Tag Archives: TNT Dallas series

We’re looking forward to ‘Dallas’ returning

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dallas season 3 cast

I’m enjoying TV series old and new this summer and fall, but I have to admit I’m looking forward to the return, over the winter, of some favorites like “The Walking Dead,” “Justified” and “Dallas.”

A reader asked when “Dallas” is returning for its third season. I did some online checking and found … well, nothing very specific. TNT says the third season – the first without Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing – will return in early 2014.

dallas season 3

Here’s the TNT press release, from April:

TNT has renewed the hit drama series Dallas for a third season. Produced by Warner Horizon Television, Dallas centers on the Ewing clan, an enormously wealthy Texas family whose sibling rivalries, romantic betrayals, corruption and even murder are truly legendary. TNT has ordered 15 episodes for the third season, which is slated to launch in early 2014.

“Dallas has built a passionately loyal following with its expertly woven storylines, clever twists and turns, and numerous outstanding performances by a cast that spans generations,” said Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “Although we said goodbye to Larry Hagman and his iconic character J.R. Ewing this year, Dallas has many more stories left to tell, and the Ewing clan will continue to honor J.R.’s memory by keeping its audience surprised and delighted.”

TNT’s Dallas stars Patrick Duffy as Bobby Ewing, who is now the senior member of the Ewing family following the death of his older brother, J.R. Ewing. Linda Gray stars as Sue Ellen Ewing, J.R.’s former wife and the mother of his son, John Ross, played by Josh Henderson. Jesse Metcalfe is Christopher, Bobby’s adopted son, and Jordana Brewster is Elena Ramos, who grew up in the Ewing household and is now fighting for her own family’s legacy. Julie Gonzalo is Pamela Rebecca Barnes, Christopher’s ex-wife and the daughter of Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), a longtime rival of the Ewings. Brenda Strong stars as Bobby’s wife, Ann, while Mitch Pileggi stars as Harris Ryland, Ann’s scheming ex-husband. The ensemble cast also includes Emma Bell as Emma Brown, a sheltered beauty whose father has taught her to distrust the world around her, and Kuno Becker as Drew Ramos, Elena’s troubled brother who has recently returned to Southfork.

Dallas launched on TNT last summer and ranked as basic cable’s #1 new drama of 2012 with key adult demos. In its second season, Dallas has averaged 3.8 million viewers in Live + 7 delivery, with 1.6 million adults 25-54 and 1.4 million adults 18-49.

Created by David Jacobs and developed by Cynthia Cidre, Dallas is executive-produced by Cidre, Michael M. Robin and Robert Rovner. The series is shot on location in the title city.

When I know a specific date, I’ll let you know.

Can new ‘Dallas’ recapture the magic?

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I’m not saying my friends and ever did this, but you could turn the old “Dallas” series into a pretty good drinking game.

During much of the original run of the series, which appeared on CBS on Friday nights from 1978 to 1991, my friends and I made watching the primetime soap a part of our “getting into the weekend” ritual. Before we would go out to a movie — often a midnight show — or otherwise fritter away our lives, we would gather at a friend’s house and watch the latest exploits of J.R., Bobby and the other Ewings.

Again, I’m not saying we did this, but you could get pretty hammered if you took a drink of some beverage every time one of the Ewings did. It was a given that the minute J.R. or Jock or Bobby or Sue Ellen — especially Sue Ellen — walked into the living room at Southfork Ranch, they would head for the bar tucked up against one wall. They would pour themselves a drink and settle in for some talk about the oil “bidness” or the latest family intrigue.

The show was a ratings sensation, of course, and its impact was global. I visited a friend in Vancouver, Canada in 1984 and talked to people who — kind of jokingly, kind of seriously – thought “Dallas” was an accurate depiction of the typical American family.

I’m looking forward to seeing TNT’s “Dallas” revival series next summer. Many of the actors will be back, not just Patrick Duffy and Larry Hagman, but favorites like Linda Gray as Sue Ellen and Steve Kanaly as Ray Krebbs, family patriarch Jock Ewing’s illegitimate son.

Of course, much of the focus will be on actors playing John Ross and Christopher, the children of J.R. and Bobby. I wish we could see some obscure favorites like Val and Gary Ewing and Punk Anderson. And we need to see a trip to the Cattlemen’s Club for lunch at least a couple of times.

I’ll be watching “Dallas” next summer. I won’t be playing a drinking game, even though I’m hoping the sudsy action sends the Ewings to the bar frequently. And I’m hoping the show is enough fun to entertain a new generation of fans.