Come Back!
Why was this cancelled? It was the best! Please Please Return! What happened to Christopher? That's it!?
shareJust like how Pam saw Bobby getting killed was all a dream, Dallas coming back is just a DREAM!
Jesus NEVER existed! He is Judeo Christian MYTH!
Jesus was in Dallas?! Sorry I missed him 😞 (Actually you might be hallucinating}😏 better see a doc or don't they exist either?😜
shareIt would be cool if Dallas ever came back to have the Cidre mess eliminated somehow from the official timeline
shareI couldn't believe it when I watched the first episodes of this new series. Now I get why comic book fans go ballistic when changes are made to familiar storylines. Dallas had years of history, press, video, mythology and such a huge fan base and the new writers and producers threw all of that away.
Ignoring established characters,poor casting choices and bad plot lines will kill a show every time. With Dallas all you had to do was watch the first six seasons of the original to get a feel for the show.
The two young guys that played John Ross and Christopher were poorly cast. They looked too young and not nearly rugged enough. Look at the original male leads in Dallas. JR, Bobby, Ray, Jock- even Cliff and Digger had gravitas! The two lead actresses were just as bad! They were interchangeable in looks and attitude.
Making John Ross the Gillian and Christopher the good guy was lazy writing. How much more fun to have made JR's son good and Christopher bad? They tossed a golden opportunity for conflict here, considering who Christopher's biological parents were-(not to mention how, at a time, they all, thought JR was Christopher's biological dad). I was stunned to learn that, not once, did Sue Ellen (or the writers to be exact) acknowledge Christopher was her blood relative. JR had so many affairs on the original show that there could have been Ewing heirs not yet introduced.
The new producers of this failed attempt were lazy and greedy they figured they'd write whatever and cast however, bring back a few of the original stars and they'd strike oil a second time around. It's a shame. Obviously, there's a lot of love for this effort on this message board. You fans deserved better.
Dallas had years of history, press, video, mythology and such a huge fan base and the new writers and producers threw all of that away.
Ignoring established characters,poor casting choices and bad plot lines will kill a show every time.
Uh, Dallas 2.0 lasted 3 seasons. If it was as bad as you make it out to be, it would have been cancelled after season 1.
The two young guys that played John Ross and Christopher were poorly cast. They looked too young and not nearly rugged enough.
Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe were both in their 30s, which was the ages of their characters, when the show premiered. Compare that to Patrick Duffy, who was still in his late 20s, when the original series premiered. And Larry Hagman was never "rugged" looking in the original series. He was always polished and poised.
Making John Ross the Gillian and Christopher the good guy was lazy writing. How much more fun to have made JR's son good and Christopher bad? They tossed a golden opportunity for conflict here, considering who Christopher's biological parents were-(not to mention how, at a time, they all, thought JR was Christopher's biological dad).
Yawn. John Ross was raised by crappy parents. Why would we expect him to the golden boy? Similar, Chris was raised by Golden Boy Bobby, why would he expect him to be evil? It's about parenting, not parentage (nature vs. nurture). Chris didn't have a dormant evil gene because of the actions of his bio parents.
I was stunned to learn that, not once, did Sue Ellen (or the writers to be exact) acknowledge Christopher was her blood relative. JR had so many affairs on the original show that there could have been Ewing heirs not yet introduced.
Were you stunned to learn that Sue Ellen in the original series didn't acknowledge Chris as her blood relative? She signed her rights away to Bobby and Pam when he was a baby and never again referred to him as her blood.
As for J.R. not having another Ewing heir, he did in the original series, an older illegitimate son, James, as well as a son with his second wife, Cally. And do you not watch the final episode/season 3 finale, in which it was revealed that J.R. had an illegitimate daughter, who most likely would have been introduced in season 4 had the show been renewed. share
The entire series was comprised of 40 episodes. The original Dallas did that many in a season and a half. Many bad shows have lasted longer than a single season.
Jesse Metcalfe and Josh Henderson were age appropriate, but they lacked the rugged looks of Steve Kanaly, Patrick Duffy, Larry Hagman, and Jim Davis. These actors pulled it off; they looked like Hollywood cowboys. As for Larry Hagman being "poised and polished"? How is this incompatible with being rugged? Randolph Scott and Gary Cooper all managed to pull off rugged and poised at the same time.
Bad parents raise good children all the time, and good parents raise bad children. I agree that it's parenting vs. parentage but keep in mind; Jock and Miss Ellie were good people and good parents, but J.R. was bad, Gary was weak, and Bobby was good. Again, I'm looking at this through the lens of what makes for compelling drama; conflict. Imagine the possibilities had Bobby been father to a son who behaved like J.R.? Sue Ellen signed away her rights to Christopher; did she also "forget" they were blood relatives? Keep in mind all the drama surrounding the circumstances of Christoper's birth. "Who Shot J.R.?" was THE biggest cliffhanger in tv history at a time. Christoper's mother shot J.R.and the only reason she didn't go to prison is because she claimed to be pregnant with J.R.'s baby-ChristopherTo ignore that link is a wasted opportunity. Whether Sue Ellen and Christopher's relationship was good or contentious or wary, it would have been interesting had the show runners worked with it.
I knew about James and about Cally's child; it's a shame the new showrunners didn't seem to.That said, J.R. had many mistresses, on screen and off. I don't know what they had planned for the end of the third season.
I am a big fan of the original. When I read about a Dallas reboot, I was interested. The writers here were lazy. They relied on the reputation of the original Dallas to draw in visitors then went in a very different direction.
You are totally right kier, great posts!!
shareWhether Sue Ellen and Christopher's relationship was good or contentious or wary, it would have been interesting had the show runners worked with it.
And, again, the writers of the original series never dealt with it. They could have. In the dream season (season 9), Sue Ellen's mother, Patricia, returns to Dallas to help Sue Ellen, who's struggling with alcoholism. In one scene, Patricia mentions her biggest regret was Kristin. That would have been a good time for Sue Ellen to mention, "Oh, hey, mom, Kristin had a kid." Nope, it was never mentioned. Yes, it was the dreaded "dream" season, but the writers didn't know at the time the entire season would be wiped away. Sue Ellen never treated Christopher like her blood during the original and Chris never knew he was Sue Ellen's blood nephew in the original. share
The original series did deal with the familial relationship between Christopher and Sue Ellen-she signed away her rights to baby Christopher and allowed Pam and Bobby to adopt the child. There was no need to mention the blood tie after that. As for not mentioning it to Sue Ellen's mother? What would have been the point? Patricia was never a major character, much less a recurring one. Had the mother shown up during the adoption storyline, maybe then would have been a time to mention it, but after the fact when it was no longer a central storyline doesn't make any sense. I stand by my assertion that the writers missed a great opportunity to mine awesome conflict out of the relationships. John Ross and Christopher were first cousins by adoption and by blood. That's a tangled and complicated history worth mining. There's so much the writers could have done. There's so much history they could have played with and they didn't.
Dallas had a huge fan base and a big following. It had history and reputation and iconic actors in memorable performances. There's no reason the reboot shouldn't have been a success- but it wasn't. The biggest problem with the entertainment industry when it comes to reboots is they always stray too far from the source material that made the original great in the first place.
Oh -I wrote in my first piece about a "Gillian"? That was meant to say "villain". Please excuse the goof!
The original series did deal with the familial relationship between Christopher and Sue Ellen-she signed away her rights to baby Christopher and allowed Pam and Bobby to adopt the child. There was no need to mention the blood tie after that.
That's exactly what I said. The original series didn't explore/develop any blood relation between Sue Ellen and Chris, even after Chris' adopted mom Pam left the series. Why would you expect the revival to do something the original series didn't? share
The original had no reason to explore a relationship beyond the adoption storyline. What need would there have been to? However, once the Christopher character is an adult, why wouldn't they use the blood tie and familial relationship as a plot device? Your reasoning isn't reason at all. In the original series, what would have been the point to expand a storyline involving Sue Ellen and a child? It's an adult drama. Once Christopher was an adult in the new series? Definitely. Again, I'm saying I don't know why they didn't do it. For you to say "Beacuse they didn't in the original series" is no defense for throwing away a golden opportunity. You're entitled to your opinion, but you disagreeing with my synopsis doesn't make you right. These types of shows thrive over conflict like that and given that particular relationship? A missed opportunity.
shareFor you to say "Beacuse they didn't in the original series" is no defense for throwing away a golden opportunity.
Golden opportunity? Yeah, right. The new series wasn't going to succeed or fail based on Sue Ellen and Chris' relationship. That's just your opinion. share
Great points Keir! Cidre DESTROYED what could've been a successful reboot! It's SO obvious her crazy Mexican storylines destroyed the show. I wonder why at least some of the cast don't admit that Cidre strayed TOO FAR from the original Dallas for this to succeed?
Who was Christoper's biological father? It's been so long I forgot!
Jesus NEVER existed! He is Judeo Christian MYTH!
Who was Christoper's biological father? It's been so long I forgot!
Jeff Farraday, the man who sold Chris to Bobby as a baby. Jeff was a drug dealer and Kristin's husband. He was killed when Bobby began investigating Chris' birth. share
How was he killed?
Jesus NEVER existed! He is Judeo Christian MYTH!
I believe he was shot to death by his drug connection. If I recall correctly, Bobby went to Jeff's hotel/apartment and found his dead body. Bobby left quickly using a handkerchief to wipe his prints from the door and then called the police anonymously from a pay phone to report the murder. The police knew Bobby was somehow involved because his name was in some of Jeff's papers. He was a "person of interest," but then Bobby led police to the real killer, the drug dealer, Mr. Smith.
share@megafauna005
Thanks much! It's interesting to watch early episodes of the original Dallas. They put a lot into character development, plot, storylines, etc. There was the back history of the Barnes/ Ewing feud for example that when you watch those first episodes of Dallas, you understand without actually having seen the history play out. That Cidre actually had a history to work from and threw it away is disappointing.
I never said the show's success was based on Chirs and Sue Ellen's relationship or lack thereof. I stated this was one of many avenues that could have been pursued, that I was surprised they didn't follow it. Whatever you think, I'm convinced it would have made for a compelling storyline. You're looking through too narrow a lens. I'm not saying a storyline between these two characters barring all others. J.R. Ewing had an affair with his wife's younger sister, who happens to be the birth mother of his younger brother's adopted son. There was a lot to the character of Kristin Shepard, her involvement with Sue Ellen and J.R. At one point early in the series, Kristin made a play for Bobby. So yes, they could have made much out of Chistopher's status in the family. He's an adopted Ewing, but he's also John Ross' blood relative. Soap operas live off those kinds of convoluted story lines. Had the new show runners made use of this history, they would have been able to intrigue viewers from the original series. There would have been continuity.
But again, you're willfully ignoring the point of my original post. They squandered a bunch of opportunities to build on the foundation of a popular, enduring series.
uh, sure?
Dallas 2.0 opens with Bobby to Chris: "Hey son, did I ever mention that your biological mother once hit one me while I was married to your adopted mom?"
Chris: Really?! Okay, that changes EVERYTHING.
Ratings go through the roof!