They could have had Bobby come back in another way. It could have all been a plot by someone who was out to get JR. At the end of the season you could have seen Bobby in some room kidnapped or whatever and find out he's been there all season.

On a daytime soap opera, that might've worked, especially when you consider that that plot device was one that hadn't been overused by that point. In primetime, however, bringing someone back from the dead works only on a genre (read: sci-fi) series. If DALLAS had attempted this, even with the twist that Bobby hadn't really died, viewers might've complained as loudly as they did about his "shower scene."

I realize Patrick Duffy had regretted leaving the series, and that Larry Hagman missed having his favorite co-star around on the set, but if you ask me, I feel like Bobby should have remained dead. Yes, it was stupid to kill him off when it was much simpler just to write Bobby (and maybe Pam?) out of town; and yes, Duffy's departure had left a hole in the show's canvas and sent the show's ratings spiraling downward. But, you know, enough of the show's core audience was there to keep things moving for a year or two until the show had regained footing, which I'm certain it would have done, eventually. Would it have been the juggernaut it had been before? Probably not. But then again, bringing him back didn't exactly help the series either.

I don't know if she voiced this opinion back then and it had anything to do with it (doubt it), but Joan van Ark has said that she's very against the notion that Lucy should have been on Knots. She thought having grown Lucy around would really age Val, the twins creating a better illusion of her youth.

Well, I agree with JVA, but only to a point. On the one hand, Lucy would have been a bad fit on KNOTS. (I can already picture her going toe-to-toe w/ Nicollette Sheridan's Paige for Greg Sumner's affections, and the results...? Not pretty.) But, OTOH, I tend to believe JVA was/is motivated strictly by the fact that she wants everyone to buy into the illusion that she's "forever thirty." (Same goes for Michele Lee, I'm afraid.) Ironically, though, not only do I think Donna Mills would have been up to the challenge of "Grandma Abby" (imagine, for the moment, teenaged Olivia getting pregnant by that Harold dude...), but Abby, the most vain and narcissistic of the four KNOTS leading women, would have been much more believable as a grandmother than Karen, Val, or even Laura. Don't ask me why, but that's just how I feel.

Most of the time the show kept such a distance between Karen/Val/Laura and their kids - but with Abby they had them as a major part of her life, usually to show the consequences of her decisions.

Donna Mills was in one of those Lea Thompson federal agent Hallmark movies a few years ago as her mother, who was also a federal agent, and she was very believable as a grandmother. I really wish she had a regular role on TV again.

Most of the time the show kept such a distance between Karen/Val/Laura and their kids - but with Abby they had them as a major part of her life, usually to show the consequences of her decisions.

It's hard for me to think of Abby as a grandmother but it would be fun to see if they ever did a Knots new generation show like they are doing to Dallas.

I'm sorry but the thing about Donna Mills is that she will always look like a glamour queen. I can't say the same for Joan Van Ark. Tryning to look young has made her look weird. I like her but i think she went a little too far with botox or whatever she's doing. Donna just looks good for a woman her age. I thought she was the best looking woman of the 1980's and she really hasn't lost it. Michelle Lee has a nice face still but sometimes her hair looks a mess. She looks better with the shorter hair like in the reunion get together a few years back. if she did anything to her face, it was subtle, not much at all.

Edited March 24, 201114 yr by BKuzak

Most of the time the show kept such a distance between Karen/Val/Laura and their kids - but with Abby they had them as a major part of her life, usually to show the consequences of her decisions.

Donna Mills was in one of those Lea Thompson federal agent Hallmark movies a few years ago as her mother, who was also a federal agent, and she was very believable as a grandmother. I really wish she had a regular role on TV again.

In 3 years from now she will be on GH. Don't ask how I know. I just do.

Edited May 19, 201411 yr by allmc2008