I say start with Dallas and add the others in when appropriate. Start Knots halfway through Dallas’s third season. Start Dynasty once you’re halfway through Knots Landing’s second season, and start Falcon Crest where you just about a third of the way through Dynasty’s second season. If you really want to fill out the set, throw in Flamingo Road where appropriate. Paper Dolls is easy to find, Yellow Rose has some identity issues but is a fun watch. I think Emerald Point NAS is out there somewhere? That might be on my list to watch this summer.
I watched the 1981-1982 seasons of the four Lorimar shows (Dallas, Knots, Flamingo, Falcon) simultaneously last year, and it was a real blast.
I’m really a devotee of early Knots. It’s at its best, for me, in seasons 3-5. The first two seasons are as everyone says - some great episodes, some duds, but I just can’t imagine skipping episodes if your goal is to watch the complete series. I’m liking season 6, but it’s become a show that is mostly different from what it started as and even different from its initial “soapy” form.
Dallas. It’s become a hard watch for me bc it really does start to center on JR outsmarting everyone. But you can’t beat the atmosphere and vibe. It was #1 for a reason.
Falcon Crest turns the tension on in the first episode and it just goes on from there. I’m almost done with the third season, and IMO, it has the strongest start out of the big four. Def just my opinion, though.
People will say that Dynasty was only good in its first and final seasons, but if you want to watch DYNASTY in its most beloved, iconic, and remembered form, it’s the first 4-5 seasons. It ain’t gotta make sense. It aimed to entertain, and it did exactly that. Watch the trashy seasons because that’s Dynasty.
Flamingo Road was my first 80s primetime soap, and it still holds a special place in my heart. It’s a quick watch with a great cast and a different vibe due to its setting and focus. It has its weaknesses, but it’s a good show.
Paper Dolls is amazing. That is all.
Peyton Place is the granddaddy and, imo, most like daytime soaps when it comes to episode and story pacing. I’m almost 200 episodes in, and it is glorious.
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All My Shadows ·
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