The Classic TV Database

Dallas is an American equivalent to those British miniseries about historical chapters in that country's royal monarchy. Full of family in-fighting, political intrigue crossed with personal triumph or disappointment, and plenty of sensational infidelities and betrayals, Dallas is a captivating story of a wealthy oil family's power and travails. It is also uniquely fun and daringly absurd, albeit with a straight face; this hugely successful, primetime soap opera began in the late 1970s and ran 14 seasons in all, built on a handful of primary relationships that stretch credulity but never descend into self-parody.

Not unexpectedly, Dallas begins with a Romeo and Juliet tale that instantly exposes an old feud between two families and strips the civilized veneer from several major characters. Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy), youngest of three sons of independent oilman Jock Ewing (Jim Davis), arrives at the Ewing clan's Southfork ranch just outside Dallas, Texas, with a new wife, Pam Barnes Ewing (Victoria Principal). Pam is the daughter of Digger Barnes (David Wayne), an old business rival of Jock's and one-time suitor of the Ewing matriarch, Eleanor (or "Miss Ellie," played by Barbara Bel Geddes). Pam's also the sister of a state senator, Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), whose vendetta against the Ewings is played out in the legislature, imposing costly regulations on their business and holding committee investigations into questionable practices of company president J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman). Pam's status as the newest Ewing causes an uproar in the family (besides being a Barnes, she also dated the Ewings' genial but lonely foreman, Ray Krebbs, played by Steve Kanaly) and prompts Dallas' charming villain, J.R., to make many Iago-like attempts, over the first two seasons, to drive her from Bobby's arms. Pam has a different set of problems with the other, jealous Ewing women, including J.R.'s possibly barren and alcoholic wife, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), and teenage Lucy (Charlene Tilton), daughter of exiled Ewing son Gary (Ted Shackleford). With new and old resentments flying and everyone deeply suspicious of everyone else's motives (even the ailing Jock doesn't trust J.R.), there's plenty of drama to chew on. Still, storylines are often larger than the sum of these parts, with lots of kidnappings, marital affairs, plane crashes, and shootings ratcheting up suspense. Dallas is pure pleasure, a little guilty, perhaps, but not a sin.

The series ended each season with ratings-grabbing cliffhangers. Some notable cliffhangers included the landmark "Who shot J.R.?" episode in 1980, an unidentified floating female corpse in the Southfork swimming pool, a blazing house fire, Bobby being shot, and Bobby even being killed by Pam's crazed half-sister Katherine Wentworth. Patrick Duffy had decided to leave the series in 1985, which facilitated Bobby's death, but Duffy was offered a higher salary the following year and elected to return to the series (which had by then begun to suffer from a ratings drop). The intervening season where Bobby was dead was subsequently explained away as a dream of Pam's in 1986.[2] In 1987, Victoria Principal decided to leave the series and her character was written out in another end-of-season cliffhanger where her car crashed into an 18-wheeler and exploded. The show continued (with steadily declining ratings) until 1991, when the series finale saw J.R. seemingly defeated by his enemies and apparently taking his own life.


Cast and Characters

• Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing (1978-1991)
• Patrick Duffy as Bobby Ewing (1978-1991)
• Linda Gray as Sue Ellen Ewing (1978-1991)
• Ken Kercheval as Cliff Barnes (1978-1991)
• Steve Kanaly as Ray Krebbs (1978-1991)
• Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie Ewing (1978-1990)
• Victoria Principal as Pamela Barnes Ewing (1978-1987)
• Charlene Tilton as Lucy Ewing Cooper (1978-1990)
• Howard Keel as Clayton Farlow (1981-1991)
• Susan Howard as Donna Culver Krebbs (1979-1987)
• Deborah Rennard as Sly Lovegren (1981-1991)
• Sherril Lynn Rettino as Jackie Dugan (1979-1991)
• Priscilla Presley as Jenna Wade (1983-1988)
• Deborah Tranelli as Phyllis Wapner (1981-1991)
• Omri Katz as John Ross Ewing (1983-1991)
• Sheree J. Wilson as April Stevens (1986-1991)

Broadcast History, Episode Guide & TV Schedule
First Telecast: April 2, 1978
Last Telecast: May 3, 1991
View the Dallas Episode Guide
Number of Episodes: 357
Number of Seasons: 14
Original Network: CBS
Original Primetime TV Schedule

• April 1978, CBS, Sunday 10:00-11:00pm
• September 1978- October 1978, CBS, Saturday 10:00-11:00pm
• October 1978- January 1979, CBS, Sunday 10:00-11:00pm
• January 1979- November 1981, CBS, Friday 10:00-11:00pm
• December 1981- May 1985, CBS, Friday 9:00-10:00pm
• September 1985- May 1986, CBS, Friday 9:00-10:00pm
• September 1986- May 1988, CBS, Friday 9:00-10:00pm
• October 1988- March 1990, CBS, Friday 9:00-10:00pm
• March 1990- May 1990, CBS, Friday 10:00-11:00pm
• November 1990- December 1990, CBS, Friday 10:00-11:00pm
• January 1991- May 1991, CBS, Friday 9:00-10:00pm

Theme Song Lyrics and Opening Credits Theme composed by Jerrold Immel

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Dallas DVDs

Seasons 1 & 2	Season 3	Season 4	Season 5
Season 6	Season 7	Season 8	Season 9
Season 10	Season 11	Season 12	Season 13
Season 14	View all Dallas DVDs, books, merchandise and collectibles from Amazon.com

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