Political correctness, even the very term, began to overtake TV in the '80s, but I think DYNASTY was frankly too confused and even deranged to qualify as "PC". Its identity was so up in the air.
Aaron Spelling liked to promote his shows as titillating, but never wanted to pay off. Esther Shapiro wanted progressive material for her projects but quickly became too busy selling designer suits and Sammy Jo whoopee-cushions.
Steven was the first gay character in a dramatic TV series, but they spent all their time trying to make him in-name-only gay, constantly pairing him with women (due to ABC's nervousness) or guys who were utter nerds to desexualize the relationship. Blake's reluctance to accept Dominique was of course because she was black, given his conservative world view, but Diahann Carroll and the producers had agreed that her skin color would be mentioned and that the audience would only see "a powerful woman" who should be "written like a man" -- so the show was unable to address Blake's rigidity and the reasons for it.
Dominique's black boyfriends and husbands were hot and handsome. Her white suitor was a blimp with whose casting Miss Carroll was not pleased. But it's easier to un-eroticize a romance if one of them is an oinker.
So they didn't want to pay off on these things.
Some of Alexis' speeches about wanting a man who was strong enough to not be threatened by a strong women were of the era, and totally disingenuous.
The show was fine with "strong, ambitious '80s women" as long as they were bitches. But Krystle, a nice person, had to be de-ovaried quickly, much to the series' detriment.
I don't think Krystle needed to be a person of color, but when I heard DYNASTY had hired Joan Collins to play John Forsythe's ex-wife for 22 episodes in 1981, I was surprised they'd decided to give Blake a black ex.... You see, I thought Collins was a light-skinned British black woman. Imagine my surprise by her second or third episode when I realized she was just a haughty caucasian with full features and a flamboyant dress sense.
I've always wanted Alexis' mercenary squeeze in Season 9 to be just such a big, black, dangerous -- and sexy -- type of fellow. I can't imagine I'd choose Ed Marinaro, although I guess he was okay.
But if they'd been willing to pay Billy Dee Williams the salary he'd requested so he wouldn't run off to do some buddy cop show which bombed on CBS, I'd certainly expect he and Alexis to have a relationship at some point.
