Members quartermainefan Posted June 15, 2012 Members Share Posted June 15, 2012 Count me as one of those who never gave them a shot. I watched Dallas for the Ewings, not for any random stray that just so happened to live in the city limits. It stopped being Dallas when these people started showing up. I watch the credits from the later seasons and see someone named "Barbara Stock" and for the life of me I cannot remember who this person was on the show. And JR in Europe dancing to waltzes was just wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chris B Posted June 15, 2012 Members Share Posted June 15, 2012 How can you say that and be a fan of this new series, or really any soap opera? In real life people come and grow and families change. They tried to create a next generation and I think it was done well for the most part. Had Cathy Podewell or Kimberly Foster been cast 5 years sooner they would've been huge hits with fans. They were good actors IMO. I clearly said based on what I've seen SO FAR, I consider it to be one of the worst. I also acknowledged that only two episodes have aired. I also acknowledged that time has changed and pacing is different. The pacing on this show is terribly fast in comparison to what's airing in 2012, not 1978. Look at The Good Wife, Mad Men, Revenge, Desperate Housewives, Ringer and other modern soaps and then we can talk. And the ratings are decent, not great, but ratings have absolutely nothing to do with quality. Marc Berman from Media Week put it best, the ratings would be good for a new series, but considering the hype TNT expected better. What is important is retention in the coming weeks. The opening really means very little. If they can maintain similar ratings with very little drop, then it'll be a huge hit. If the show settles around 5 million, not so much. Far to early to claim any kind of rating victory. If they were to actually read what I said, then yes I'm sure they would. I gave examples of what I'm talking about. Many reviewers and viewers have the same opinion. They want the show to be a hit so they'll be looking for ways to improve it like they do all of their shows. You cannot convince me that nothing I said was valid. You can debate why, the same way I am, but simply acting like I'm nuts by misrepresenting what I said or giving me silly facts like "Look at the ratings" does not give me anything to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members quartermainefan Posted June 15, 2012 Members Share Posted June 15, 2012 I like the soap operas I like. Dallas isn't real life and I don't need them to come and go, I need them to stay and stay and entertain me. George Kennedy was a good actor, but Carter McKay was sort of an interloper on the series. They had no one left to fight with so they brought in Carter McKay. The show probably should have gone off sooner. Dallas sort of lost its mission statement when Pam left, and then ran out the clock once Sue Ellen left just to eke out a few more bucks. I know who the real Ewings are, and Kimberly Foster as April's sister just doesn't cut it any more than Callie or Sasha Mitchell. These were the tragic years if you ask me. There were barely any Ewings on the show and Bobby, JR and Cliff seemed lonely wondering where all their friends went. Maybe if they came on 5 years sooner I would have felt different, but then they would have had the Ewings to prop them up til they could stand on their own two feet. As it was they came on as an army of newbies with no real connection to the Barnes/Ewing dynamic and consequently they fizzled for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaytimeFan Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 The run of this show will depend on Larry Hagman. It won't survive if Larry/JR isn't on screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 For some reason, I'd question such a plot twist on a primetime soap. Don't ask me why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr. Vixen Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 So, I'm late to the party. I was out Wednesday night and had to DVR the show. I watched the first episode last night, and the second episode just now. I have to say that I really loved it. I've seen quite a bit of the original series, but not ALL of it. Even so, I feel like this show just *feels* like Dallas. It had the right tone and mood IMO. As for the casting, I thought everyone was very good. The only person I thought fell a little flat was the actress playing Rebecca. And for God's sake, I want MORE Linda Gray! I want her in Southfork bitching it up, and I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I want her boozing it up again too. Linda Gray is the perfect soap alcoholic. Please, soap opera Gods, get Victoria Principal back. PLEASE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EricMontreal22 Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 No I know that, but no full frontal--which is the same as AMC. Although I think American Horror story did use the f word, when before I thought basic cable could only get away with ahole and s h i t (I didn't realize my swears above would be censored lol). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Soapsuds Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 Same for me...I still watched but thought the show was awful.....Barbara Stock was ok but I dont remember to this day the name of her character thats how much i paid attention to her character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EricMontreal22 Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 I'm confused LOL. I get you hated it, but I still think even for the worst show (and I thought this was OK--but I had really low expectations) it's impossible to say from what we've seen it's already the worst season--but that's a matter of opinion. But Dallas became very serialized at its peak even though, yes, like Knots, it started off much more episodic. I guarantee, however, that if they did make it more episodic a lot of fans--rightly or wrongly--would cry foul and say they weren't honourin what they remembered of the show. OH EDIT. Sorry--I completely misread what you wrote.... I think we basically agree. Let's move on LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr. Vixen Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 I want the last episode of the season to be Bobby on his "Death Bed". Throughout the episode, Ann is on the phone with someone. She keeps saying things like "I thought I'd never have to call you." and "I think it's time you returned to Southfork." As the episode ends, Bobby is laying in his bedroom. Outside the bedroom, we see a pair of designer heels walking down the hall. A gloved hand reaches out and turns the door handle. The door handle swings open, and Bobby is shocked by who he sees. The camera moves to the woman's feet, and slowly pans up revealing none other than Pamela Barnes Ewing. *cut to black* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EricMontreal22 Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 I don't think it's fair to expect the kind of storytelling (which I love) that one gets on Mad Men, but your other examples make some sense. I think it was kinda--to be devil's advocate--a no win situation. I'm sure they were told to start things off with action, action, action to instantly 'grab' people. In a way, I get that mentality--being a continuation of an old show and not a brand new one, they were probably worried about losing new viewers, and some old ones, with a ton of setup. I agree it doesn't fully work, but I also think the plot could slow down now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Soapsuds Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 Carter McKay was just awful...hated him with a passion....ugh....his wife Rose and his stupid son Tommy....ugh....his daughter was ok...Callie and April's sister wouldnt have worked no matter when they appeared on the show...Callie didnt fit the Dallas mode and neither did April's sister....Sasha Mitchell..another shitty character actor I didnt care for ..so i agree with you...more this post is for Chris...who i am suprised is so pissed about new Dallas...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chris B Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 See I disagree. I think Sue Ellen should've been written off much sooner, or taken in a new direction. They should've kept her broken up from JR the first time, or at the very least called it a day after the second time. Then put Sue Ellen with Dusty or Cliff full time, probably Cliff to help boost the Barnes side of things and it would've given both Cliff and Sue Ellen a fresh start. By giving into Linda Gray's demands to make Sue Ellen into this strong, noble woman, it made her boring and thats why they were so eager to let her go in those later years. There was no place to take the character. This is also why she won't have anything to do on the new series. The Sue Ellen Linda Gray is pushing for isn't that interesting. I also feel Pam stopped being interesting pretty early on. I didn't mind her exit at all. I loved the tough Pam of the early years, but she turned into a dumb heroine pretty quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Soapsuds Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 if they keep the show to the 10 episodes a season i will be fine with it...thats 2 and half months of Dallas...sounds good to me....White Collar had what 15 episodes this last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EricMontreal22 Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 This is playing devil's advocate yet again, but I don't think that's fully true. Writers (as well as actors) can, and often do find their groove early on. thirtysomethin's early episodes are PAINFUL, yet as Herskovitz/Zwick said, int he writing room they quickly found what worked and what didn't and that was before the network had time to view ratings and interfere. Now God knows Cynthia is no Ed or Marshall, but... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.