Dallas Spinoff

[Lastkidpicked]

Next time you do a rewatch when Cliff Barnes strikes it big in the Gulf, see if you notice something.

First, the events leading up:

Pam is going after Mark Graison and is not coming back to Bobby

Donna buys an oil field and names it Krebbs One.

Jaimie Ewing shows up with stories of Jock, Jason, and Digger. How much fun they had in their younger days wildcatting.

Cliff hit it big in the Gulf, so the Ewing/Barnes feud is pretty quiet. Bobby doesn't need to be a watchdog over J.R.

Behind the scenes, Patrick Duffy is becoming bored and thinking of leaving the series.

Soooooooo. . . Did you notice something else?

Did you notice Bobby mentioning more than once, "I'd like to take a field like this (Donna's oil field) and see what I could make of it."

And later, "I'd like to start from scratch, and see if I could build a company up like Daddy did."

My question to you-- Were they opening the door for a Dallas spinoff? Imagine this: Bobby Ewing starts an oil company from scratch. We watch as he meets with landowner's in the local bars, trying to secure leases. We see him actually out there in the field, supervising the construction of an oil well.

To put a finer point on it: Dallas is the glamorous side of the oil business-- lunches at the Cattleman's Club and dressing up for the Oil Barron's Ball. The spinoff series is Bobby Ewing working the nuts and bolts of the business.

My favorite part is we can look to @Taylor Bennett Jr. 's thread, who are your favorite one time or occasional characters for some great guest appearances by Punk Anderson and others.

Would it work? And do you have any ideas for storylines for a spinoff such as this? And what occasional characters would you like to see on the spinoff?

 

[Kenny Coyote]

It could work if written well and done the right way. It would have to have its own unique style compared to Dallas. This drama would not be a soap opera. I'd want it to be the opposite of Dallas in this way: It would be about a man finding a way to ethically build his own oil business amidst the corruption amidst the rest of the industry. It would be an inspiring story of a man who refuses to allow the ethics then prevalent within an industry to define or defile his own ethics.

Dallas hinted at this possibility during the time when Bobby filled in for JR while JR was recuperating from his gunshot injuries. The difference there was Bobby was being portrayed as a man who accepted an opportunity to do that until JR recuperated, but when JR did recuperate, Bobby reneged on his original agreement. He tried to use Miss Ellie's fear of "losing another son" as a way of emotionally extorting Jock by saying he and Pam would move away to California if Jock didn't allow him to steal JR's job. Bobby knew Jock would let him keep the job that wasn't rightfully his, just to keep Ellie happy, because she was in an emotionally vulnerable state at the time.

This would have to be a story about who doesn't rely on those tactics, a man who would rather build his own company so he could run it according to his own principles with nobody else having the right to tell him he couldn't. Bobby would find imaginative ways of dealing with his less ethical competitors, which would require a lot of intelligence and ingenuity. Eventually people would choose to deal with him because they'd know his word is good.

As opposed to being a show where the audience roots for the bad guy, or a show that portrays a good man being brought down to the level of his competitors, it would be a show where the audience pulls for the protagonist because he is good, because he is able to survive and then flourish in a corrupt industry without compromising his standards, because he is just that much better, that much more capable and competent than his competitors, and because people would rather deal with a man they can trust than with men they can't trust.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

As opposed to being a show where the audience roots for the bad guy, or a show that portrays a good man being brought down to the level of his competitors, it would be a show where the audience pulls for the protagonist because he is good, because he is able to survive and then flourish in a corrupt industry without compromising his standards, because he is just that much better, that much more capable and competent than his competitors, and because people would rather deal with a man they can trust than with men they can't trust

Very insightful, Kenny.

And you post is backed up by Clayton Farlow. Bobby approached Clayton to go in with Ewing Oil on the offshore oil leases. Clayton responded that he and J.R. tolerated each other for Miss Ellie's sake. But they could never to business together.

If you happen to re watch these few episodes, you will notice that they hit this pretty hard, and bring up the idea of Bobby starting over a couple of times. It's almost like they were laying the groundwork to say, "Okay, Patrick. We understand you want to leave, but we don't want to lose you. How about we create a pilot just for you."

 

[Toni]

Very insightful, Kenny.

And you post is backed up by Clayton Farlow. Bobby approached Clayton to go in with Ewing Oil on the offshore oil leases. Clayton responded that he and J.R. tolerated each other for Miss Ellie's sake. But they could never to business together.

If you happen to re watch these few episodes, you will notice that they hit this pretty hard, and bring up the idea of Bobby starting over a couple of times. It's almost like they were laying the groundwork to say, "Okay, Patrick. We understand you want to leave, but we don't want to lose you. How about we create a pilot just for you."

As I have mentioned a couple of times here, at the time I read a story in a magazine about a "Dallas" spin-off set in Canada, where Bobby moves to, and meets and falls in love with a character played by...Jaclyn Smith (upon those sources).

I guess this was published after the infamous Pam car crash. They even mentioned that the villain would be played by Raymond Burr. Not that I didn´t like those ideas by the way...I always had the impression that the female character ended up being the one we know as Kay Lloyd, the Washington girl. And, well, there also was the Howard Duff corrupt politician...Do you know what I mean...?

​

 

[Rove]

A Dallas spin-off with Bobby living in Canada? Was this idea touted prior to or after Bobby's death? If the idea was created to offer Patrick an inducement to stay (in part with Lorimar Productions) then this would potentially mean the character of Pam and Christopher going with him. But gee whiz this would have left a hole of Grand Canyon size back in Dallas. I'm not in favour of it because it would have diluted an already fragile Dallas with the Miss Ellie recast debacle still playing out.

If the idea was tossed about after Pam crashed into the tanker then this still would have been a daft concept because the dream season resolution did not play well with long time fans of Dallas. I'd go so far to say a spin-off involving Bobby would have hurt both shows.

If there was one character worthy of a spin-off it could have been Donna...in Washington. But was America (or the world in general) ready for a political series? Placing Donna in Washington, building her political profile may have worked. Cross-over visits by Miss Ellie, Clayton and Bobby would give the new series some familiarity. I also believe Dallas itself was becoming a little tiresome with the constant fight for Ewing Oil. It didn't help with the Miss Ellie recast debacle but JR needed to grow. Having him - on occasion - wandering the corridors of power that is Washington would have been a treat. Let's see how a Texan navigates true power.

 

[Chris2]

I thought the idea for the Donna/Ray spinoff was set Hawaii, with them adopting a bunch of kids. Or did I dream that?

I agree that a Bobby spinoff would have killed the original series, even if it had been done in the earlier years. His and Pam’s characters weren’t replaceable. J.R. simply would not have the same relationship with a cousin or a new business partner. And Canada? That’s just bizarre. American TV series don’t take place in Canada.

I would have done a prequel series for Valene, called “Mama and Sweet Pea”, about a woman trying to make it as a country singer, and her skeptical young daughter.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

And Canada? That’s just bizarre.

Canada makes perfect sense because it's so rich in oil and it's much more picturesque than Texas, particularly Alberta which is amazing!

 

[Angela Channing]

As I have mentioned a couple of times here, at the time I read a story in a magazine about a "Dallas" spin-off set in Canada, where Bobby moves to, and meets and falls in love with a character played by...Jaclyn Smith (upon those sources).

They should just have recast Pam with Jaclyn Smith. I would have accepted that more than the mummified Pam abandoning her husband and son that they decided on.

 

[Rove]

How about a spin-off of Ray, Jenna, Charlie and Lucas in France. Rather than a drama it could have been a sitcom. There would have been plenty of laughs watching Ray learning French, visiting the exquisite museums. That bloke could have used some culture coursing threw his veins. And let's not forget Charlie, whining about missing Southfork, her horse and why is Randy not visiting?

....and Jenna...poor Jenna. Nothing left in her life but nappy changing, a husband inept at understanding a foreign country and a daughter who whines like a mule. Poetic justice I'd call it.

 

[Toni]

How about a spin-off of Ray, Jenna, Charlie and Lucas in France. Rather than a drama it could have been a sitcom. There would have been plenty of laughs watching Ray learning French, visiting the exquisite museums. That bloke could have used some culture coursing threw his veins. And let's not forget Charlie, whining about missing Southfork, her horse and why is Randy not visiting?

....and Jenna...poor Jenna. Nothing left in her life but nappy changing, a husband inept at understanding a foreign country and a daughter who whines like a mule. Poetic justice I'd call it.

Better take them to Transylvania, for a boarding school for Charlie, who no school wants because of her nymphomania. Then a serial killer appears and murders all the girls, Charlie being the first. Ray of course returns with the cows and horses, as J.R. would say. Poor, poor Jenna. She decides to have plastic surgery and ends up looking like this:

 

[Willie Oleson]

Mitch Cooper moves to PEYTON PLACE to take over from Dr. Rossi.

In a spectacular twist, he turns out to be Dr. Rossi's son.

I would give the dream season two different endings, and the "dream" version without Bobby continues as PARALLALLAS.

 

[James from London]

the "dream" version without Bobby continues as PARALLALLAS.

"Parallallas is my town!"

My spin-off idea was/is a half-hour soap, twice weekly, a la Peyton Place, about the staff at the Hot Biscuit and its regular customers, most of whom would work in the Ewing Oil fields, so it would be the flip side to what we'd be watching on Dallas.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

How about a spin-off of Ray, Jenna, Charlie and Lucas in France. Rather than a drama it could have been a sitcom. There would have been plenty of laughs watching Ray learning French, visiting the exquisite museums. That bloke could have used some culture coursing threw his veins. And let's not forget Charlie, whining about missing Southfork, her horse and why is Randy not visiting?

....and Jenna...poor Jenna. Nothing left in her life but nappy changing, a husband inept at understanding a foreign country and a daughter who whines like a mule. Poetic justice I'd call it.

man, Ray couldn’t handle a doctor using a word with more than one syllable without throwing a tantrum. He’d be a walking aneurysm in Paris... until he fully converts over to 100% Frenchman!

 

[Rove]

Ray of course returns with the cows and horses, as J.R. would say

Thoroughly enjoyed JR's put-downs of Ray. I recall JR bumping into Ray, Donna and Edgar Randolph at the Oil Barons Club. After requesting to join them JR said, "You must be an old friends of Donna's...arhhh...Ray's here into cows..."

Classic stuff

 

[Rove]

about the staff at the Hot Biscuit and its regular customers, most of whom would work in the Ewing Oil fields, so it would be the flip side to what we'd be watching on Dallas.

I can picture a series focused around the Hot Biscuit but I also envisage the series on HBO rather than commercial television. In order for a series like this to work it would need to reflect the realism associated with the working class...swearing and all. But what would the title of the series be?

 

[James from London]

I can picture a series focused around the Hot Biscuit but I also envisage the series on HBO rather than commercial television. In order for a series like this to work it would need to reflect the realism associated with the working class...swearing and all. But what would the title of the series be?

I guess I imagined it as quite a clean show really, in a grimy sort of way, with a simmering intensity just beneath the surface, much like Peyton Place -- but contemporary with Dallas, so pre-HBO. There again, I'm always up for some swears.

I think it's hard to top Hot Biscuit as a name. Maybe you could stick an exclamation mark on the end. There again, Hot Biscuit! sounds like a musical I'd cross the street to avoid.

 

[stevew]

I think the world certainly was ready for a political drama at the time and Bobby would have done a great job at it - getting the job as a US Senator because if JR’s manipulation of the Governor, later having to run to keep the job. Bobby and Pam and Christopher moving to D.C. to be a family. Cliff as his chief of staff. Bobby shows up as a Democrat, in the minority in the Senate, the Republicans riding high. Start off with an oil related issue, maybe a tanker spill and then go into all sorts of issues. Put Pam in charge of the Ewing Family Foundation in D.C. giving her good works to do. With the Cold War and lots of other characters to round out the cast the serious could have got a lot of attention as something different in tv. I’d have had a major African American, gay and Muslim characters to really bring home the diversity of the show and garner attention.

As for the original I think it would have been the shot in the arm the series needed to keep exciting. I’d expand the role of Donna to replace Bobby. She certainly wouldn’t keep JR in check like Bobby did, but she’s also provide a different flare as a powerful and wealthy woman, one HR almost comes to respect. I’d also expanded Wendell’s role to replace Cliff - more J. Paul Getty, and explore his family. He’d prove to be a great challenge. I’d also keep JR and Sue Ellen together and run with the business agreement marriage, not as much bitter as consensual - really shaken up the morals of the time. JR would sit in Jock’s seat at the table and Sue Ellen in Miss Ellie’s and BBG could be a recurring role and no Donna Reed. Finally I’d gone for JR’s illegitimate children out there, bringing him closer to the H. L. Hunt character - certainly not a woman he loved more than Sue Ellen but some young adults to start the 3rd generation off strong.

Finally I’d bring cross overs between KL and Bobby’s new show and even between Dallas and Falcon Crest.

 

[Rove]

political drama at the time and Bobby would have done a great job at it

In the early years Bobby had this John F. Kennedy kind of vibe about him; good looking with charisma. I also think politics is something he may have enjoyed and the writers do touch on this early in the series. With JR at Ewing Oil and Bobby in government it could still create drama at Southfork. Of course Jim's (Jock's) death changed course for many characters on Dallas.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

In the early years Bobby had this John F. Kennedy kind of vibe about him; good looking with charisma. I also think politics is something he may have enjoyed and the writers do touch on this early in the series. With JR at Ewing Oil and Bobby in government it could still create drama at Southfork. Of course Jim's (Jock's) death changed course for many characters on Dallas.

Bobby was a natural as a Senator - they still teach the Great Takapa Compromise of 1981 in every political science department in Texas!

 

[stevew]

I think the world certainly was ready for a political drama at the time and Bobby would have done a great job at it - getting the job as a US Senator because if JR’s manipulation of the Governor, later having to run to keep the job. Bobby and Pam and Christopher moving to D.C. to be a family. Cliff as his chief of staff. Bobby shows up as a Democrat, in the minority in the Senate, the Republicans riding high. Start off with an oil related issue, maybe a tanker spill and then go into all sorts of issues. Put Pam in charge of the Ewing Family Foundation in D.C. giving her good works to do. With the Cold War and lots of other characters to round out the cast the serious could have got a lot of attention as something different in tv. I’d have had a major African American, gay and Muslim characters to really bring home the diversity of the show and garner attention.

As for the original I think it would have been the shot in the arm the series needed to keep exciting. I’d expand the role of Donna to replace Bobby. She certainly wouldn’t keep JR in check like Bobby did, but she’s also provide a different flare as a powerful and wealthy woman, one HR almost comes to respect. I’d also expanded Wendell’s role to replace Cliff - more J. Paul Getty, and explore his family. He’d prove to be a great challenge. I’d also keep JR and Sue Ellen together and run with the business agreement marriage, not as much bitter as consensual - really shaken up the morals of the time. JR would sit in Jock’s seat at the table and Sue Ellen in Miss Ellie’s and BBG could be a recurring role and no Donna Reed. Finally I’d gone for JR’s illegitimate children out there, bringing him closer to the H. L. Hunt character (certainly not a woman he loved more than Sue Ellen) and adding some young adults to start the 3rd generation off strong.

Finally I’d bring cross overs between KL and Bobby’s new show and even between Dallas and Falcon Crest.

New series: Huntington

Huntington - the name of the Hyatt family’s horse farm and the “salon” were politics really happens in D.C.

Starting

Roscoe Lee Brown - (Andrew) Rosemont, oilman from Oklahoma, introduced here before Falcon Crest, an old acquaintance of Charlotte’s, Amanda’s godfather, a man in D.C. buying power

Patrick Duffy - Senator (Robert James) Bobby Ewing from Texas, based on John Kennedy’s (as a Senator)

Melissa Gilbert - Jessica Winston, cousin of Paige from Knots Landing, one of Ned’s oldest friends, intern in a lobbyist firm working with the Ewing Farlow Foundation on land preservation and Rosemont on legislation to promote oil exploration in Africa

Ken Kerchival - (Clifford) Cliff Barnes, Bobby’s chief of staff, based on Robert Kennedy (with Jamie as his wife)

Rob Lowe - (Edward) Ned Bennett, Charlotte’s son, protege and primary heir, twenty-one, a playboy at recent Georgetown University grad

Victoria Principal - (Pamela Jean) Pam (Barnes) Ewing, President of the nascent Ewing Farlow Family Foundation, creates by Miss Ellie and Clayton, based on Jackie Kennedy

Jacklyn Smith - Charlotte (Hyatt) Bennett, mid 40’s, President of the Washington Free Press Co, founded by her father, a widowed, single mother from an prominent family, based on Katherine Graham

James Spader - Erick Conner, one of Ned’s oldest friends, intern in Bobby’s office, son of a NYC self made millionaire (construction), closeted gay

Venessa Williams - Amanda Burke, daughter of Republican Senator William “Billy” Burke III from Massachusetts, the older woman in Ned’s life, Washington socialite, model, singer

Yes the cast is young, but so is D.C. Bobby just might find himself over his head trying to be the good guy in a town where doing the right thing is debatable. Note the focus on diversity, religious (the Hyatt’s are Jewish), sexual orientation (Erick’s gay) and race (Rosemont and Amanda are black).