Dallas 2020

[stevew]

IF Dallas were to come back in 2020 how would you like to see it return:

1) Continuation from the original (movies included) ignoring 100% TNT

2) Continuation from TNT as much as possible (considering the issues of assembling the entire cast)

3) Continuation from TNT with major changes (i.e. the set, Christopher alive, the Ewing’s back on top)

4) Reboot with little to no changes in location or characters or script, just new actors

5) Reboot with significant changes in location, characters and script, sticking just to the original big picture (i.e. family fighting over the company and land, think NuDynasty)

6) Spin off of a family member somewhere else with a similar family scenario (i.e. family fighting over the company and land, almost as a reboot)

7) Spin off of a family member somewhere else with an entirely unrelated cast around them (more like what they did with Knots Landing)

8) Prefer to leave Dallas alone and not come back in any shape or form

9) Other, please explain below

 

[pete lashmar]

I voted for Reboot with significant changes in location, characters and script, reason being I don't think any form of continuation could work now because so many characters/actors from the original have gone.

Tastes and attitudes have also changed radically now, especially for women, they're far more empowered now than they were back in the late 70's/80's.

As much as I adore and love re-watching Dallas I would love to see a genuine reboot with great character actors and powerful men and women scheming and plotting.

I wouldn't change the location - Southfork IS Southfork but I would maybe change the ages of the characters, maybe go back 10 years earlier so they're a little bit younger, but still start at the same point - Bobby returning to Southfork with his new wife Pam.

Plot wise though I would be more than happy for them to create brand new timelines/plots etc - We will always have the original to treasure, but these characters are wonderful and I'd love to see what new writers can come up with to surprise us.

But Dallas MUST be about the Ewings Vs the Barnes and Ewing Oil/Energies - no other characters should be more than associates because that's not how the series worked IMO.

 

[stevew]

I voted for Reboot with significant changes in location, characters and script, reason being I don't think any form of continuation could work now because so many characters/actors from the original have gone.

Tastes and attitudes have also changed radically now, especially for women, they're far more empowered now than they were back in the late 70's/80's.

As much as I adore and love re-watching Dallas I would love to see a genuine reboot with great character actors and powerful men and women scheming and plotting.

I wouldn't change the location - Southfork IS Southfork but I would maybe change the ages of the characters, maybe go back 10 years earlier so they're a little bit younger, but still start at the same point - Bobby returning to Southfork with his new wife Pam.

Plot wise though I would be more than happy for them to create brand new timelines/plots etc - We will always have the original to treasure, but these characters are wonderful and I'd love to see what new writers can come up with to surprise us.

But Dallas MUST be about the Ewings Vs the Barnes and Ewing Oil/Energies - no other characters should be more than associates because that's not how the series worked IMO.

Thank you for your feedback. This was one of my ideas but I changed the location like they did in NuDynasty and began from Jock’s death (the reason being is I didn’t want to go back before it was a serial and I didn’t want to do the whole who shot JR thing as it was too big of a story IMO to replicate). I’m still playing with it.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

4) Reboot with little to no changes in location or characters or script, just new actors

I'm not sure what "reboot" means. Little to no changes in location or characters or script, just new actors sounds like a continuation from the original, so how is it different? Of course there would need to be new actors since so many of the original actors are dead or dying.

Ideally I'd have them continue from the original at a point in time when the Ewings still owned Ewing Oil because of the mistakes made in the last few years of the series. They never should have had Ewing Oil be sold. It being a major part of the show and owned by Ewings was as much a part of the show as Southfork and nobody ever thought it was a good idea for them to sell Southfork either. I'd have them continue from there with a story that fixes some of the mistakes made near the end and then after accomplishing that, so the story has a decent foundation upon which to build, they could move ahead a few years so that John Ross and Christopher would be young adults and be ready to start working at Ewing Oil. Later they could bring in Lucas and Margaret as well. They could bring in JR's child from Cally as well. I'd have the story say that JR had gotten misinformation about the child being a son and that is a daughter because it would give the story more directions in which to go if there were a female Ewing heir as well as the male heirs who already existed.

I don't consider changing tastes or attitudes to even be a factor. They play no part whatsoever in how I would have the story be told because a good story will always be a good story. That's why the classic stories of all time still continue to have an audience even though some were written hundreds of years ago. They're still taught in school. People still read those books for their own enjoyment. People still go to see the plays. They still love to watch the great movies of the 30s, 40s and 50s, and then watch them again. A good story is a good story because it elicits powerful human emotion. That is something that has never changed, nor will it ever change.

 

[stevew]

I'm not sure what "reboot" means. Little to no changes in location or characters or script, just new actors sounds like a continuation from the original, so how is it different? Of course there would need to be new actors since so many of the original actors are dead or dying.

By reboot I mean start over from the beginning of original Dallas like with the new version of Dynasty.

 

[stevew]

Ideally I'd have them continue from the original at a point in time when the Ewings still owned Ewing Oil because of the mistakes made in the last few years of the series. They never should have had Ewing Oil be sold. It being a major part of the show and owned by Ewings was as much a part of the show as Southfork and nobody ever thought it was a good idea for them to sell Southfork either. I'd have them continue from there with a story that fixes some of the mistakes made near the end and then after accomplishing that, so the story has a decent foundation upon which to build, they could move ahead a few years so that John Ross and Christopher would be young adults and be ready to start working at Ewing Oil. Later they could bring in Lucas and Margaret as well. They could bring in JR's child from Cally as well. I'd have the story say that JR had gotten misinformation about the child being a son and that is a daughter because it would give the story more directions in which to go if there were a female Ewing heir as well as the male heirs who already existed.

I don't consider changing tastes or attitudes to even be a factor. They play no part whatsoever in how I would have the story be told because a good story will always be a good story. That's why the classic stories of all time still continue to have an audience even though some were written hundreds of years ago. They're still taught in school. People still read those books for their own enjoyment. People still go to see the plays. They still love to watch the great movies of the 30s, 40s and 50s, and then watch them again. A good story is a good story because it elicits powerful human emotion. That is something that has never changed, nor will it ever change.

I agree ideally but I’m not one for erasing what we see - I’d still like to write back in the Dream season somehow. I’d even leave in TNT’s if I did a continuation. That’s might just be me.

 

[pete lashmar]

I really can't understand why anyone would want a continuation because surely anyone who loves Dallas knows that it can never be what it once was, especially with so many of the big characters & actors are no longer with us.

A series featuring Bobby, Sue Ellen, Ray & Lucy isn't going at attract new viewers who have no idea of who these characters are - and the last time they tried it, it ended in life long fans of the show deserting it & new viewers too - plus it will be bogged down with so much history that it will turn any potential new viewers off if it has to keep referring to the past to explain everything.

I very much doubt we'll ever see a new or continued series, but at least if they start from scratch again it can be updated and rebooted to suit today's audience. Alas TV execs won't allow it to breathe like the original, they won't allow any kind of filler episodes to solidify characters and plots, it will be fast and furious and contain foul language and lots of sex to appeal to today's audiences. I would love to be proved wrong, but that's what sells these days.

In the TV world Dallas is a dinosaur, no matter how much we adore it - sometimes you're just better off with what you have - incredible memories and the DVDs.

 

[Billy Wall]

I would introduce JR’s lost son with Cally. The show would primarily be about him and John Ross.

The pilot would include Cliff’s funeral.

Bobby would be the patriarch. Him and Sue Ellen would be small players though. Only making cameos here and there.

Clayton wouldn’t be totally forgotten like he was in Dallas TNT. After all, John Ross has more of a memory of Clayton than he does of Jock. Christopher never knew Jock.

Lucy would play a much bigger role.

 

[Angela Channing]

I'm not sure what category it would come under but I've always thought Dallas: The Middle Years would be the best approach for a Dallas revival. A series or a film telling the story of what happened in the early days of Ewing Oil, after the Early Years mini-series and before the original mini-series (now known as season 1). It would tell the story of when Jock was running the company, Bobby was the company pimp and JR was learning about the "awl bidness" from his Daddy.

 

[stevew]

I really can't understand why anyone would want a continuation because surely anyone who loves Dallas knows that it can never be what it once was, especially with so many of the big characters & actors are no longer with us.

A series featuring Bobby, Sue Ellen, Ray & Lucy isn't going at attract new viewers who have no idea of who these characters are - and the last time they tried it, it ended in life long fans of the show deserting it & new viewers too - plus it will be bogged down with so much history that it will turn any potential new viewers off if it has to keep referring to the past to explain everything.

I very much doubt we'll ever see a new or continued series, but at least if they start from scratch again it can be updated and rebooted to suit today's audience. Alas TV execs won't allow it to breathe like the original, they won't allow any kind of filler episodes to solidify characters and plots, it will be fast and furious and contain foul language and lots of sex to appeal to today's audiences. I would love to be proved wrong, but that's what sells these days.

In the TV world Dallas is a dinosaur, no matter how much we adore it - sometimes you're just better off with what you have - incredible memories and the DVDs.

In large part I do agree with much of this.

 

[stevew]

I would introduce JR’s lost son with Cally. The show would primarily be about him and John Ross.

The pilot would include Cliff’s funeral.

Bobby would be the patriarch. Him and Sue Ellen would be small players though. Only making cameos here and there.

Clayton wouldn’t be totally forgotten like he was in Dallas TNT. After all, John Ross has more of a memory of Clayton than he does of Jock. Christopher never knew Jock.

Lucy would play a much bigger role.

I like your idea very much - sort of a spin off / continuation and I like the idea of a show about John Ross and his brother (which really would be a new character as the person wasn’t even named). I like Bobby and Sue Ellen playing support roles, but if the actors weren’t interested it certainly could move forward without them. Agree 100% with Clayton’s role. And I like the idea of Lucy having a bigger role, both the character and original actress.

 

[southfork88]

Continuation from the original, movies included and TNT, under the supervision of real experts who can correct mistakes and explain all inconsistencies. I would see Josh Henderson as the undisputed protagonist and new characters, closely linked to the epic original story. I would also like to know why Cliff Barnes had become so crazy in recent years.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

I'd love to see a series exploring really any of the years leading up to the pilot. Maybe not the wildcatting days, since 'The Early Years' did that, but the 50s and 60s and earlier 70s - the years when Jock was running things and JR was on his way up, Bobby as the football star, skinny young Ray Krebbs showing up on the ranch with a note from his mother, the whole Gary fallout. With the right cast and production and writing it would be amazing. (What are the chances that would happen, though?)

 

[stevew]

Continuation from the original, movies included and TNT, under the supervision of real experts who can correct mistakes and explain all inconsistencies. I would see Josh Henderson as the undisputed protagonist and new characters, closely linked to the epic original story. I would also like to know why Cliff Barnes had become so crazy in recent years.

Couldn’t agree more.

 

[stevew]

I'd love to see a series exploring really any of the years leading up to the pilot. Maybe not the wildcatting days, since 'The Early Years' did that, but the 50s and 60s and earlier 70s - the years when Jock was running things and JR was on his way up, Bobby as the football star, skinny young Ray Krebbs showing up on the ranch with a note from his mother, the whole Gary fallout. With the right cast and production and writing it would be amazing. (What are the chances that would happen, though?)

I like it but I think it’s slim to none we will see it - but there’s always hope.

 

[Barbara Fan]

I dont want my memory tainted even more, so no more please of sub standard, badly acted, nothing to do with original dallas and an incompetant producer in charge who ruined the show and killed it off stone dead. Dallas was off its time, an 80s show and thats where it belongs

Dallas was
BBG- Deceased
Larry Hagman - Deceased ANd he was the MOST impirtant character in TNT Dallas - when he died, forget it, he was the reason to watch and made me jump ship to team hagman
Howard keel - Deceased
ken kercheval - Deceased

and lots of other supporting cast sadly no longer with us who made original Dallas worth watching

of cast remaining

Patrick Duffy - now rather annoying
Linda Gray - would do it
Victoria P - wouldnt touch it with a barge pole and rightly so
priscilla P - wouldnt do it
Susan Howard - would love her to but they wouldnt write Donna in to it

Charlene Tilton and Steve kanaly - treated rather shoddily by TNT and blink and you miss them appearances on an ad hoc basis to keep a die hard like me happy! Well it didnt!

You can call a show Dallas and set it at SF but if it doesnt have a heart, a soul, people you can invest in, characters to care, love, worry about - It aint Dallas!

and as for the new cast only Josh henderson was worth a mention as Jrs son.

 

[Swami]

No more remakes, please. Be thankful we have DVDs etc to continually remind us of the brilliance of the original show and its cast.

Swami

 

[Kenny Coyote]

In the TV world Dallas is a dinosaur

Maybe so but Jurassic Park didn't do too bad at the box office.

 

[southfork88]

I believe that Josh Henderson could take up the challenge for a new series. The main condition for a sequel should be respect for the classic past of the 357 episodes, three movies and also some little things present in the bad nuDallas by TNT. Josh is credible perhaps because a real Texan, raised without a father, worked closely with Larry Hagman and Linda Gray ... and a great actor.

 

[stevew]

I dont want my memory tainted even more, so no more please of sub standard, badly acted, nothing to do with original dallas and an incompetant producer in charge who ruined the show and killed it off stone dead. Dallas was off its time, an 80s show and thats where it belongs

Dallas was
BBG- Deceased
Larry Hagman - Deceased ANd he was the MOST impirtant character in TNT Dallas - when he died, forget it, he was the reason to watch and made me jump ship to team hagman
Howard keel - Deceased
ken kercheval - Deceased

and lots of other supporting cast sadly no longer with us who made original Dallas worth watching

of cast remaining

Patrick Duffy - now rather annoying
Linda Gray - would do it
Victoria P - wouldnt touch it with a barge pole and rightly so
priscilla P - wouldnt do it
Susan Howard - would love her to but they wouldnt write Donna in to it

Charlene Tilton and Steve kanaly - treated rather shoddily by TNT and blink and you miss them appearances on an ad hoc basis to keep a die hard like me happy! Well it didnt!

You can call a show Dallas and set it at SF but if it doesnt have a heart, a soul, people you can invest in, characters to care, love, worry about - It aint Dallas!

and as for the new cast only Josh henderson was worth a mention as Jrs son.

I do agree and see your point. That’s what has me leaning toward something that leaves the original alone, like another spin off or a reboot. Yes there’s the chance to compare it to the original like Knots Landing is compared to Dallas and NuDynasty is compared to original Dynasty, but in such cases the comparison is academic and in no way effects the original product.