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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kenny Coyote" data-source="post: 228248" data-attributes="member: 102">Yes, and if we get a realization from him, it could lead to some character development. People would have found it interesting to get some insight into why he keeps on screwing up his marriage by cheating. Whether it's that he just doesn't value marriage or that he gets an adrenaline rush from the chase that compels him to repeat that self-destructive behavior over and over again, it takes the story and the character to a new place. Dallas was a highly innovative show for its time and JR was a character unlike any other we'd seen as the most featured character of a primetime drama. It's an exciting character and the interactions between him and the rest of the family made great TV.  The idea to have the whole family live in the same house, so we'd see more interaction between them than we otherwise would was an innovative idea. It worked and they had some great storylines, but at some point they started coasting on the success they'd built instead of continuing to innovate. They can't expect us to watch these characters do the same types of things over and over without some more character development. Sue Ellen was drinking heavily in season 2 and in season 9 she still was!  JR was cheating in season 1 and in season 11 he still was! It gets old after a while without continuing to innovate with things like character development. You can se JR and Sue Ellen are unhappy in their marriage from the beginning. 10 years later, they were still unhappy over the same types of problems. Suppose they have JR identify the cause of his problem and show him seriously try to overcome it. Whether he succeeds and it leads to a better marriage or he fails and we see him disgusted with himself over his lack of self control, it's something new!They eventually realized they had to change things to keep the show interesting but it was too little, too late. Their idea of character development for JR was for him to start failing in his business deals and failing in general. It was a very negative direction to take. People usually like to see character s progress, not regress. JR's whole persona, his aura, were all built around the concept that this character was very, very good at what he did. To watch him become diminished as a character instead of growing as a character wasn't something anybody wanted to see. They weren't innovating; they were just tearing down everything they'd built. Cally one-ups JR. Then James and Michelle and LeAnn De Le Vega. It turned the show into a joke. What's next, the maid? No, that was for TNT Dallas. Of all the things they could have done, TNT decides to base their story around the Ewings' maid and her kids. I couldn't make this stuff up. If I hadn't seen them try to do that, I wouldn't believe anyone could be that dumb.</blockquote>

Verification: Who played JR Ewing?