Dallas 2.0: Discussion Thread

MG was known to be a real piece of work on the set of Little House when she got older. From what i have researched, she was the most unpopular cast member on the show, and Melissa Sue Anderson couldn't stand her. Her only friend was the girl who played Nellie Olsen.

I re-read Cynthia Cidre's interview and she said Melissa Gilbert was the top choice until they met Brenda Strong. We need to thank Brenda for auditioning lol. I honestly think Brenda is great (as proven on Sports Night, among other projects) and will do great if the writing backs her up.

Also, I think it's safe to say the reunions aren't canon. Cidre mentions in that same interview that she watched the first one, but the network told her not to bother with them, so she based this after the series finale. Personally, I don't care too much, but I do think considering so many years have passed, they could probably have just ignored the reunions, instead of contradicting them. Not enough happened there to need to wipe them out.

Also, it's believable a rich older man would have a child bride, and the writing didn't ignore that fact.

Perhaps. However, look at J.R.'s history with women before Cally: Vanessa (James' mother), Sue Ellen, Holly Harwood, Mandy Winger, even Abby and Kristen. To me, unless the point was that Cally was the true love of J.R.'s life, it seemed unreal to go from all these sophisticated ladies to this...Hee Haw Honey.

Melissa Gilbert! Wow! No wonder the casting is so bad. Who else was in consideration, Yasmine Bleeth?

I hear Erika Eleniak sent in her DVD reel to the producers.

Edited June 18, 201213 yr by Khan

I'm forgetting, though, didn't the first series do some "Pygmalion"/"My Fair Lady" homage where another character took Cally, cleaned her up "but good," and turned her into the kind of sophisticated wife that would have been fitting for someone like J.R.?

I know you slags are not badmouthing Melissa Gilbert.

I know you slags are not badmouthing Melissa Gilbert.

Yes we is! I liked her well enough after 1/2 Pint, but then she came on DWTS and I now hate her!

I know you slags are not badmouthing Melissa Gilbert.

These days she looks like the Joker and is almost as frail as JVA.

There is also the simple aspect of just happy to see the Ewings after 20 years so the quality doesn't have to be as high as if it was a new show judged strictly on its merits. Is that JR flirting with Sue-Ellen? Sold!

Same. I admit to being swept up in the simple joy of seeing these faces again in a modern setting and the newbies were carried on the merits of that. I'm not saying that the writing was by any means brilliant, and it was in fact a little clunky with exposition, something I HATE when I feel like I the viewer could write smoother exposition (Carlivati's teams at OLTL and GH were/are no good at this either, but I digress). As I watched, I pretty much accepted it as Soap Opera 101 riding on the spine of the original series, with the hope that the show would get more depth as the season progressed. At any rate, I will watch it, one of the few new shows I'm determined to stick with good or bad.

And I must admit, JM did not bug me nearly as much as I anticipated. Perhaps my subconscious was working overtime to allow me to enjoy the show.

The casting really baffles me honestly. I'm not sure what kind of pool they had to pick from. Considering Dallas was a big deal and it's on TNT, you'd think they'd have a more high profile group of actors to pick from. Even daytime soaps are getting more recognizable names and stronger talent.

To me, the question is, "Who is Ann, what type of person is this woman supposed to be?" because frankly, at this point she could have been cast with a local Dallas theater actor for all I'm concerned. The character is generic and I don't think any type of high profile casting is even called for since they'd most likely be wasted as "Bobby's love and support". They just need a good actress who can suck out all the boring. Meanwhile, she kinda reminds me of Donna.

They need to make Ann the one who wrote that email, then we'd be cooking with grease.

Also, have they gone back to the original pilot series concept of Southfork with the bungalos? I didn't catch too many establishing shots and I was wondering if some of the youngins' were living on the property, not including the obvious apartments/hotel rooms in the city.

Didn't know how else to say this, so...

LEONARD KATZMAN (grabs PAULSEN): It was ALL...A DREAM.

DAVID PAULSEN (after a beat): Great!

KHAN: Hold on!

KATZMAN/PAULSEN: Say what?

KHAN: It was all a dream? Why?

KATZMAN (feathers ruffled): Whaddyamean?

PAULSEN: Yeah, whaddyamean?

KHAN: Why did Pam dream the whole year without Bobby? Was it a psychic vision? Is the dream warning her of danger that is to befall the Ewings? How are you not gonna make the viewers feel like they've wasted their time?

KATZMAN:

PAULSEN:

KHAN (laughs): And you call yourselves "storytellers"?

(HE EXITS. After a beat: )

KATZMAN: Who was that yahoo?

PAULSEN (shrugs): Maybe it was all a dream...?

Edited June 18, 201213 yr by Khan

Maybe she didn't get along with them, but I know that VP called Larry when she found out he was sick. Or so I heard.

Patrick Duffy said in TV Guide that he was in the store a few weeks ago when he got a call from VP, they talked for a bit and she asked about Larry's health

They need to make Ann the one who wrote that email, then we'd be cooking with grease.

THAT is one hell of a great idea. It's just too bad that the whole season's been shot already, I feel like Cynthia Cidre could have used these ideas!

Patrick Duffy said in TV Guide that he was in the store a few weeks ago when he got a call from VP, they talked for a bit and she asked about Larry's health

Patrick Duffy and Victoria Principal got along and enjoyed working together.

I can't say that I've ever heard Victoria got along great with Linda Gray and Larry Hagman. I don't think it's a matter of animosity, I think it's a matter of not clicking with people, even though they worked together in the biggest television series in the world for a decade. In saying that, I don't doubt that Victoria would care about Larry Hagman, as a human being she worked with for a decade, enough to give her friend Patrick Duffy a call and see how he's doing. People mellow with time and a lot of old wounds heal with the passing years, happens with most of us.

I think the biggest thing is that Victoria distanced herself from Dallas so that her cosmetics company could thrive as an independent entity not so directly tied to the Pam Ewing image. That has been a shrewd move, Principal has netted, personally, $45,000,000 from her cosmetics line.

That's what was said in TV GUIDE that basically she ostracized(sp?) herself from the rest of the cast during the show