What If...KNOTS had a 15th season?

[Jimmy Todd]

I loved KL and watched it until the very end. I would have kept watching it if it went on a season or two longer. However, I have a feeling it would have dipped in quality. There is such a thing as chewing one's cud too long.

 

[ArchieLucasCarringtonEwing1989]

As much as I’d like to have had Knots stay on the air into the mid 1990s, its day was long behind it.

Knots was beginning to look quaint by 1991, and it was during 1991 to 1994 that Beverly Hills 90210 had peaked to popularity, then Melrose Place dominated the scene from 1994 onwards, between that Knots would have looked out of place.

 

[tommie]

As much as I’d like to have had Knots stay on the air into the mid 1990s, its day was long behind it.

Knots was beginning to look quaint by 1991, and it was during 1991 to 1994 that Beverly Hills 90210 had peaked to popularity, then Melrose Place dominated the scene from 1994 onwards, between that Knots would have looked out of place.

I agree. The thing with Knots is that it just feels like it ran out of steam - it never had the lows that other prime time soaps had (*cough* Dynasty season 7b *cough*), but it naturally declined. I don't think a season 15 would've added much to the show and I don't really see another season as being able to give it a huge quality boost a la Dynasty season 9. It just kind of ran its course.

I do agree with the comments that it needed to be off the air for longer before doing a reunion - at least a good decade.

 

[ClassyCo]

As much as I’d like to have had Knots stay on the air into the mid 1990s, its day was long behind it.

Knots was beginning to look quaint by 1991, and it was during 1991 to 1994 that Beverly Hills 90210 had peaked to popularity, then Melrose Place dominated the scene from 1994 onwards, between that Knots would have looked out of place.

KNOTS would've looked out of place when up against the more "hip" 90210 and MELROSE PLACE. The core cast of KNOTS were only getting older, and had they continued to add younger faces to prolong the ending, we wouldn't've liked that anyway.

It's best KNOTS stopped.

The thing with Knots is that it just feels like it ran out of steam

I think this sums it up best. KNOTS had been on the air for 14 solid years, and it remained relatively consistent all the way. Sure, it had a few dips in quality, but never quite the lows of DYNASTY, FALCON CREST, or even DALLAS.

It's a testament to the quality of KNOTS that CBS kept it around two years longer than it kept DALLAS, and that CBS was evidently willing to keep the saga of the cul-de-sac spinning until 1995, pending David Jacobs' approval. But Jacobs knew it was time to hang it up. He didn't want to whimper the show out.

 

[ClassyCo]

I do agree with the comments that it needed to be off the air for longer before doing a reunion - at least a good decade

I haven't gotten to the reunion yet, but I already feel this is going to be my assessment as well. KNOTS was only off four years when they did a reunion, and pretty much the only reason CBS green-lit a reunion in 1997 was because JR RETURNS had done so well in 1996. But even DALLAS had only been off the air for five years when it returned. Heck, DYNASTY was only gone two years, and poor FALCON CREST ended in 1990 and never came back.

 

[tommie]

I haven't gotten to the reunion yet, but I already feel this is going to be my assessment as well. KNOTS was only off four years when they did a reunion, and pretty much the only reason CBS green-lit a reunion in 1997 was because JR RETURNS had done so well in 1996. But even DALLAS had only been off the air for five years when it returned. Heck, DYNASTY was only gone two years, and poor FALCON CREST ended in 1990 and never came back.

I think the main difference is that Dallas and especially Dynasty had unfinished business, so people wanted to get answers. Knots didn't really have any loose ends that needed to be tied up; same with Falcon Crest really.

 

[WarriorsFan]

As much as I’d like to have had Knots stay on the air into the mid 1990s, its day was long behind it.

Knots was beginning to look quaint by 1991, and it was during 1991 to 1994 that Beverly Hills 90210 had peaked to popularity, then Melrose Place dominated the scene from 1994 onwards, between that Knots would have looked out of place.

Knots Landing in the mid-1990s would have looked quaint in comparison to Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, NYPD Blue, ER.

Beverly Hills 90210 peaked 1991-1994. Melrose Place peaked 1993-1995. NYPD Blue peaked 1994-1996. ER peaked 1995-1999 and it was the definitive drama of the 1990s when you factor in pop culture, ratings, critical acclaim.

Imagine Fall 1994 Thursday 10 pm Knots Landing vs. ER. Knots Landing would have been killed by ER.

 

[ArchieLucasCarringtonEwing1989]

I agree. The thing with Knots is that it just feels like it ran out of steam - it never had the lows that other prime time soaps had (*cough* Dynasty season 7b *cough*), but it naturally declined. I don't think a season 15 would've added much to the show and I don't really see another season as being able to give it a huge quality boost a la Dynasty season 9. It just kind of ran its course.

I do agree with the comments that it needed to be off the air for longer before doing a reunion - at least a good decade.

KNOTS would've looked out of place when up against the more "hip" 90210 and MELROSE PLACE. The core cast of KNOTS were only getting older, and had they continued to add younger faces to prolong the ending, we wouldn't've liked that anyway.

It's best KNOTS stopped.


I think this sums it up best. KNOTS had been on the air for 14 solid years, and it remained relatively consistent all the way. Sure, it had a few dips in quality, but never quite the lows of DYNASTY, FALCON CREST, or even DALLAS.

It's a testament to the quality of KNOTS that CBS kept it around two years longer than it kept DALLAS, and that CBS was evidently willing to keep the saga of the cul-de-sac spinning until 1995, pending David Jacobs' approval. But Jacobs knew it was time to hang it up. He didn't want to whimper the show out.

Knots Landing in the mid-1990s would have looked quaint in comparison to Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, NYPD Blue, ER.

Beverly Hills 90210 peaked 1991-1994. Melrose Place peaked 1993-1995. NYPD Blue peaked 1994-1996. ER peaked 1995-1999 and it was the definitive drama of the 1990s when you factor in pop culture, ratings, critical acclaim.

Imagine Fall 1994 Thursday 10 pm Knots Landing vs. ER. Knots Landing would have been killed by ER.

I agree with all of these.

And it really was a testament that CBS wanted to keep KNOTS until 1995, where as they couldn’t wait to get rid of DALLAS and FALCON CREST, and ABC just axed DYNASTY when it was getting good again.

I guess had KNOTS been renewed up to 1995 we would have had a new generation of characters move into the cul de sac to update the show a bit, but I’m glad it ended on a high note in 1993.

I do agree that a reunion should have occurred much later than 1997, at the earliest I would have had the reunion in around 1999 - in time for the shows 20th anniversary.

DALLAS and DYNASTY had reunions a short time after their shows had ended because they still had many unanswered questions, in the case of the DYNASTY reunion they left more questions then they resolved the answers by the fact that the reunion reset every character’s development back to their early 1980s personas! And largely ignored everything post Moldavia.

Of all the 80s soaps it was KNOTS that set the benchmark for many of the dramas and soaps that aired in the 1990s and 2000s, Desperate Housewives being the most direct descendant of KNOTS.

 

[tommie]

I guess had KNOTS been renewed up to 1995 we would have had a new generation of characters move into the cul de sac to update the show a bit, but I’m glad it ended on a high note in 1993.

And, to be fair, that's the only way I could see Knots continuing and being somewhat exciting - as I said, the show just felt like it was winding down towards the end and the prospect of a 15th season with the exact same set-up of characters just don't seem very exciting to me. Maybe it would at best feel like comfort food - you get to spend some more time with characters you know and love, but that's about it really.

In order for a 15th season to be exciting they would've needed to shake up the show and just not for budget reasons.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I always want just one more season for DYNASTY (which needed it) and DALLAS (were it still any good, Miss Ellie having died on camera in the last episode of Season 14).

I never want another year for KNOTS or FC for some reason. But the point is moot when the show doesn't really work anymore.

 

[TaranofPrydain]

KNOTS would've looked out of place when up against the more "hip" 90210 and MELROSE PLACE. The core cast of KNOTS were only getting older, and had they continued to add younger faces to prolong the ending, we wouldn't've liked that anyway.

It's best KNOTS stopped.


I think this sums it up best. KNOTS had been on the air for 14 solid years, and it remained relatively consistent all the way. Sure, it had a few dips in quality, but never quite the lows of DYNASTY, FALCON CREST, or even DALLAS.

It's a testament to the quality of KNOTS that CBS kept it around two years longer than it kept DALLAS, and that CBS was evidently willing to keep the saga of the cul-de-sac spinning until 1995, pending David Jacobs' approval. But Jacobs knew it was time to hang it up. He didn't want to whimper the show out.

Knots though was on CBS, which was the oldest skewing of the networks in the 90s, and admittedly the FOX duo of 90210 and Melrose were very popular with the age demographics they were aimed at, but never did particularly well in overall audience size (Melrose never hit the top 50 ratings of any season, and 90210 only bumped into the 40s twice).

I would say that I felt like Knots only felt like it had lost its bearings twice: Once in late season 9, when it felt like Johnny Rourke had become the lead of the show (they got back on track for the finale with the infamous "Perfect Crime"), and especially the first 9 episodes of Season 13, which I felt were pretty terrible except for Anne's scenes and some of Karen's moments.

That said, Season 14 was back on track, and it felt like they could have reached a compromise and bring it back for one more season at least before ER took over the time slot's heat and interest

 

[Mustard]

Although David Jacobs said that the budget would have to go down again if it was to go forward, it seems that it was Jacobs not CBS that cancelled the show by having it end in 1993. Ted Shackleford said in a later interview that CBS was so pleased by the slight uptick in the ratings that they wanted to renew it for a Season 15 and a Season 16, which would have kept it on the air until 1995. Of course though, it seems as though Devane and Sheridan's contracts were coming to a close in 1993, so if the series finale was used as a door into two more seasons, it would be back to the core cast of Gary, Val, Karen, Mack, and Abby. Interesting to think about.

I heard that Ted Shackelford was keen to do other things by 1992-93. He had been playing Gary Ewing for a long time. Joan Van Ark had already done the same at the end of Season 13 with Valene.