What’s this old thing on the horizon?

Well I’ve got my lovely Mum to thank for this article: if she hadn’t introduced me to the 1980’s hit soap opera, _Dallas_, then I would still be in the dark about this massive worldwide phenomenon, which is set to relaunch itself upon our television screens in the summer of 2012.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this giant of a show, probably those of you born in the late 80’s and early 90’s, I’ll give a brief outline into the concept of the show and the main themes that run through it. Okay, well _Dallas_ was an extremely long-running soap opera (357 episodes and 3 films in fact!) revolving around the Ewings, a wealthy Texan oil and cattle-ranching family, headed by Jock and Ellie Ewing. Larry Hagman plays one of their sons, the infamously cruel J.R. Ewing, who is constantly in conflict with his younger brother Bobby, played by Patrick Duffy. The plot follows the scheming and dealings of Texas’ biggest oil barons, and viewers were treated to a whole 13 years (1978-1991) of deceit, corruption, affairs and a hell of a lot of drama. No matter how far-fetched and bizarre the plot lines became (including a entire series revealed to be merely a dream of one of the characters!) and having currently only watched around half the episodes myself, I can already see why _Dallas_ became the ultimate show of the 80’s and pulled in millions of viewers.

It’s true, however, that the fast-paced nature of the show meant that viewers could not simply jump in half-way through a series, or even half-way through the entire show. If you are going to start watching, start watching from series 1 episode 1. It’s really the only way that you’re going to have any idea of the characters or the ridiculously rapid-changing storylines.

_Dallas_ was notable for so many reasons – the unmistakably 80’s theme tune, the opening credits, the fantastic characters, and the stunning location of Dallas, Texas, with the legendary Southfork Ranch standing as the setting for the saga to name a few. However, what was most remembered about this _Dallas_ phenomenon was its constant cliff-hangers – and I mean massive, end-of-series jaw-droppers. I think, regardless of your age and how well acquainted you are with the world of _Dallas_, you will have heard of the huge landmark “Who shot J.R?” cliff-hanger. It was this that really catapulted _Dallas_ into a worldwide sensation in 90 different countries and 67 languages. Internationally, _Dallas_ still holds the record for the highest-rated non-finale episode of TV with nearly 360 million viewers tuning in to see who shot J.R. in the _Who Done It_ episode on November 21st 1980.

Okay I can pretty much hear you question why I, having been born in 1992, am so interested in this show. Well I had always been aware of it, having heard so much about _Dallas_ from my parents, and in 2010, the TNT channel announced that they were bringing it back. Centring around the now grown-up Ewing grandsons (John Ross and Christopher, sons of J.R. and Bobby respectively), what makes this modern continuation of the show so exciting is the presence of several stars of the original series reprising their former roles (including Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing, Patrick Duffy as Bobby Ewing, and Linda Gray as the ever-suffering wife of JR, Sue Ellen).

Now as amazing as this all sounds, I do remain sceptical about the success of this _Dallas_ revival. What made the original series so popular was the ridiculous nature of the plot lines, the wonderful 70’s and 80’s style and culture, and the dysfunctional family dynamics. I really hope that they can do justice to the old _Dallas_, and hopefully, with the original cast, original set, and original theme tune, it will both serve as a tribute to the old show and be a fantastic introduction into the Ewing world to viewers of a new generation.