Dynasty vs Dallas

[phil colby]

Dynasty and Falcon Crest hooked me up, excited me with nearly every single episode...Dallas was just sooo boring with useless characters like Ray Krebs, Lucy, Jack and Jamie, Clayton, Bobby, Pam etc. ..all made me sleep so well

 

[phil colby]

Dallas had only three brilliant characters, played by brilliant actors: JR, Sue Ellen, Cliff Barnes and early Miss Ellie.

 

[phil colby]

In Dynasty there were sooo many outstanding: John and JJ, Linda, Joan, Al, Pam & Pam, Lee, Heather, Lloyd, Michael, William, Diahann, Billy, Catherine, Christopher, Kate, Wayne, Bo, Kathleen, Leann, Raz, Stephanie, Barbara, Charlton, ...and and and... all the Guest Stars

 

[Michael Torrance]

..and and and... all the Guest Stars

You had me at "Helmut"

 

[Rove]

Dynasty and Falcon Crest hooked me up, excited me with nearly every single episode...Dallas was just sooo boring with useless characters like Ray Krebs, Lucy, Jack and Jamie, Clayton, Bobby, Pam etc. ..all made me sleep so well

Dare you to post the above on a Dallas thread

 

[phil colby]

You had me at "Helmut"

Helmut was supposed to be a regular, just because he made big big problems they first reduced his character and then wrote him out as quickly as possible...VERY very quickly

 

[Luke Fuller]

Helmut was supposed to be a regular, just because he made big big problems they first reduced his character and then wrote him out as quickly as possible...VERY very quickly

Yes, Helmut Berger did not fit Dynasty (or Hollywood?) very much. But in a perverse way, I am glad that he was casted. He added some central European flavour in 1983/84 season. And his apppearences in 9 episodes are just enough. At least, he got bigger place than Lindsay.

 

[phil colby]

I love Helmut Berger. He is very famous in Europo and a new documentary to his 75th birthday shows, how he really is. But in Dynasty he really had problems with the English language..

 

[phil colby]

.. and Pamela Sue Martin had problems with him, because in love/scenes in bed he wanted to be naked

 

[Michael Torrance]

But in Dynasty he really had problems with the English language..

And the human condition

 

[Tony]

In Dynasty there were sooo many outstanding: John and JJ, Linda, Joan, Al, Pam & Pam, Lee, Heather, Lloyd, Michael, William, Diahann, Billy, Catherine, Christopher, Kate, Wayne, Bo, Kathleen, Leann, Raz, Stephanie, Barbara, Charlton, ...and and and... all the Guest Stars

Who’s Raz?

 

[phil colby]

I meant Ray...Abruzzo

 

[colbyco]

Dynasty and Falcon Crest hooked me up, excited me with nearly every single episode...Dallas was just sooo boring with useless characters like Ray Krebs, Lucy, Jack and Jamie, Clayton, Bobby, Pam etc. ..all made me sleep so well

- Oh I liked Pam and she was so beautiful. Mandy Winger and JR´s son James were handsome, too. Angelica was a brilliant bitch and nobody could play an alcoholic like Linda Gray.

 

[ClassyCo]

Dynasty was the first prime time soap I got hooked on some years ago. I remember indulging my entire day into hours of episodes, clinging to the next move of my favorite characters. I watched it almost non-stop, and with no distractions, up until the beginning of Season 5. I think it started to lag for me around that time, and the spotty direction following the Massacre didn't help my declining interest. Since then, I've went in and out on my fascination with the show.

To answer the thread-aimed question, I believe that Dallas was consistently the better drama. The stories, the writing, the acting, etc. were all considerably better, even when it dipped directly into the soap. The characters, while not particularly trend-setting or pioneering like Alexis Colby or Steven Carrington, did find a way of being relatable to us, and I cannot say I have been displeased with any of those at the helm in any major way. I'm not fond of their decision to sideline Lucy, nor was I eager to see Barbara Bel Geddes being replaced with Donna Reed, but overall, I don't have any major complaints (that I can remember, anyway) right off the top of me head.

Here, Dallas wins. And wins big.

 

[Laurie Marr]

Dallas drew upon so many myths and archetypes ( Cain and Abel, star crossed lovers, etc) that its backstory gave it the weight of myth (at least during its peak). Dynasty had the banishing of Alexis as the revenge motif, but it was alway more Sirk than Shakespeare. From the outset Dallas was much more rich in context.

 

[Michael Torrance]

Dallas drew upon so many myths and archetypes ( Cain and Abel, star crossed lovers, etc) that its backstory gave it the weight of myth (at least during its peak).

That star-crossed lovers theme has been referenced from the beginning even by Jacobs, but I never got the Cain/Abel vibe from Dallas. I never really thought J.R. and Bobby hated each other (even if they hated each other's actions often) or could kill each other.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Dallas drew upon so many myths and archetypes ( Cain and Abel, star crossed lovers, etc) that its backstory gave it the weight of myth (at least during its peak). Dynasty had the banishing of Alexis as the revenge motif, but it was always more Sirk than Shakespeare. From the outset Dallas was much more rich in context.

And THE WIZARD OF OZ --- Glinda the Good Witch versus The Wicked Witch of the West... Who knew Kirby (the pigtails) was the star of DYNASTY?

The first couple of seasons really were pretty decent. But DYNASTY's show-runners seemed only interested in the "success" their program generated rather than the characters who inhabited it.

Obviously, DALLAS' bosses cared a lot about their characters.

That star-crossed lovers theme has been referenced from the beginning even by Jacobs, but I never got the Cain/Abel vibe from Dallas. I never really thought J.R. and Bobby hated each other (even if they hated each other's actions often) or could kill each other.

And Romeo & Juliet, obviously.

 

[Alexis]

And the human condition

I was just about to post that.