Missed Opportunities Of The Last Seasons

[Bobby Southworth]

What if? Right? Sure, Dallas had already been on for 12 seasons by about the time I'm talking about, and the prime time soap genre was dying, but what if they had just handled things a little differently? For instance, first off. George Kennedy was a fine actor, and no disrespect intended, but how convincing or interesting was he as a foe for the Ewings? They needed someone darker, IMHO. Probably some younger blood as well. Sure, Cally and James didn't get the ratings up, but I've often wished that someone along the lines of the Michael Sharpe character(and possibly even Gregory Harrison) from Falcon Crest had become the Ewing enemy. Someone with almost no limits, giving Bobby and JR a real run for their money. Even Harris Ryland would have been better, and I personally think could have worked.

Next, I know many, many people will disagree, but instead of the Jeanne story line(Pam look-alike), Pam should have just come back and been recast, breaking up Bobby and April. Maybe there would have been a little conflict, but in the end, let's be real, Pam was the love of Bobby's life; he would have chosen Pam. April was going to sit out for 85% of the next season anyway.


When Afton came back in late season 12, she should have stayed, and she would be backing Cliff in actually helping Bobby and JR against this new arch-nemesis. Perhaps this new villain would also have a son that could be competition for James. Maybe this son could steal Lucy's heart, or even Cally's? What about the idea of even James and Cally developing more than a platonic relationship, but an intense sexual affair that they both feel guilty about? Desperately trying to keep it hidden from JR. Some of us probably thought they might go that direction anyway, and were surprised when they didn't. Possibly too predictable, but the show could have used some spicing up.

Lastly, I would not have gotten rid of Ray. I would have had Ray come back in season 12, and announce that he and Jenna were splitting up, and he would spend the rest of that season trying to help the Ewing clan against the Michael Sharpe of Dallas, and also dating around a bit, only for a reunion with Donna sometime in season 13. Yes, I know the return of Susan Howard most likely is a pipe dream, but I think it should have happened, and they could have realized over time that no one else compared to what they had together, and found a way to make it work. They seemed to be written in the stars, even as different as they were.

All of this said, I did enjoy and respect the soft spot the show still seemed to somewhat have for it's heritage till the end of season 13. Ellie going back to Pride, the town where Jock hit his first gusher; the tanker collision. I wouldn't want to lose some of that aspect, but the show really needed some real drama again as well. Any thoughts? Sorry if some of these ideas have come up previously on the forums or fan-fics, but I'm just thinking of some ways that it could have had some new life infused into it, and maybe lasted a couple more years

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

There were so many missed opportunities.

McKay was never a replacement for Wendell (William Smithers was fired when he asked for a raise -- on recommendation of Larry).

I'm still not sure I'd want a Pam re-cast -- they don't tend to work for core characters (although the plastic surgery angle helps sell it a bit). But we should have eventually found out, at least vaguely, what might have happened to her before the series ended (I vote neurofibromatosis -- Rebecca was mistaken, or lied, about Hutch McKinney being the father!)

Gold-digging April was totally wrong for Bobby, and they had to change her too much.

They should never have written-out Afton again. She was a stabilizing character somehow.

For Season 13 (DVD) I want Lady Jessica's murder spree taken seriously, like a gothic horror movie.

There are very few plotlines you can't do. It's the execution (as it were) -- the tone, the details -- which make all the difference. And the closing seasons of oldDALLAS just started to fake it, somehow. It's all too facetious, too contemptuous of the audience, etc..

DALLAS should have gotten dustier and darker as it went into its final phases, but instead did the opposite.

Later, Larry admitted that the last couple of seasons "weren't up to par" and Patrick said they'd lost objectivity about what qualified as a good story.

 

[Rove]

Later, Larry admitted that the last couple of seasons "weren't up to par" and Patrick said they'd lost objectivity about what qualified as a good story.

And yet they continued to accept the dollars coming their way without question. Larry was an Executive Producer by this stage which tells me not much was expected from him other than turn up and read your lines.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

And yet they continued to accept the dollars coming their way without question. Larry was an Executive Producer by this stage which tells me not much was expected from him other than turn up and read your lines.

Even Larry admitted his new "executive producer" title meant "absolutely nothin'" and was just an opportunity to have them pay him more.

But if Larry tricked William Smithers into getting himself cut, and said that Paulsen's exit was probably "a good thing" because he supposedly lacked a sense of humor, we can therefore assume Larry had indeed lost objectivity and was embracing potentially destructive things for the show.

Blinded, perhaps, by his $350,000/episode salary.

 

[Monzo]

While I wasn't a fan of season 12, I would build on that for the last two seasons.

Introducing the McKays as a new family, Tracey should remain on the show after Tommy's death and in a relationship with Bobby. I would have introduced Liz as Carter's little sister. Her story about Cliff and Johnny Dancer could have stayed the same. It would certainly have annoyed Carter if his daughter was dating Bobby and his sister was dating Cliff. The two relationships repeatedly led to family conflicts.

April should have remained a troublemaker. After Bobby chose Tracey, she could have dated Alex Barton only to find that he wasn't in love with her but with Cally. She could have come up with a nice revenge and shortly thereafter chanced upon Jeanne O'Brien, who she would use to destroy Bobby and Tracey's relationship. April shouldn't just have been crazy in love, she should have gone totally crazy when she realizes that no matter how hard she tries, Bobby will never love her back. In the season finale she would have had her crazy showdown. Michelle wouldn't have existed, by the way.

If there was a chance to bring Afton back on a full-time basis, it should have happened. Cliff and Afton, who would open her own nightclub in Dallas, could have been happy halfway through season 13, then the same old problems would have arisen and Afton would have broken up. Her character was so well known that she could have her own storylines. She could have found a younger lover named James who could have a visit from his mother Vanessa towards the end of the season, so by the season finale JR and James would have found out that they are father and son.

Cally's good-natured country cousin would come to visit as a love interest for Lucy, who actually falls in love with him, but after the fiasco with Casey Denault fears that Cally's cousin had ulterior motives as well. There could have been a back and forth of misunderstandings, but at least Lucy would have had something to do.

The distant family that Miss Ellie found on her journey in season 13 should have produced at least one character who later shows up in Dallas. Depending on who from the main cast would have needed a storyline at that point in time, you could have decided on gender and age of this family member.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Should Afton and Lucy have developed a friendship of some sort? At least it won't produce another baby.

I've long liked the idea of Lucy and Afton going into business together (which brings Afton around Bobby a little more often than would normally occur), the two intuitive, diminutive blondes opening up a youth-oriented '80s disco club, leading to their obtaining The Oil Baron's Club (which would put Lucy into more of the center of the show's narrative (and avoid the petit ami de l’année trap she found herself in during the early seasons).

 

[kenneth]

A little less misogyny would have helped.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

A little less misogyny would have helped.

Yes, there's a difference between the show reflecting JR's chauvinism and the show wallowing in it of its own accord.

And Miss Ellie, the only original female cast member still around, gets marginalized and then pushed-out instead the part being, if anything, expanded in order to represent the homefront??

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

If only they had kept Steve Forrest on the show as Jock the last few seasons might've been completely different.

As I've always maintained with Jock restored to the show it could've reinvigorated the later years of the series.

We might never have gotten that ridiculous Mummy Pam storyline for a start, Pam might've left the show a different way. Haleyville and the introduction of Cally, James and Michelle might never have happened either with Jock reunited with Miss Ellie and Clayton maybe paired off with Patricia Shepard, Sue Ellens Mother! That would've been worth watching.

 

[Rove]

McKay was never a replacement for Wendell

Agreed. While I have enjoyed watching George Kennedy in other projects I couldn't warm to him in Dallas. His character had a Jock Ewing kind of vibe to him...bullish. He'd rather speak with his fists then operate on his shrewd business acumen. Jeremy Wendell on the other hand offered us a different type of villain. He was kind of creepy but laser focused on being hugely successful in business. His character should have been explored more.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Agreed. While I have enjoyed watching George Kennedy in other projects I couldn't warm to him in Dallas. His character had a Jock Ewing kind of vibe to him...bullish. He'd rather speak with his fists then operate on his shrewd business acumen. Jeremy Wendell on the other hand offered us a different type of villain. He was kind of creepy but laser focused on being hugely successful in business. His character should have been explored more.

Yes, McKay, like the other new characters in the later years, they never knew what they wanted to do with.

So of course they wrote out creepy Wendell -- because the character actually worked.

 

[pete lashmar]

Plots aside, and people have some good ideas here - what ultimately killed DALLAS was the terrible casting and acting in later seasons. Far too many new characters were brought in who were absolutely dreadful and viewers didn't have any interest in them - it's one of the main reasons people stopped watching - their favourite characters were virtually all gone.

For me Jenna should have been written out in season 12 - killed off with a whodunnit plot.

Pam should have returned in the final season, but in a death bed scene, or at least news of her death should have been announced.

Lucy was wasted again, I like the idea of her going into business, but she should have opened a model agency or something - putting her in the building trade was just ridiculous.

Miss Ellie and Clayton should never have been sidelined for the final season - the show needed them far too much and it's the greatest shame that Ellie didn't appear at all.

Wes should have stayed and created his own oil company that would be a rival for Ewing oil - with JR doing everything he could to stop him but Wes/Jock always being one step ahead.

I'm no fan of Afton at all, but the chemistry she had with Cliff was wonderful, so she should have stayed.

Sue Ellen should have been shot and crippled in the balcony cliffhanger, why writers didn't go for that is beyond me - having Rusty then return would have just been the icing on the cake, looking after her, like she did him.

I would also loved to have seen a mystery adversary for Ewing Oil, someone in the shadows working as a puppeteer who remained unseen, with all kinds of things going wrong for the Ewings - eventually Priscilla Pointer is revealed, as the perpetrator - crippled and riddled with burns following her plane crash.

The cartel should have also featured a lot more, some of the best stuff Dallas did was with the Cartel, seeing them group together Against a common enemy would have been wonderful.

As for April, I loved her, but she should never have been Bobby's love interest.

As for Vanessa, James, Michelle, Lauren, Johnny Dancer et all....never should they ever have been added to the show - they killed it for me.

As for Cally, I would have introduced her differently and avoided those dreadful hick town episodes, but loved her character but would have had differing plots to the ones she had.

Sue Ellen's injuries and the return of Dusty would mean no film of JR, which for me broke the 4th wall of the show far too much - one of the many plots that was never going to go anywhere.

As for the ending, DALLAS should have ended with Ellie dying and Clayton inheriting Southfork = that would have been an amazing final cliffhanger with the viewers knowing that JR was so so pissed....would love to have seen that - or bobby turning up with a new wife....cue the drama to come.

 

[Barbara Fan]

what ultimately killed DALLAS was the terrible casting and acting in later seasons. Far too many new characters were brought in who were absolutely dreadful and viewers didn't have any interest in them - it's one of the main reasons people stopped watching - their favourite characters were virtually all gone.

Absolutely - the Callys, Michelles and Aprils and any other bland blonde werent fit to lick the boots of the originals and lacking in any acting ability / talent

It was Dallas in name only, no heart, no soul, people you didnt give a stuff about - not a patch on the originals, who were characters that you cared about and were invested in - onscreen and off and poor storylines

And as for the final season, it was awful - Patrick and Larry werent Dallas and got far too greedy $$$$$ wise - It was the originals, the ensemble cast of Ewings and Barnes that made Dallas a world wide success
have never watched it after initial showing, DVD still in the wrapper and dont have a clue what happened except April died (yay) and JR met the devil called Joel Grey with red eyes

It was a sad old show that needed to end - thank goodness for s1-6 and 8 original

Dallas should have eneded with Miss Ellie on her deathbed revealing that Digger was JRs father and a freezeframe on a horrified JR

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Absolutely - the Callys, Michelles and Aprils and any other bland blonde werent fit to lick the boots of the originals and lacking in any acting ability / talent

Actors, though, are so vulnerable to the writing. Who knows how those random ladies might have come off if the scripting had been better.

But even Katzman couldn't run DALLAS without Paulsen.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Plots aside, and people have some good ideas here - what ultimately killed DALLAS was the terrible casting and acting in later seasons. Far too many new characters were brought in who were absolutely dreadful and viewers didn't have any interest in them - it's one of the main reasons people stopped watching - their favourite characters were virtually all gone.

It was Dallas in name only, no heart, no soul, people you didnt give a stuff about - not a patch on the originals, who were characters that you cared about and were invested in - onscreen and off and poor storylines

There a lots of good ideas here.

One thing the writers seemed to be working on would have addressed these problems. Watch the episodes around the time that Donna got into the oil business. She took Bobby out to see her first oil field. There are several times that Bobby made comments such as, "This is very exciting, Donna. I sometimes think about what it would be like to start over."

There was more than one hint around that time. It seems the writers were getting ready to completely revamp the show, having Bobby start all over again.

But this time, we would see less of the office and more Bobby out there making deals with landowners, hiring drilling crews and other "get your hands dirty" projects while building a new company. They didn't pursue the idea and that's too bad. It would be a way to bring in a few of the secondary characters as Punk Anderson and others could be around to help Bobby. Even one-time characters like @Taylor Bennett Jr. would have a reason to come back.

Missed opportunity. . .

 

[Barbara Fan]

Actors, though, are so vulnerable to the writing. Who knows how those random ladies might have come off if the scripting had been better.

None of them @Snarky Oracle were ever going to win an Oscar, an Emmy even if the best scriptwriter in the world handed them a script

Not even mediocre acting at best! with Hitchcock directing or Spielberg! and that voice of Callys! URGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[LMLDallas78]

None of them @Snarky Oracle were ever going to win an Oscar, an Emmy even if the best scriptwriter in the world handed them a script

Not even mediocre acting at best! with Hitchcock directing or Spielberg! and that voice of Callys! URGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely agree with you, couldn't tolerate any of them. Can't bring myself to watch it again either after only seeing it once when it originally aired.

However much we loved Larry & Patrick they really did make a mockery of Dallas in the final seasons, both had far too much clout and even though talented could not execute Dallas as it should have been. Poor quality writing, poor directing, poor characters and oh so poor acting. Stupid farcical plots that I can't believe they allowed and had any part in.

 

[Barbara Fan]

If Larry was paid megabucks to read the phone directory on Dallas he would have

It was the one thing I guess I "Disliked" about him was his love of money and boasting about how much he got - it wasnt a good quality and so long as he was getting paid he'd do Dallas, even if quality of script and new actors diminished!

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

If Larry was paid megabucks to read the phone directory on Dallas he would have

It was the one thing I guess I "Disliked" about him was his love of money and boasting about how much he got - it wasnt a good quality and so long as he was getting paid he'd do Dallas, even if quality of script and new actors diminished!

I don't like the thought that he set up William Smithers to ask for a raise when Lorimar were cutting the budget right across the board. It resulted in Smithers getting fired. That was certainly not a nice thing he did to the poor man.

 

[WarriorsFan]

And yet they continued to accept the dollars coming their way without question. Larry was an Executive Producer by this stage which tells me not much was expected from him other than turn up and read your lines.

Even Larry admitted his new "executive producer" title meant "absolutely nothin'" and was just an opportunity to have them pay him more.

Patrick and Larry werent Dallas and got far too greedy $$$$$ wise

If Larry was paid megabucks to read the phone directory on Dallas he would have

It was the one thing I guess I "Disliked" about him was his love of money and boasting about how much he got - it wasnt a good quality and so long as he was getting paid he'd do Dallas, even if quality of script and new actors diminished!

I think it was a case of get as much up front as possible because the back end potential didn't seem too high during the second half of the 1980s. I'm pretty sure there are articles floating around from that time which mention primetime soaps didn't do so well when they first went into syndication.
Even factoring in international sales, cable broadcasts, DVDs, streaming, I don't think any of the 1980s primetime soaps ever generated Seinfeld/Friends level back end money for the actors.