Has there ever been a more perfect casting choice in television

[Snarky Oracle!]

I had never heard of that before; was Nicole intended to be the daughter instead of Sammy Jo, or were they supposed to be half-sisters? Perhaps Nicole could have worked as Daniel's daughter if she’d had a suitable red-headed mother

Oh, no -- Sable is Nicole's mother!

I’m probably one of the few people who liked Susan Scannell as Nicole. I didn’t care for her at first, but she won me over once she moved into the mansion. By that point, the hair and makeup and wardrobe departments had finally found the right look for her. I think she had the best glamorous look of all the soap redheads from that era (like Jamie Rose or Constance McCashin). Unfortunately, the chemistry with Jeff just wasn't there. I wouldn't have written her out right away; instead, I would have paired her with Adam. I think Nicole would have been a better match for Adam than Claudia was—though if the chemistry hadn't worked there either, she could have arrived as Adam's date for the royal wedding and died in the massacre, ensuring there were at least three casualties we actually knew.

I was fine with Scannell's casting as well. She could've made a decent, shrewish bitch. But Scannell observed, as she left the show, that Nicole never became one of those you-love-to-hate types of characters (she apparently received a lot of hate mail). But her nastiness was pantomimed in the scripts, and S.A.D. impacted everything. (That stupid scene comes to mind where a spontaneous party occurred in the conservatory and the young guests -- were they doing The Twist, because that's how I remember it?? -- stood on antique chairs in order to take down Fallon's portrait).

She should have stalked Jeff to Moldavia and been killed in the massacre, probably gripping a small statue in death. Just as April should have stalked Bobby to Paris and been killed in that massacre five-and-a-half years later, probably gripping the Dallas Press society page announcing Bobby's engagement to Tracey.

But that's just me.

 

[Chase Gioberti]

The big four nighttime soaps of the '80s were unusually well-cast, and that was the key to their appeal and the trick to their longevity. Even after most of them had begun to fall apart midway through the decade, the narratives and the ambiance lost, viewers kept coming back -- for a while -- in hopes that the original fire that had once made them so compelling would be reignited.

But while DYNASTY was as effectively cast as any of them, when that show chose the wrong actor (e.g., Geoffrey Scott, Jack Coleman , Helmut Berger, Michael Nader) it flubbed in a way the others didn't, the poor choices resembling that from a second-rate episode of LOVE BOAT.

After just finishing season 2 of Dynasty I would agree with most of that but I think Blake Carrington was horribly miscast. I know George Peppard didn’t get along with anyone but they should have made it work. Everybody else seem to be cast well (it was very disturbing seeing Cecil Colby in bed with Alexis, should have just kept him in the boardroom). You can’t picture anyone else playing JR, Gregory Sumner, Richard Channing, Angela Channing, Abby, Alexis… but I definitely wish there was a world where someone else played Blake Carrington. Maybe he will grow on me in subsequent seasons.