Who was the worst character ever in Dallas?

[TJames03]

I didn’t like Jamie either. The Ewing’s invite her into their home and she immediately start telling them off

Ummmmm....she was fine until JR continued to harass her and then she finally snapped.

 

[Chris2]

Yeah - I don’t get why Priscilla wasn’t written out during Pam’s dream. Later on, when Patrick Duffy came back, he sucked up more of the actor budget, so you saw a significant group of departures among the “Also Starring” cast at midseason, with no new characters coming onboard. So the show felt oddly depopulated for the rest of that season. They could have saved some of that money by dumping Priscilla Presley.

 

[Toni]

Yeah - I don’t get why Priscilla wasn’t written out during Pam’s dream. Later on, when Patrick Duffy came back, he sucked up more of the actor budget, so you saw a significant group of departures among the “Also Starring” cast at midseason, with no new characters coming onboard. So the show felt oddly depopulated for the rest of that season. They could have saved some of that money by dumping Priscilla Presley.

It was Mr. Hagman´s idea to keep her in the show a little longer. Prissy wanted to leave at the end of the Dream Season...Too bad he couldn´t do the same with you know who...

 

[southfork88]

The worst character ever in Dallas? Carter McKay and Sheila Foley.

 

[rayanddonnafan]

Oswald Valentine annoyed me to no end!!

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Oswald Valentine annoyed me to no end!!

Really! I liked Oswald a lot he was a right laugh.

I wasn't fond of them pairing up April with Bobby. She was quite a bland, uninteresting character April especially when they made her a goody two shoes like Bobby himself.

 

[Mustard]

The worst one isn't even listed on the poll. LeeAnn de la Vega. The episodes with her were the absolutely nadir (i.e. lowest point) of Dallas.

It was Mr. Hagman´s idea to keep her in the show a little longer. Prissy wanted to leave at the end of the Dream Season...Too bad he couldn´t do the same with you know who...

Is that actually true? I think it shows in her performances. I thought Priscilla Presley did well in Dallas up to the time that Naldo was murdered, but then she became more and more annoying as time went on, and I basically had it with Jenna after the whole way that the Jack rejection thing was done in the dream season. Ray and Jenna was just a bad pairing as well. They got rid of Susan Howard's Donna for that?

 

[Toni]

Is that actually true? I think it shows in her performances. I thought Priscilla Presley did well in Dallas up to the time that Naldo was murdered, but then she became more and more annoying as time went on, and I basically had it with Jenna after the whole way that the Jack rejection thing was done in the dream season. Ray and Jenna was just a bad pairing as well. They got rid of Susan Howard's Donna for that?

Yes it´s true, it is mentioned in Barbara Curran´s must-read book. The Lorimar-Telepictures merger led to a cost-cutting policy in every show of the company, and in Season 10 they axed VP (who allegedly left voluntarily) and SH, who had been vocal about the dream solution and the loss of Tony´s storyline, was shown the door to make place to untalented people like Da Wilson. Howard expresses that very well at the end of this video.

​

Re. Prissy, it´s also true that Larry convinced her to sign a two-year renewal because she wanted out to do such big, thought-provoking movies as "The Naked Gun".

"I make the burgers. Karen Cellini sells them."​

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

It is a difficult question because a character would have needed to appear on a certain number of episodes to be visible enough for the
"worst" character.
Contrary to some posts, I thought April was OK to above average prior to the Bobby/April pair-up.
I couldn't stand Leslie Stewart - bad casting, bad character development, and I could never see JR having any attraction to her.
Johnny Dancer wasn't on long enough to be considered IMHO


To some degree, it is hard to separate actor/actress from character.
I didn't like Clayton, Dusty, Michelle Stevens, later Lucy, Peter, but it was not because of the actors as much as the writing

James could have been a better character, I fault the writing

The winner for worst character - Leslie Stewart

Dishonorable mention, and I am surprised there is no mention - Mrs Scotfield.

Let's see - her husband starts a fire, endangers multiple lives, wants the Ewings to come to her rescue,
and won't admit to her husband's responsibility, lectures Bobby! about compassion afterward, mentions that his wife is nice (Of course Pam, who
amassed a fortune in unearned income as JR pointed out), etc.

JR and Bobby were running a business with responsibilities to their family, investors, business partners and employees.
If they determine that a business operation is unprofitable, or if they can make more money in another investment,
that is their duty to make that decision. JR was right when he said something to the effect that Ewing Oil is not in business to give away money.
Yes it is unfortunate for the business that is being closed, but that is the harsh reality of the
business world.

On second thought, Mrs Scottfield is a worse character than Leslie Stewart

 

[Ollie james]

Went with James must give special mention to the shower door that Bobby appeared behind if I can count that as a character

 

[Ray_Krebbs]

The shower door killed the show IMO

 

[Mustard]

The shower door killed the show IMO

It caused the vast majority of the audience never to take Dallas seriously again. I bet a few viewers tuned in, saw the dream revelation and laughed, but then saw all the storylines reset to what they were 1 year earlier along with an oil price crisis. The storylines of the previous season being cancelled and then being redone and taking different directions would have alienated some of the viewers even more. The people who mourned Bobby, the people who liked Ray and Donna sorting out their differences and the adoption storyline with Tony, the people who liked Mark and Pam together, the people who liked the Angelica Nero storyline and wanted to see what happened to Sue Ellen and Jamie, all of it and more cancelled at a stroke.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

A lot of people mentioning James. I think the idea of JR having an adult son was a good one. As Cliff remarked, it is quite likely
that were offspring somewhere. Maybe Sasha Mitchell wasn't the best casting choice for James.

 

[Snowcat]

Tie between Michelle and James. There were a lot of missed opportunities with James. There could have been so many more interesting story lines.

 

[Jock's Ghost]

Anyone from the final dire season of Dallas thas wasnt Dallas - name only but no heart or soul left anymore and proof that Dallas wasnt the Hagman/Duffy show

Tommy, Rose McKay were awful, James was dire, and never bought the love of his life nonsesne with Vanessa, Michelle was dire, nice hair but thats about it! Cally was just embarassing making JR seem an old perv and couldnt act her way out of a paper bag

One omitted from that list was the awful, insipid, simpering SJW/April Stevens - rotten acting, no rapport with Pat Duffy and oh how i cheered when she went to Paris. Pity it wasnt 3 seasons earlier!

Glad April was shot. I cheered.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

April for sure. She needs to be on the list. But yes during the peak of the show Leslie

I thought April had OK when she first arrived as a character who could stir the pot a bit. But she wasn't as good with Bobby

Anyone from the final dire season of Dallas thas wasnt Dallas - name only but no heart or soul left anymore and proof that Dallas wasnt the Hagman/Duffy show

Tommy, Rose McKay were awful, James was dire, and never bought the love of his life nonsesne with Vanessa, Michelle was dire, nice hair but thats about it! Cally was just embarassing making JR seem an old perv and couldnt act her way out of a paper bag

One omitted from that list was the awful, insipid, simpering SJW/April Stevens - rotten acting, no rapport with Pat Duffy and oh how i cheered when she went to Paris. Pity it wasnt 3 seasons earlier!

Mostly Agree. Better writing might have helped these characters/stories , but maybe Dallas had just run its course at that point

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Mostly Agree. Better writing might have helped these characters/stories , but maybe Dallas had just run its course at that point

It wasn't just that the series had overstayed it's welcome but the fact that Larry Hagman had a strangle hold on the show because of his salary as the break out key character. That wouldn't have helped the shows budget and possibly had an affect on the salaries of the other cast members.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

It wasn't just that the series had overstayed it's welcome but the fact that Larry Hagman had a strangle hold on the show because of his salary as the break out key character. That wouldn't have helped the shows budget and possibly had an affect on the salaries of the other cast members.

I think you are right. Budgets were a major factor.
One of the things that was noticeably lost in later seasons was that link to the Old West and what might be described as "Cowboy Culture"
The things that replaced it just didn't work.
Yet in seasons 1-2 with a more limited budget, the writing produced some amazing results.
When Steve Kanaly left, that completely disappeared

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I think you are right. Budgets were a major factor.
One of the things that was noticeably lost in later seasons was that link to the Old West and what might be described as "Cowboy Culture"
The things that replaced it just didn't work.
Yet in seasons 1-2 with a more limited budget, the writing produced some amazing results.
When Steve Kanaly left, that completely disappeared

And even more so with the departures of both Victoria Principal & Susan Howard.

 

[Lotus Point Tundra Torque]

I feel the worst was not listed as an option to vote for... Casey Denault!