record stating she considers the character dead.

Victoria Principal may not be all that busy acting but she does have vested interest in other ventures.

[EricMontreal22]

She has enough money that I can't see them getting her back on, and it sounds liek all ties with the cast have been severed from every interview I've seen. Too bad.

Diva, thanks so much for the clearing that up! I always appreciate knowing how closely you read my posts.

[TheatreDiva90016]

It's not that I read them closely at all, it's just that mistakes seem to jump out at me.

Maybe that's why I'm always commenting...

[CarlosAlberto]

@EricMontreal: You're way off base in regards to Victoria Principal.

In all fairness Victoria Principal was very much a part of the most recent televised DALLAS reunion that was co-produced by Charlene Tilton and Henry Winkler. It aired in 2005 or 2006 and is available as a bonus feature on 2 of the complete series DVD sets.

She's never severed ties with her cast mates. She considers them family. She acknowledges the importance the series played in her career. She just has no interest in participating in any scripted reunions.

As far as she's concerned she played the part for 8 years and always looked at her participation on DALLAS as a job and not her career.

[ArtMan]

Carlos, in this week's TV Guide. It is Linda Gray who is quoted as saying "I don't know she wants to be with us. She was never close with us". Victoria declined to speak for the story. I agree with you that the character of Pam would have never abandoned Bobby and Christopher due to her burns. That is why out of all the soaps, i enjoyed Knots the most. It seemed to keep its continuity and plausiblity to some degree.

[CarlosAlberto]

Thanks ArtMan for that information.

I've read many interviews with Principal including one that was done I believe she did in 2008 for the Ultimate Dallas website.

She didn't have anything nor has ever said anything negative about her DALLAS cast mates.

If anyone is interested in reading it you can do so here:
Ultimate Dallas Interview: Victoria Principal

[CarlosAlberto]

I also was a KNOTS LANDING fan and it was a very well written and acted show but it did have some consistency issues as well. Over the years they failed to even acknowledge that Gary and Valene were Lucy's parents especially after the twins were born.

It would have been interesting if they would have had Charlene Tilton make some appearances on KNOTS LANDING but I guess with Donna Mills, and later Nicolette Sheridan and Michelle Phillips their vixen quotient was already filled.

[CarlosAlberto]

Here's another interesting interview Victoria did for dallasfanzine.com

The interview linked is the first 8 and a half minutes on youtube.

The full transcript is on dallasfanzine.com and she has nothing but great things to say about Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and yes, even Linda Gray which paints a very different picture of what Linda Gray is quoted as saying in that TV Guide interview




dallasfanzine interview: Victoria Principal

[ArtMan]

If I remember correctly, once Valene had the twins "they" either the producers and/or Joan Van Ark wanted Valene to be a "youthful mother' thats why Lucy was never mentioned. Also wasn't Michelle Phillips fun to watch during the show?

[CarlosAlberto]

Oh yes. I loved, loved Michelle Phillips on KNOTS. But then again I've been having a "love affair" with Michelle Phillips ever since she was a member of The Mamas and The Papas. So I may be just a teeny bit biased when it comes to her.