Is Dallas the Greatest American Soap/Drama Series of All Time?

Luke_Krebbs_Ewing

Luke_Krebbs_Ewing

Telly Talk Champion
Do you consider Dallas to be the Greatest American soap opera/drama series of all time or is there another show better & more worthy of that title?

I want you're opinions.

Does Dallas deserve to be remembered as the Greatest of all time or are their other shows more worthy?

And if not, why not? :)

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Snarky Oracle!

Snarky Oracle!

Telly Talk Supreme
DALLAS is regarded as "the most successful" drama series in global TV history, and we mostly all know why.

But, to be frank, the series stumbled so badly in so many ways during the last half of its run -- due in part to Katzman's creative rigidity and the replacing Paulsen with Lakin -- that it's hard to really call it "the greatest of all time."

That's what's so melancholy about the '80s nighttime soaps: so much potential, so effectively realized early on, and their losing their directions and identities so thoroughly. Or, as one friend said in the break-room circa 1988: "those shows drive me up the wall!" and she wasn't being soap-snotty when she said it.

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Billy Wall

Billy Wall

Telly Talk Dream Maker
That’s a hard question. No soap opera became a National sensation like Dallas. For those who wasn’t around, you’d never know how big Dallas was in its heyday. From what I heard, people used to stay at home to see Dallas. That’s saying something because Friday night is a night people like to be out and about.

With that being said, it’s certainly my favorite, but I don’t know if it’s the greatest. If daytime soaps are included, The Young and the Restless has to be in the conversations. Or even defunct shows like Guiding Light or As the World Turns.
 
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J

Jock Ewing Fan

Telly Talk Star
Via The Void said:
Do you consider Dallas to be the Greatest American soap opera/drama series of all time or is there another show better & more worthy of that title?

I want you're opinions.

Does Dallas deserve to be remembered as the Greatest of all time or are their other shows more worthy?

And if not, why not? :)

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For about the first 10 years, yes it was the best ever. Would have been even better in my opinion if Steve Forrest stayed as Jock Ewing
 
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Crimson

Crimson

Telly Talk Star
Questions like this tend to trigger my pedantic side. What is meant by "greatest" -- The highest quality? The most successful? The broadest impact?

Regardless, if the question had stopped at "Greatest American Soap", I think DALLAS would be a clear winner; but then there's not really that much competition. I'm sure some would argue that KNOTS LANDING was a higher quality show, but its had pretty much zero cultural impact in the years since.

The competition for Greatest Drama series is much tougher and at that point it's impossible to overlook how badly DALLAS sullied itself in its later seasons. I think if it had ended before the Dream Season, its reputation would be much stronger.

So my very firm answer is "Maybe".
 
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J

Jock Ewing Fan

Telly Talk Star
Snarky Oracle said:
DALLAS is regarded as "the most successful" drama series in global TV history, and we mostly all know why.

But, to be frank, the series stumbled so badly in so many ways during the last half of its run -- due in part to Katzman's creative rigidity and the replacing Paulsen with Lakin -- that it's hard to really call it "the greatest of all time."

That's what's so melancholy about the '80s nighttime soaps: so much potential, so effectively realized early on, and their losing their directions and identities so thoroughly. Or, as one friend said in the break-room circa 1988: "those shows drive me up the wall!" and she wasn't being soap-snotty when she said it.

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Maybe if it is just seasons 1-10
 
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Willie Oleson

Willie Oleson

Telly Talk Schemer
I wonder why we always find this need for validation on the Dallas forum. Is it based on fear or a moment of panic that another soap could be better, or that an old soap like Dallas has stopped being relevant outside tellytalk world?

Why all this preaching to the choir? What's the psychology behind it?
 
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Lastkidpicked

Lastkidpicked

Telly Talk Dream Maker
I can tell you one thing with certainty, because I lived it.

At the time, most everybody would say they were experiencing the greatest soap opera of all time.
Why experiencing instead of watching?

Because during the Summer of "Who Shot J.R." it was an experience we all went through. Instead of opening the conversation with, "Hot weather today, isn't it?" You would hear people open the conversation with, "So, who do you think shot J.R.?"

Dallas made it cool to stay in on Friday nights. Dallas parties were everywhere. It was something to look forward to each week.

So, I would be bold enough to say that in the overall experience, with the Dallas parties and the Who Shot J.R. worldwide debate, Dallas was the greatest of all time.
 
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Snarky Oracle!

Snarky Oracle!

Telly Talk Supreme
DALLAS became so huge so quickly, that it had become a literal legend in its own time within just a couple of years of 'Who Shot JR?'.

There's always a lot of woulda/coulda/shoulda in these topics, and no series is perfect -- especially when it runs some 14 odd seasons. But if only the Donna Reed debacle hadn't happened (which seemed to mark the start of the show's descent) and Bobby's revival had not been explained in a single scene as a dream, and if Katzman had not repeatedly upstaged and eventually replaced David Paulsen with Calvin Clements Jr and the returning Art Lewis and the goofy Howard Lakin (although I'd hate to have missed Season 9 of DYNASTY, which Paulsen helmed)...

Susan Howard observed that the audience was "abused again" over one of DALLAS' avoidable disasters they chose not to avoid, and one does begin to feel that Katzman seemingly developed a contempt for the audience over time -- like a doomed relationship where one partner loves the other and that love is not only not reciprocated, but the unloving partner becomes sneeringly bemused at the power they have over the other who so over-values them.

Over on DYNASTY, the producers merely seemed contemptuous of their own well-cast actors because they knew they needed those actors in order to physically make the show ... the brass there never seemed aware that the audience even existed.

Which is why the Wes Parmalee plotline was the karmic epicentre of all that DALLAS truly was -- ghosts of patriarchs, craziness and blurry visuals, and dreams that weren't dreams yet non-dreams which were dreams, in all its glory: the greatest fabulous mess of all time, at the very least.

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Luke_Krebbs_Ewing

Luke_Krebbs_Ewing

Telly Talk Champion
Snarky Oracle said:
DALLAS became so huge so quickly, that it had become a literal legend in its own time within just a couple of years of 'Who Shot JR?'.

There's always a lot of woulda/coulda/shoulda in these topics, and no series is perfect -- especially when it runs some 14 odd seasons. But if only the Donna Reed debacle hadn't happened (which seemed to mark the start of the show's descent) and Bobby's revival had not been explained in a single scene as a dream, and if Katzman had not repeatedly upstaged and eventually replaced David Paulsen with Calvin Clements Jr and the returning Art Lewis and the goofy Howard Lakin (although I'd hate to have missed Season 9 of DYNASTY, which Paulsen helmed)...

Susan Howard observed that the audience was "abused again" over one of DALLAS' avoidable disasters they chose not to avoid, and one does begin to feel that Katzman seemingly developed a contempt for the audience over time -- like a doomed relationship where one partner loves the other and that love is not only not reciprocated, but the unloving partner becomes sneeringly bemused at the power they have over the other who so over-values them.

Over on DYNASTY, the producers merely seemed contemptuous of their own well-cast actors because they knew they needed those actors in order to physically make the show ... the brass there never seemed aware that the audience even existed.

Which is why the Wes Parmalee plotline was the karmic epicentre of all that DALLAS truly was -- ghosts of patriarchs, craziness and blurry visuals, and dreams that weren't dreams yet non-dreams which were dreams, in all its glory: the greatest fabulous mess of all time, at the very least.

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But still the best drama series, despite it's many faults & nuances in it's final seasons. :)
 
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Luke_Krebbs_Ewing

Luke_Krebbs_Ewing

Telly Talk Champion
Willie Oleson said:
I wonder why we always find this need for validation on the Dallas forum. Is it based on fear or a moment of panic that another soap could be better, or that an old soap like Dallas has stopped being relevant outside tellytalk world?

Why all this preaching to the choir? What's the psychology behind it?
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It's whether or not rhubarb crumble remains relevant & custard should be served with it rather than rice pudding!! ;)
 
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the-lost-son

the-lost-son

Telly Talk Well-Known Member
Dallas is without a doubt the best series for me. I regard the time span from "Kristen in the pool" till "Bobby shot" + Who shot JR as the best TV ever written.

I'm too young to have watched during it's orignal run, no ever series gave me the feeling to watch such an epic saga.
In terms of casting, acting, writting cinematography and film music it was groundbreaking and it still is in my perception (despite the last 4 yeaes which I choose to ignore).

Iconic moments like Bobby's or Jock's death, SueEllen finding JR with Holly Harwood, Pam's swan song or Cliff's licorice can not be recreated for me in today's streaming binge-watching environment.
 
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Taylor Bennett Jr.

Taylor Bennett Jr.

Telly Talk Winner
Willie Oleson said:
I wonder why we always find this need for validation on the Dallas forum. Is it based on fear or a moment of panic that another soap could be better, or that an old soap like Dallas has stopped being relevant outside tellytalk world?

Why all this preaching to the choir? What's the psychology behind it?
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it’s a primal call to greatness that no mere Dynasty-watcher could ever hope to understand!
 
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