Dallas 2.0: Discussion Thread

Oh, God. Dirty Sexy Money. To this day, I shudder over how Craig Wright and his team of writers mishandled that series. IMO, the premise was fantastic; however, it was clear from the get-go they did not have the genre of soap opera "in their bones," as the late Arthur Laurents would have put it. DSM needed a Peter Dunne or a Camille Marchetta, someone who knew how to write and produce high-gloss, high-stakes melodrama. And when they tried to get "dirtier" and "sexier" for S2, the results were just nightmarish. (You know you're in trouble when normally down-to-earth characters begin doing nutty things, like having affairs, or abusing drugs, for no reason other than it drives story. I call the Michael Mancini Effect.) It all made DYNASTY look like "I, Claudius."

Craig Wright does have talent. The show only had very faint glimmers of that (even with a pretty great cast--RIP Jill C). However, he has said thagt writing the show was a nightmare and ABC nixed nearly every idea they had--I guess a bit similar how fellow playwright felt writing Brothers and Sisters for ABC.

Dirty Sexy Money was a horrible show and I popped the champagne when it was cancelled. As a fan of the primetime soaps of the 80s I was insulted watching that show, it was just a big slap in the face.

And really, shame on ABC for pissing on primetime soaps with Desperate Housewives and Dirty Sexy Money. Dynasty carried that network for a decade and how quick they are to forget it.

I'm going to give Dallas a shot. I remember Who Shot JR?...we'll see how this does. I am not a fan of Cynthia Cidre, I HATED Cane...I don't see her staying with the show.

Dallas was too epic it seems. You don't see them giving MASH a sequel.

Actually...?

Dallas was successful for many reasons beyond JR.

He was the main reason though, without him the show wouldn't have lasted. I have been reading a bunch of reviews and almost every one cites him as being the best one on the show, but I guess that's no surprise. I always felt Ken Kercheval was the best one on the original show, followed by Hagman and Gray.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-0613-dallas-20120613,0,2988172.story

Then as now — and acknowledging some good work among the younger set, especially the Texas-born Henderson — it is Hagman's show. To say there is no series here that would be worth watching without him is indeed only to point out another way in which the new "Dallas" is very much like the old.

...At 80, the actor has lost a little of his suppleness, but none of his sparkle, and even mouthing generalities he seems to come from a place of a genuine knowledge. His JR is less a character than a force of nature — he just wants to win and knows he will, whatever comes his way.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/12/showbiz/dallas-returns-to-prime-time/index.html

Television has gotten much more sophisticated since the "Dallas" days, so it may seem heretical, contrarian, or just plain insane to hail it as the most innovative and influential show of modern times. But if we're living in a golden age of TV, it's the Ewings' fault, because they invented the game everyone plays now.

They proved you could stretch out the story week to week, throwing in preposterous cliffhangers and plot twists and power struggles. And they proved you could sum up the country's sickest dreams and flaws all in one expensively f***ed-up family.

That CNN review has it right I think. People today just assume and expect every drama and many a sitcom to have serialized plot threads and season finales. None of that existed before Dallas, and without Dallas I doubt we would have gone to the serialized shows of Bochco to the Ross and Rachel romance on Friends to Mad Men. There would have had to be another show that would have had to come along and do what Dallas did,

I am not a fan of Cynthia Cidre, I HATED Cane...I don't see her staying with the show.

Neither do I. Of course, this begs the question: when/if she leaves, or steps down as showrunner, who is qualified to take her place? Because DALLAS itself is not just some run-of-the-mill drama; and because it isn't a run-of-the-mill drama, you cannot hire a run-of-the-mill drama writer to shepherd (and possibly fix) it. You need someone who is a true storyteller, who understands what makes soaps in general tick.

Having a Dallas Marathon with my DVDs.....lol until the premiere tonight

Here is some info about tonight's show and the following week and the time schedule

http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/dallas/327128

I am not sure how much Dallas had to do with the serialized trend on primetime...I'm sure it had some effect but I put a lot of that on Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere. They were never huge hits but they were very influential. The first seasons of both shows, especially HSB, were deliciously dense and had endless story threads.

He was the main reason though, without him the show wouldn't have lasted. I have been reading a bunch of reviews and almost every one cites him as being the best one on the show, but I guess that's no surprise. I always felt Ken Kercheval was the best one on the original show, followed by Hagman and Gray.

I think he had a lot to do with it but I think Sue Ellen and Bobby and Miss Ellie and Pam (early on) and as you mention, Cliff, were very important, because if these had been miscast, as the roles seem to have been in the reboot, then JR would have been steamrolling over ciphers and blank slates. I often watched in spite of the character, as he was just so one-dimensional.

Edited June 13, 201213 yr by CarlD2

Well, for a while it did seem that the only socially acceptable form of soap was one that was somewhat tongue in cheek (I get you saying that about DH but it was publicized partly as a soap, IMHO, regardless).

Most primetime soaps took themselves seriously. I think Melrose and 90210 and Party of Five were probably the last (I know Melrose was campy but the characters were generally played straight), until Revenge, but Desperate Housewives mostly seemed to be seen as a joke. I guess there was the time when people were interested in Who Killed Mary Alice? but other than that it's always been a trashy joke in the public eye, although it seemed to vanish from the public eye during the disastrous second season.

Season 1 of Desperate Housewives was good. It was different and I could buy it and felt interested and invested enough, but it was quickly turned into a joke. The 'plot of the season' was just cringe inducing. It's a shame. I think it had so much potential to be more than what it was. It was clear fans were giving up the last few seasons. Season 2 was a disaster.

I do have to say though, I have read more good reviews than bad of the Dallas revival.

I am kind of concerned with the fact that aside from JR and Bobby, the other vets are virtually sidelined and only doing cameos. And from what it sounds like, Sue Ellen's strange bid for congress is just glossed over. Where's Donna to run for congress? LOL

Sue Ellen's run for governor sounds stupid as hell. What really surprises me though is that they have the character single. I know it's to make a reunion w/ JR easier but still... Sue Ellen is not the kind of woman to be without some rich guy on her arm.

I can't wait for this. If only to see how it turned out. I don't have much hope but we'll see.

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My cousin called telling me if I was ready for the Dallas premiere tonight....lol I didnt even know he knew about it....then my dad......I see the Dallas is back tonight with Bobby and JR......now if he knew about it the promotion must be damn good.....

damnit I'm excited for this, more than I thought I would be, even watching Dallas clips on YT