Seasons 1-6 were pretty good, but what are the must have seasons after those?

[TheDeadBobby]

I bought 1-6 a while back but don't really want to blow a ton of money on 7-12 or 7- 13 or whatever it was considering some of the seasons were a bit weak in the later years.

I could probably do without the 'dream' season, but after that goofy mess, what are the best to have?

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Going by DVD count? If so, 7, 8 and 10 are good. 11 is okay. And 13 tries.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I bought 1-6 a while back but don't really want to blow a ton of money on 7-12 or 7- 13 or whatever it was considering some of the seasons were a bit weak in the later years.

I could probably do without the 'dream' season, but after that goofy mess, what are the best to have?

I would say buy them all because no matter how good or bad they were, it’s all still original Dallas and they’re worth having. At least that’s how I look at it.

 

[Angela Channing]

I would say all seasons up to when Pam drives into the tanker (season 10) are good. Thereafter it's on a rapid decline.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I would say buy them all because no matter how good or bad they were, it’s all still original Dallas and they’re worth having. At least that’s how I look at it.

Yeah I take the same viewpoint. Buy them all.

If you were a fan of Jock Ewing then season ten has one of the more controversial storylines.

After season ten the quality of the writing suffers but I'd still recommend buying seasons eleven to fourteen as they do have there good and bad points. A word of warning though the final season is very far removed from what the show used to be. Go buy the boxsets and enjoy the ride.

 

[Sarah]

You must stay or buy until Sue Ellen leaves. Then I advise save your money. However you will want to know if you’re a big fan out of curiosity.

But you will need professional help, I promise you. And I say that as someone who loves Dallas very very much.

 

[Karin]

You definitely need to get season 7(DVD). It's one of the strongest seasons of the show. I think it hit it's peak that year.

After that the decline started with the recast of Miss Ellie in season 8, followed by the dream season. Season 10 is a really strong season although I miss Lucy in it.
Season 11-13 are ok. The show still had Sue Ellen, Miss Ellie and Clayton and Lucy came back.

Season 14 was not that great as the lack of cast members having left is really visible. But if you like IDOJ I think the season is still worth getting to see Larry Hagman & Barbara Eden though.

Oh and if you haven't watched the dream season in years I'd say it's worth a rewatch too. It might surprise you. Some fans on this board that had thought of skipping it has watched it again and come to the conclusion that it was better than they remembered!

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Oh and if you haven't watched the dream season in years I'd say it's worth a rewatch too. It might surprise you. Some fans on this board that had thought of skipping it has watched it again and come to the conclusion that it was better than they remembered!

The dream season had its flaws (which JfL has articulated very well many times) but, among other things, there is a tonal change, and DALLAS becomes just another good-looking '80s show where everyone is basically good-hearted deep down. And that's a bit of a problem.

The only major plot point I would change, though, is that I'd have Donna and Ray lose custody of Tony --- and not just lose him because Pam's alarm clock went off -- because of his mercy killing of Mickey, thus setting up Ray and Donna for renewed marital problems.

 

[Frank Underwood]

Going by DVD count? If so, 7, 8 and 10 are good. 11 is okay. And 13 tries.

That's my assessment as well. Season 10 often gets lumped in with the "bad" seasons because it comes after the dream season, but I think it's one of the show's best.

As for season 13, the first half feels relatively fresh and focused coming off of the lame and poorly executed season 12, which was all over the place story wise.

 

[tommie]

I'd say seasons 7, 8 and 10 are essential. 11 still feels like Dallas, but it does start to become silly with the plotting.

12-14 are a mess. Season 9 is technically not the worst and the first half of that season is really good (Swellin's journey from alcoholism is great!), but you end up feeling cheated at the end.

 

[the-lost-son]

I own the DVDs till Pam's crash.
After Bobby's shooting there is a drop in quality, but the good clearly outweighs the bad for the following three seasons.
The follow-up of Pam's crash in season 10 (DVD11) is a jump-the-shark moment for me.

The following seasons, the reunion movies (and by the way TNT Dallas) do have their moments, but the good does no longer necessarily outweigh the bad. I've watched it once, hardly managed to sit through the final season.

I'm happy for everyone who can find entertainment in that. I can't and personally choose to spend my time differently.

It's comparable actually to the Godfather trilogy:
Till Bobby's shooting/Swan Song: godfather 1+2
The rest: godfather 3

Some say it's all part of the saga, but well to watch Michael corleone once die, that's enough for me

 

[bmasters9]

I would say all seasons up to when Pam drives into the tanker (season 10) are good. Thereafter it's on a rapid decline.

One sign of that decline, IIRC, being when J.R. was put in that sanitarium at the bottom of the 13th go, IIRC.

 

[TheDeadBobby]

Interesting comments ... thanks.

I think I'll get 7 and 8 for sure for now.

Now I have a new problem... I've owned my original DVDs, seasons 1-6 for probably 20 years and they've always been kept in the boxes and in mint condition but now for some reason they are hanging up several times per side. I tried with another player and it worked better but still hangs.... so not sure about buying used sets anymore which means this could get expensive!

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Interesting comments ... thanks.

I think I'll get 7 and 8 for sure for now.

Now I have a new problem... I've owned my original DVDs, seasons 1-6 for probably 20 years and they've always been kept in the boxes and in mint condition but now for some reason they are hanging up several times per side. I tried with another player and it worked better but still hangs.... so not sure about buying used sets anymore which means this could get expensive!

One of our site members explained that that's a problem with double-sided discs: they're really two half discs glued together, and eventually the glue seeps out and it starts hanging up, no matter how much you may try and clean them.

Or something like that.

 

[Sarah]

But if you stop, psychiatric treatment aside, how will you ever know what happened??

(Just as a side note - I was 14 when Vanessa showed up. It took me until JR Returns to heal from that and I wasn’t fully released from the asylum until JR and Sue Ellen got together in TNT. And I still have scars!!!)

What is IIRC @Snarky Oracle ?

 

[Crimson]

My recommendation on where to stop is a bit more restrictive than others; depending on how important quality is to you, I suggest going no further than season 8 (pre-"Dream Season"). Up through season 8, the good far outweighs the bad. Although there's still good stuff after season 8, the bad begins to outweigh the good. If you want to avoid ending DALLAS on a sour note, bail out early.

 

[tommie]

What is IIRC @Snarky Oracle ?

IIRC = If I recall correctly.

Also, the only reason for watching seasons 13 and 14 are because they are free of Swellin'!!!!! (J/K - or am I?)

 

[Justine]

For me, it's only 7-8 that's worth the additional watch if I think about the storylines.

I've personally only watched until Sue Ellen's final season but it's a difficult watch after the dream season.

 

[Chris2]

If you’re not going to watch the whole thing, then there are two logical places to stop: at the end of season 8 DVD, and at the end of season 10 DVD. The finales for both of those seasons could function as series finales, as they wrap up two significant storylines.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

My recommendation on where to stop is a bit more restrictive than others; depending on how important quality is to you, I suggest going no further than season 8 (pre-"Dream Season"). Up through season 8, the good far outweighs the bad. Although there's still good stuff after season 8, the bad begins to outweigh the good. If you want to avoid ending DALLAS on a sour note, bail out early.

You must watch Season 10. I will come to your home and make you.