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

[Spooky Owl!]

I always thought an actor like Vincent Kartheiser would have been perfect as John Ross and possibly given the show a different vibe.

OMG, that's perfect, if we're going to keep nuDALLAS' John Ross consistent with Omri Katz' John Ross -- much as I love Josh Henderson.... Maybe Josh could have played Christopher? (Of course, in 2012 Kartheiser was still doing MAD MEN).

 

[stevew]

Maybe, technically speaking, these characters should have been in their 30s but I never got the impression that they were depicted as being that old in new Dallas.
Whereas JR had already taken over most of Jock's work at Ewing Oil, they made it very clear that John Ross was still learning the oil business, courtesy of daddy dearest.
He was trying to play with the Big Boys and he often failed miserably. To me, this seemed like an important ingredient of the trials and tribulations of new generation Dallas.

As opposed to the already established position of the Ewing sons in old Dallas, John Ross & Co were still claiming that position.
It's a transition style story that, indeed, would have made more sense if it had happened 10 years earlier, considering the timeline of the 1980s Dallas. Alas, that wasn't meant to be.
I think they were the Allan Beams and Kristin Shepards of C21st Dallas - cunning, hungry, greedy but without the necessary experience - and in this day and age of young tycoons like Mark Zuckerberg not totally unbelievable, actually.

There are some negative comments that even though I don't necessarily agree with, at least I can understand, e.g. the crime-heavy tone of the show**
But the complaint that they didn't focus exclusively on the new generation while simultaneously complaining about the lack of storyline for and the inclusion of original Dallas characters doesn't make sense to me at all.
Even more so because they did focus on the new generation, and some of the old characters did get plenty of storyline.

**but maybe it only looked that way because old Dallas seasons had an additional 15 episodes to pad out their storylines.

I have said, and wrote in fan fictions, they should have given John Ross a son at 17/18 if they wanted a young stud sewing wild oats and figuring out his life. I pictured a Lance and Angela kind of thing with John Ross IV and Sue Ellen. Certainly a single teenage father raising his kid on his own would rely heavily on his mother.

 

[Pamela_E]

OMG, that's perfect, if we're going to keep nuDALLAS' John Ross consistent with Omri Katz' John Ross -- much as I love Josh Henderson.... Maybe Josh could have played Christopher? (Of course, in 2012 Kartheiser was still doing MAD MEN).

I always loved him on Mad Men and he reminded me a younger JR, his ambition and that underdog drive he had. I always thought he would be perfect and elevate the role of John Ross to something really unique.

I just found the casting a little underwhelming.

 

[Spooky Owl!]

I always loved him on Mad Men and he reminded me a younger JR, his ambition and that underdog drive he had. I always thought he would be perfect and elevate the role of John Ross to something really unique.

I just found the casting a little underwhelming.

Do you think Josh could have a decent Christopher --- a meaner one maybe?

 

[Pamela_E]

Do you think Josh could have a decent Christopher --- a meaner one maybe?

Not really, I think I would of preferred someone less young pretty or more rugged. I used to like the guy in Charmed. Julian Mcmahon. So a younger version of him.



I don't think he should of been bad, just dysfunctional. He was Kristin's son after all, so perhaps some form of substance misuse.

I also think both John Ross and Christopher should have already had established partners. I would liked to have seen Christopher with an ambitious female who was a bit on the nasty side.

 

[Werewillie Oleson]

Morgan Fairchild as Jenna

I liked her too. Kinda vixenish but with just enough vulnerability. In the looks department I think Priscilla was more convincing as the debutante from the neighbour ranch.
It's just one of the many many Dallas dilemmas.

 

[Werewillie Oleson]

I would liked to have seen Christopher with an ambitious female who was a bit on the nasty side.

Like stealing his Nu NRG energy? Is that ambitious enough for you?

 

[Karin]

I personally believe the casting was off for both Christopher and John Ross. I liked both actors but feel the show at times felt a bit teenagery. They were in their 30's but the characters came across as if they had just left high school. I think the show would have had more of an edge with different actors in those main roles.

I always thought an actor like Vincent Kartheiser would have been perfect as John Ross and possibly given the show a different vibe.

I just can't picture Vincent Kartheiser in the role. In terms of looks I can see how he would resemble Omri Katz. But I think after letting Omri reprise his role for JR Returns they came to the conclusion that they needed a recast and then they went for a typical pretty boy type, probably to appeal to a teenage audience.

I think Josh Henderson was wonderful as John Ross. He made the part his own so much that I can't imagine anyone playing him now.

Both Josh and Jesse did provide a young vibe, possibly because they'd played teenage characters on Desperate Housewives a few years ago. But I never got the sense that they were fresh out of High School. Fresh out of college maybe, but not High School.

P.S. I think another reason why I find it hard to picture Vincent Kartheiser as John Ross is because I think of him as Angel's son Connor on Angel. D.S.

 

[Karin]

I liked her too. Kinda vixenish but with just enough vulnerability. In the looks department I think Priscilla was more convincing as the debutante from the neighbour ranch.
It's just one of the many many Dallas dilemmas.

I don't understand why people are so hung up on Morgan Fairchild as Jenna. Yes she originated the role. But to me the real Jenna was always Priscilla's portrayal. I mean she did the role for 5 years and did it her own. She made Jenna into a classy lady. Morgan had a different vibe that made Jenna less likable IMHO. Besides I think Priscilla would have wanted to return as Jenna if her schedule had allowed it, so I don't see a need for a recast.

I mean they recast the more insiginifant role of Tracey McKay and that didn't go down well with the viewers.

 

[stevew]

Not really, I think I would of preferred someone less young pretty or more rugged. I used to like the guy in Charmed. Julian Mcmahon. So a younger version of him.

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I don't think he should of been bad, just dysfunctional. He was Kristin's son after all, so perhaps some form of substance misuse.

I also think both John Ross and Christopher should have already had established partners. I would liked to have seen Christopher with an ambitious female who was a bit on the nasty side.

I agree established partners and maybe even some children. If they wanted young hunky boys to sleep around and get into all that younger mischief they did with these two they should have had other characters for that, like John Ross having a child when he was a teenager and Calley’s son. They had options for this and choose poorly.

 

[stevew]

Like stealing his Nu NRG energy? Is that ambitious enough for you?

Yes but they didn’t follow through.

 

[Rove]

especially seeing Dynasty gather a global audience via Netflix.

...and that annoys me more than anything. When we compare TNT Dallas and new Dynasty it's like chalk and cheese. TNT Dallas played it as straight drama. New Dynasty is flamboyant camp and doesn't apologize for it. One suffered at the hands of the sport department cancelling the series. The other finds a global market via a streaming service. It's how TNT Dallas should have been sold. Appearances are everything and it would seem Warner Bros are determined to mothball Dallas...never to see the light of day.

 

[stevew]

I just can't picture Vincent Kartheiser in the role. In terms of looks I can see how he would resemble Omri Katz. But I think after letting Omri reprise his role for JR Returns they came to the conclusion that they needed a recast and then they went for a typical pretty boy type, probably to appeal to a teenage audience.

I think Josh Henderson was wonderful as John Ross. He made the part his own so much that I can't imagine anyone playing him now.

Both Josh and Jesse did provide a young vibe, possibly because they'd played teenage characters on Desperate Housewives a few years ago. But I never got the sense that they were fresh out of High School. Fresh out of college maybe, but not High School.

P.S. I think another reason why I find it hard to picture Vincent Kartheiser as John Ross is because I think of him as Angel's son Connor on Angel. D.S.

I agree fresh out of college and it didn’t work for me.

 

[Rove]

John Ross and Christopher should have already had established partners

I believe that would have worked. I just didn't wish to see a mirror story of Lorimar Dallas by having John Ross seeking out the services of call girls and mistresses. We had already seen that with JR.

 

[Rove]

I don't understand why people are so hung up on Morgan Fairchild as Jenna.

I agree. I liked Priscilla as Jenna. She showed a vulnerability in her early seasons which I appreciated and she could certainly hold her own when called for. Post "Swan Song" though and the writers really didn't know what to do with Jenna. Pairing her with Ray felt icky. The other reason I wouldn't like to see Morgan Fairchild recast as Jenna is because I think style wise she is stuck in the 80's.

 

[Rove]

I think I would of preferred someone less young pretty or more rugged.

Perhaps TNT Dallas should have cast complete unknowns for the parts of John Ross and Christopher. No baggage but I understand why producers or casting agents do this because of the built in publicity factor. TNT Dallas didn't need this though as we already had Larry, Patrick and Linda itching to go.

 

[Pamela_E]

I don't understand why people are so hung up on Morgan Fairchild as Jenna. Yes she originated the role. But to me the real Jenna was always Priscilla's portrayal. I mean she did the role for 5 years and did it her own. She made Jenna into a classy lady. Morgan had a different vibe that made Jenna less likable IMHO. Besides I think Priscilla would have wanted to return as Jenna if her schedule had allowed it, so I don't see a need for a recast.

I mean they recast the more insiginifant role of Tracey McKay and that didn't go down well with the viewers.

I would not say I am hung up about it but it was highly unlikely Cynthia Cidre would give PP the role, or a role that was bigger than saying two lines. In contrast Morgan Fairchild is a decent actress and given the role a bit of sass.

This is where there is collision between attempting to make a contemporary drama and fans of the original. I liked PP as Jenna but let's face it, she was only hired as a name back in the 1980's. It had only been a few years since Elvis had died, so she was big news.

In the same way CC was keen to get Donna Mills as Abby ,but was not allowed. That motivation was because Abby was a great character and Donna Mills has the acting capabilities that Cidre felt would benefit the show.

Regardless of a ratings crash, they were attempting to make a show that was taken seriously. So we saw some great additions with Judith Light etc.

That may well seem harsh to many of us, it was clear that they didn't even want Linda Gray, if it wasn't for Linda speaking out and the pressure that came with it, Sue Ellen would have been packed off to Washington with the occasional guest stint. I gather they didn't feel Linda was able to do the role justice, thankfully proved wrong and Linda did alot for work to get back into the role.

I also think they were happily surprised by Audrey Landers, who was great as Afton.

I'm not saying they are right as the show was all over the place.

I have not watched it since it first aired and can really only recollect a few stories such as the search for Pam (I loved that), JR'S death episodes and the brilliant scene between John Ross and Sue Ellen where she was taken away.

There was some brilliant moments, but overall it didn't really hold together and as a result has faded from my memory.

 

[Pamela_E]

Perhaps TNT Dallas should have cast complete unknowns for the parts of John Ross and Christopher. No baggage but I understand why producers or casting agents do this because of the built in publicity factor. TNT Dallas didn't need this though as we already had Larry, Patrick and Linda itching to go.

But they were trying to make a new show and a show that appealed to young and old alike.

Jesse was hired to bring in his fanbase, so they kind of mixed it up. I had never heard of Josh Henderson.

Perhaps that was where the show failed, it didn't appeal to the diminishing original fans and it wasn't gaining traction with a new audience. So attempting to appeal to both sets ended up in a mess.

It wasn't until the end that they wanted to leverage the original fans. Hence the panic and endless interviews with fan sites. But a little too late.

But let's face it, linear viewing was on the decline anyway and they really missed an opportunity to consider the global audience.

As we know Dynasty has crap ratings on the CW but has managed to find a life globally on Netflix. In some ways the return was at the worse time, in some ways it might have benefited the show if it had happened years earlier or maybe years later, as there is now evidence that a global audience can keep a rebooted show on air via streaming platforms.

I don't mind a reboot, Dynasty on the CW has not damaged the original, it's a completely different take with a taste of the original.

The original concept of Dallas is a story that never gets old.

 

[stevew]

I would not say I am hung up about it but it was highly unlikely Cynthia Cidre would give PP the role, or a role that was bigger than saying two lines. In contrast Morgan Fairchild is a decent actress and given the role a bit of sass.

This is where there is collision between attempting to make a contemporary drama and fans of the original. I liked PP as Jenna but let's face it, she was only hired as a name back in the 1980's. It had only been a few years since Elvis had died, so she was big news.

In the same way CC was keen to get Donna Mills as Abby ,but was not allowed. That motivation was because Abby was a great character and Donna Mills has the acting capabilities that Cidre felt would benefit the show.

Regardless of a ratings crash, they were attempting to make a show that was taken seriously. So we saw some great additions with Judith Light etc.

That may well seem harsh to many of us, it was clear that they didn't even want Linda Gray, if it wasn't for Linda speaking out and the pressure that came with it, Sue Ellen would have been packed off to Washington with the occasional guest stint. I gather they didn't feel Linda was able to do the role justice, thankfully proved wrong and Linda did alot for work to get back into the role.

I also think they were happily surprised by Audrey Landers, who was great as Afton.

I'm not saying they are right as the show was all over the place.

I have not watched it since it first aired and can really only recollect a few stories such as the search for Pam (I loved that), JR'S death episodes and the brilliant scene between John Ross and Sue Ellen where she was taken away.

There was some brilliant moments, but overall it didn't really hold together and as a result has faded from my memory.

I didn’t know she wanted Abby to make an appearance. Why was she told no? I also thought it was a good opportunity to include Falcon Crest to the Dallas universe and add Richard Channing. These were missed opportunities in my opinion to expand upon the existing fan base and expand the scope of the continuation.

 

[stevew]

But they were trying to make a new show and a show that appealed to young and old alike.

Jesse was hired to bring in his fanbase, so they kind of mixed it up. I had never heard of Josh Henderson.

Perhaps that was where the show failed, it didn't appeal to the diminishing original fans and it wasn't gaining traction with a new audience. So attempting to appeal to both sets ended up in a mess.

It wasn't until the end that they wanted to leverage the original fans. Hence the panic and endless interviews with fan sites. But a little too late.

But let's face it, linear viewing was on the decline anyway and they really missed an opportunity to consider the global audience.

As we know Dynasty has crap ratings on the CW but has managed to find a life globally on Netflix. In some ways the return was at the worse time, in some ways it might have benefited the show if it had happened years earlier or maybe years later, as there is now evidence that a global audience can keep a rebooted show on air via streaming platforms.

I don't mind a reboot, Dynasty on the CW has not damaged the original, it's a completely different take with a taste of the original.

The original concept of Dallas is a story that never gets old.

Seemed simple to me, maybe I’m wrong but:

1) give original fans everything they wanted from nice wrapped up story lines and happily ever after inclusions in bits and pieces throughout the show - instead the recon we got. I.e. Pam’s alive living in California and Bobby goes off to visit her all the time (unseen of course as VP wasn’t coming back).

2) create a new cast of characters and plots as a continuation that makes sense, like both boys are more established at their age, younger characters, like Calley’s child and Lucas show up.