TNT revived Dallas for a 2012–14 series. Would you revisit it again?

[Rove]

With thanks to @Karin Schill in guiding me to a recent interview with Patrick Duffy the following has me intrigued when Patrick is asked if he would revisit Bobby again.

"I put Bobby Ewing behind me twice already and it didn’t work out. So, I’m never one to say, ‘never again.” If it were that brilliant next step in the sequence of the story of those characters, I would be willing to do it. I think it would have to lose a bit of its history in terms of the way that the show was done."

Patrick talks about, "...it would have to lose a bit of its history in the terms of the way that the show was done." Is Patrick talking about Lorimar Dallas or TNT Dallas?

To me it feels like he is discussing the latter and if that's the case I agree with him.

 

[Jabari Lamar]

Only he could clarify exactly what he met. Me, I'm thinking of something we've discussed here before, which is that if there is a second revival, it would need to essentially be presented as a new series. The target audience needs to be new viewers, not trying to recapture old ones, Larry's dead, and Patrick and Linda are even older now, so we can't hope nostalgia will draw in enough viewers. Shows like Succession and Billions is the model of what I imagine a new Dallas would need to be to work.

 

[Rove]

The target audience needs to be new viewers, not trying to recapture old ones

That's a tough one. TNT Dallas tried to target a new audience but instead faced fierce questioning from the "old ones" asking where was JR and Sue Ellen. Much has been said on this forum when it came to promoting TNT Dallas the media only had an interest in Larry, Patrick and Linda.

Of course any continuation has to move with the times but with its 43 year history I don't wish to see legacy characters dumped entirely. A good writer could easily weave Bobby and Sue Ellen into any continuation without both of them appearing in every scene but it's those two characters which can lay the foundation.

Still I'm curious what Patrick was referring to in losing a bit of its history. Could he have been referring to the Ramos family? The Mexican connection? The death of Christopher? The sudden appearance of JR's long lost daughter?

I've not watched Succession or Billions so I have nothing to reference. Perhaps if they find their way onto Netflix I'll watch to appreciate your recommendation.

 

[darkshadows38]

they really should do a tv mini series i'd say and finish the last of it off and than not end it on no cliff hanger and have it be done with i'd say do it while you have a lot of the cast still alive. and even bring some peeps from Knots landing in as well if need be and the story is right

 

[Rove]

they really should do a tv mini series i'd say and finish the last of it off

I believe many fans around the world would appreciate that. Give us a 10 to 12 episode series to offer some closure from the TNT finale, mixed in with a good story surrounding the fight for Ewing Oil and finish with the slightest hint there is more to come.

 

[Karin Schill]

I would assume that comment was with regards to Dallas TNT. I mean if they were to bring in yet another show runner that person might want to change some things or might not even be allowed to use some characters created by CC.

I would love for Dallas to be brought back once more but Christopher has to be alive!

 

[DallasFanForever]

I kind of have mixed feelings on this subject. Part of me wants to see it brought back one last time yet a bigger part of me is very skeptical as to what they would do with it. Not to sound cynical but maybe it’s better they just leave it alone.

 

[Barbara Fan]

Nope! its a 1980s show, lets leave it there and remember the great cast, stories and plots

Lets not ruin its memory any further and do more damage!

TNT Dallas bore no resemblance to a show i loved with all my heart and it sucked big time. Even people i loved 1st time round were very annoying in it and the acting was sub standard - its a very bad memory!

 

[Willie Oleson]

It will be hard to sell the DALLAS franchise again, but nothing is impossible.
I would take a similar approach to the opening of Dallas 2012, but much more extreme.
Let's start with the good news: Christopher has survived the car bomb. The bad news: he suffers from amnesia (of course).
John Ross' sister can be ignored as we don't know how factual it was. It could have been a scheme or a hoax or whatever.

All the Ewing power is gone, John Ross and Pamela live in a trailer park and Southfork has become a pubic place for people to visit, sort of ranching-workshop thing for city people.
Bobby and Sue Ellen are living seperately in one those typical Dallas condos - incidentally, the building is owned by Rita Briggs. Always loved that name.

The whole point of this decay and depression is to manipulate the viewer into wondering/hoping if the Ewing Empire could be resurrected once again.
The episode ends with a limousine approaching the ranch. Then there's the obligatory high-heeled shoe stepping out of the car.
Abby Ewing looks around, says "well, well" and walks towards the entrance of the ranch house, followed by her business associate, Nicolas Trevino.

I think it's going to be a smash hit.

 

[Rove]

I would assume that comment was with regards to Dallas TNT.

To date...would this be Patrick's strongest criticism of TNT Dallas? Perhaps enough time has passed or he has heard the constant jibes directed at TNT Dallas over the last 7 years and is finally acknowledging some of its weaknesses.

 

[Rove]

Let's start with the good news: Christopher has survived the car bomb. The bad news: he suffers from amnesia (of course).

Perhaps he has regressed to the point he no longer identifies as a Ewing but a Shepard.

 

[DallasFanForever]

So if Christopher survived the car bomb then does that mean he’s now a mummy just like his..........................................Mummy?

(Sorry)

 

[Willie Oleson]

To date...would this be Patrick's strongest criticism of TNT Dallas?

I get the feeling that you want to believe he was referring to the TNT version.
I think it's more like @Jabari Lamar said, and that the decades of Dallas legacy is becoming vaguer and vaguer to the average viewer. Things that make sense to you doesn't necessarily make sense to everyone, unless it's explained in detail why this or that person shows up and how that person fits into decades of soap history.

Don't get me wrong, I think it would have been great if Lucas and Margaret had shown up at some point but it still wouldn't feel like "aaah, it's them!"
As a matter of fact, I didn't remember Pamela Rebecca at all so I figured she was just as retconned into the story as the Ramoses.
But she was great so it didn't bother me at all.

 

[Rove]

I get the feeling that you want to believe he was referring to the TNT version.

Of course. No way could you criticise Lorimar Dallas. It was perfection.

 

[darkshadows38]

no have no cliff hanger or any loose ends none of that just have an actual ending for a change and though i liked TNT Dallas i didn't see the entire run to be fair. they need to get rid of that season finale and resolve it while it's cast is still alive. we don't have to have another season at all just do a few episodes if need be to finish it off and that would be great. maybe if they got the right story even we may get Pamela Barnes in it on that i doubt but a guy can dream can't he?

 

[tommie]

I get the feeling that you want to believe he was referring to the TNT version.
I think it's more like @Jabari Lamar said, and that the decades of Dallas legacy is becoming vaguer and vaguer to the average viewer. Things that make sense to you doesn't necessarily make sense to everyone, unless it's explained in detail why this or that person shows up and how that person fits into decades of soap history.

Don't get me wrong, I think it would have been great if Lucas and Margaret had shown up at some point but it still wouldn't feel like "aaah, it's them!"
As a matter of fact, I didn't remember Pamela Rebecca at all so I figured she was just as retconned into the story as the Ramoses.
But she was great so it didn't bother me at all.

I think the issue is that a lot of OG Dallas fans tend to partly overestimate how much exactly the general public remembers about the original show and also forget that the Lorimar Dallas wasn't always consistent in itself and would often retcon things (like the daytime soap counterparts) to fit in with the story they wanted to tell at that moment.

Not saying consistency isn't nice, but those things tend to be more a wink to the obsessives who remembers who-said-what-when rather than the average casual viewer (which is who they're targeting any reboot/remake or whatever to). If Dallas is ever revisited again then a story that makes sense for someone who's never watched Dallas or just about vaguely remembers some pop culture trivia about it will always be the priority.

 

[Ollie james]

I was sorry the tnt version was axed in the first place. No show is perfect and with the loyal fan base the show had built up over the years no producer was going to please everyone. For me the positive were more memorable than the negative. It was great to see JR again I loved his relationship with John Ross too I thought Josh Henderson was the standout character for me. One really important thing the show did was give some kind of closure to Pams story. So on balance id be willing to watch it again.

 

[the-lost-son]

I think the issue is that a lot of OG Dallas fans tend to partly overestimate how much exactly the general public remembers about the original show and also forget that the Lorimar Dallas wasn't always consistent in itself and would often retcon things (like the daytime soap counterparts) to fit in with the story they wanted to tell at that moment.

Not saying consistency isn't nice, but those things tend to be more a wink to the obsessives who remembers who-said-what-when rather than the average casual viewer (which is who they're targeting any reboot/remake or whatever to). If Dallas is ever revisited again then a story that makes sense for someone who's never watched Dallas or just about vaguely remembers some pop culture trivia about it will always be the priority.

There are basically two possibilities to reboot a series:
1. the reboot is based on the original series in a very loose way, like CW dynasty.
2. It‘s a direct continuation which addresses primarily the original series‘ audience, like prison break or 24.

TNT Dallas tried to do both, but in the end neither managed to attract substantial new viewership nor to please the die-hard fans. 99% of the viewers probably didn‘t know or mind that it‘s the oil barons‘ ball and not the cattlemen‘s ball or that Katherine didn‘t die in a car crash. For the vast majority , JR backstabs people, Sue Ellen is an alcoholic and Bobby is the good brother. They all live on Southfork in Texas and that‘s it.

There was no need to write plots like the mineral rights, which felt forced for a new audience and contradicted obsessive fans of the classic Dallas.

 

[Willie Oleson]

There are basically two possibilities to reboot a series:
1. the reboot is based on the original series in a very loose way, like CW dynasty.
2. It‘s a direct continuation which addresses primarily the original series‘ audience, like prison break or 24.

JR and Cliff's story has been told, and also how it crossed over to the next generation. A third Dallas would be all about that next generation, soaping it from the present into the future. They could even do a time-jump, John Ross, Christopher and Pamela are now the middle aged characters, ruining their families and at the same time trying to keep it together.
For some reason I "see" an astronaut. I don't know who he is but he has to be in DALLAS III. Cowboys in space, or something like that.
Casting, storylines, scenery - as long as they get it right there's no need to stop. After all, Dallas is still there, lurking in the shadows. With seemingly abandoned and ghostly oil rigs.
All it takes is one drip drippety drop of oil to unleash the Texan soap beast once more.

#ReviveDallasNow

 

[Jabari Lamar]

For some reason I "see" an astronaut. I don't know who he is but he has to be in DALLAS III. Cowboys in space, or something like that.

Anthony Nelson III, grandson of Major Anthony Nelson & his wife, Jeannie.