Excitement ruled when a new Dallas series was announced:
Rumors flew for years that there would be a motion picture based on the Dallas the TV series that ran on CBS from 1978-1991.Then as quickly as a new ideas for the project came, all the chatter stopped. People had wondered was it to be a drama or a comedy, would John Travolta be J.R.? Most fans were relieved when the show was not ultimately lampooned in movie form.
Then, finally word came down about a pilot pitch for a continuation of the original Dallas series, this was like a dream come true for fans.
A series that continued the legacy of Dallas based on the off-spring of the Ewing brothers Bobby, JR, and their arch nemeses Cliff Barnes was simply all we could ask for. Then finding out that a good portion of the surviving cast would be a part of it was thrilling to say the least.
The fans, including myself were ecstatic and energized to talk the show up. Though that optimism was taken with an attitude of, "it's better than nothing, hopefully it works out". The prevailing attitude was positive, this Dallas just might work out. Well what happened then, why was the show cancelled after season 3?
What went wrong with the TNT Dallas?
As it turned out, my worst fears were realized, they didn't focus on the original cast enough. They did do more of that than I initially thought they would when I heard about the project, but after JR (Larry Hagman) passed away during season 2, I felt as if the classic show and cast were all but forgotten.
This version of Dallas had something most new shows don't have, a built-in, almost promised viewership. The challenge is building a new fan base, and building an audience that grows, while keeping those original series fans on board. I don't believe they really did either one, they obviously did not build enough of a new audience, and as stated, the loyal cult following of the show were starting to get irritated.
I thought the winning formula for this show was to focus on the original cast more when it was obvious that new viewers were not jumping on board.
Season 3 had Patrick Duffy's Bobby Ewing all but pushed aside, and even his son Christopher (Jesse Metcalf), "who they may have killed off at the end of the last season" was barely used at all. More Cliff Barnes would have been nice as well, Cliff was an afterthought in season 3.
The irony is this: As ratings plummeted, and people complained about that preposterous drug cartel angle the show found its self wading through during season 3; John Ross (Josh Henderson) really grew into the JR's son roll. The more he acted like his daddy JR the better. I was seeing a real chance for a great show for season 4.
Season 3's ratings were horrific though, and quite frankly gave TNT no choice but to cancel. I am selfish about Dallas, I like the entire lexicon, I wish the TNT show was better than it was.
I wish they could have at least allowed for a cliffhanger payoff in a TV movie or something? TNT lost me as a viewer, pretty disrespectful. I won't watch the station any longer, not that I would much as it is. I don't think I have ever watched anything else regularly on that station anyway, but I know I am focused now on not watching TNT.
I would have have watched the new Dallas no matter what, and millions of others were like me... but when you lose audience, including many old fans that tuned in for the old cast as the main reason, that does not leave much hope going forward. In the end, I just think the show should have went with the original cast more and seen what happened.
I bet Dallas will pop up again down the road, all it takes is a new generation of fans to get hooked the way I did with a cable network, or an online streaming service running a week-long Dallas marathon. Before you know it, Dallas will have a whole new crop of hungry fans wanting to see what crooked deals and bed hopping is going on.
The Final ending scenes from the Dallas TNT series, and perhaps last scene ever of Dallas?
*Photo used with permission, via Amazon.com*
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