Many TV shows became part of TV history due to their success and/or behind-the-scenes achievements, but few actually changed the course of TV history – and this 47-year-old show did exactly that. The list ofthe best TV shows of all timehas a bit of everything, including many drama shows, among themDallas.
Created by David Jacobs,Dallasaired on CBS from 1978 to 1991, running for a total of 14 seasons.Dallastook the audience to Texas to follow the Ewing family, owners of the independent oil company Ewing Oil and the cattle-ranching land of Southfork. Wealth doesn’t equal peace and happiness, and the Ewings often disagreed and argued with each other.
Leading the show were brothers Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), with the former marrying the daughter of his family’s sworn enemies, and J.R. becoming the show’s villain.Dallasearned its place among the best TV shows of all time, but it also changed TV forever in two huge ways.
Dallas Popularized The Cliffhanger Ending
Dallas’ Most Famous Episode Ended On A Historical Cliffhanger
The most notable contribution ofDallasto TV, and through which it changed it forever, was cliffhanger endings.WhenDallasbegan its successful run, cliffhangers were rare on American primetime TV, with the sitcomSoapbeing the first one to use a cliffhanger in a season finale in 1978. That same year,Dallaspremiered and went on to use cliffhangers in most of its seasons.
Dallasfirst used a cliffhanger ending in its second season, when J.R.’s pregnant wife, Sue Ellen, was taken to a sanitarium as her alcohol use disorder escalated. Sue escaped and, as she was intoxicated, got into a car accident. The baby was delivered, but he and Sue were in great danger, and the season ended with Sue fighting for her life.
However,Dallas’ biggest and most famous cliffhanger ending arrived in season 3. J.R. was very manipulative, egocentric, greedy, and showed psychopathic tendencies, which made him not only an unforgettable villain but also a hated one. Because of this, J.R. earned many enemies, one of whom shot him twice at the end of season 3’s finale, “A House Divided.”
This cliffhanger ending spawned the “Who shot J.R.?” phenomenon, as CBS used this catchphrase to promote the show and create expectations before season 4’s premiere. Even better,Dallascontinued to build on the mystery of J.R.’s murder attempt by not solving the mystery right away, instead waiting until season 4’s fourth episode, “Who Done It.”
Incoming spoiler: if you want to know who shot J.R., it was his sister-in-law and mistress, Kristin (Mary Crosby).
The “Who shot J.R.?” phenomenon was key in popularizing cliffhanger endingson primetime TV, and J.R.’s shooting was such an event that it has been referenced, spoofed, or inspired many TV shows since then. Some notable examples areTwin Peaks’ season 1 finale andThe Simpsons’ two-part episode “Who Shot Mr. Burns?”
Even in its final season,Dallashad a cliffhanger ending, but luckily, it didn’t leave its audience wondering what happened.The series finale cliffhanger ofDallaswas resolvedin the first two reunion movies,Dallas: J.R. ReturnsandDallas: War of the Ewings, sonot only didDallaspopularize cliffhanger endings, but it also always resolved them.
Dallas Retconned An Entire Season In 1986
Dallas’ Season 10 Caused A Lot Of Controversy
J.R. almost died at the end ofDallasseason 3, butat the end of season 8, Bobby died. As Bobby was leaving his ex-wife Pam’s (whom he was about to remarry) house, someone drove at high speed towards her. Bobby jumped to save her and was run over, and was rushed to the hospital, where he died moments later.
Pam opened the shower door, expecting to find Mark there, but found Bobby, alive and well.
The following season ended on another cliffhanger that completely retconned the entire season. Pam, who had just married Mark Graison, woke up to hear the shower running. Pam opened the shower door, expecting to find Mark there, but found Bobby, alive and well. The first episode of season 10 explained this by revealing thatseason 9 had been a dream of Pam.
Thanks to this, major moments like the bombings inDallasseason 9’s finale were revealed to have never happened, and soDallascarried on from where season 8 left off, with Bobby surviving the accident, and he and Pam wanting to get married again. The reasonwhyDallasretconned an entire season was due to ratings declining after Bobby’s death.
However, the retcon and Bobby’s return were even more divisive, not only among viewers but also among cast members who weren’t on board with the idea. Ultimately, the retcon led to a bigger loss of viewers, andthe “dream season” trick was used by other TV shows in later years, most notablyRoseanne.
Dallas’ Legacy Goes Beyond Its Cliffhangers
Dallas Left Its Mark On TV History
Dallaspopularized cliffhanger endings on TV shows as well as the “dream season” trick, but the show’s legacy is more than that.Dallasis believed to have played a part in hastening the downfall of the communist regimein the Eastern Bloc country of Romania during the final years of the Cold War, as one of the few Western shows allowed to air there.
Romanian citizens were believed to seeDallasas anti-capitalistic, but it was the opposite, as they sought the lifestyle of the American elite as seen in the show. Following the execution of President Nicolae Ceaușescu,Dallaswas one of the first Western shows that aired on the newly liberated Romanian TV(viaWashington Post).
Dallasalso had an impact on pop culture, and it has been referenced in countless songs, video games, TV shows, and movies.
Dallasalso became very popular when shown on Finnish TV, and so thousands of people in the Soviet Union drove to the northern tip of Estonia to catch the show on Finnish TV (viaThe New York Times). Of course,Dallasalso had an impact on pop culture, and it has been referenced in countless songs, video games, TV shows, and movies.
Dallas Briefly Came Back In 2012
Dallasended in 1991, but it got spinoffs, movies, and reunions after that. However, in 2012, it got a revival series also titledDallas. Developed by Cynthia Cidre, the 2012Dallasrevival reunited the audience with the Ewings, but it mostlyfocused on Bobby and Pam’s adopted son, Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe), and J.R.’s son John Ross III(Josh Henderson).
TheDallasrevival only ran for three seasons, ending in 2014 after declining ratings and Larry Hagman’s death.
John Ross was a lot like his father, mostly interested in money and power, while Christopher was like Bobby, and as such was more family-oriented. Despite bringing back the main cast of the original series, theDallasrevival only ran for three seasons, ending in 2014 after declining ratings andLarry Hagman’s death.
Even though its revival couldn’t come close to the quality and success of the original show,Dallascontinues to be one of the best TV shows of all time as well as one of the most influential ones. The cliffhanger endings continue to be used on TV, and though “dream seasons” don’t happen often, it’s still a trick that some shows have used with varying results.
