In 1991 Dallas came to an end. During it's time it had spawned 14 seasons and a mammoth 357 episodes! For those not in the know, Dallas centred around the Ewing family, in-particularly the warring Ewing brothers J.R. and Bobby. The Ewings were ranchers and oil tycoons and lived in the family home, Southfork Ranch. The show was known for its wealth, intrigue, sex and power struggles and was huge on both sides of the pond. It made a star out of
Larry Hagman who played J.R.
 |
The new breed of warring Ewings in
Christopher and John Ross.
|
Now, 20 years after it last aired, Dallas is back. The basic premise is the same and the show seems to retain alot of what made it big in its previous incarnation. J.R. is now in his late 70's and brother Bobby is in his early 60's and although they still have huge roles to play it is their respective sons now at war. Christopher Ewing shares his fathers (Bobby) belief that alternative energy is the future. He is also honest and likable, much like his father. John Ross (J.R.'s son) shares his fathers greed and cunning and also his determination. This puts him instantly at odds with Christopher and even his uncle Bobby. In-fact he's even at odds with his own father, J.R. as he attempts to con him in the first episodes.
 |
They may be older but the old
battles are recommencing between
J.R. and Bobby Ewing |
It would've been easy to reboot the show in a similar way to Hawaii Five-0, to have even excluded the original characters. The show hasn't been on screens (bar a couple of tv movies) for 20 years and now there's a whole different tv audience. The makers have decided that there is still room for the likes of J.R, Bobby and Sue Ellen though and (in my opinion) that is a masterstroke. Larry Hagman is 80 and fighting throat cancer so his casting alone is huge! It is a show for a new generation though and the new generation of Ewings show this. It looks like the makers are looking at Dallas as a long term thing rather than a short term revival and that is great.
Can it stand the pace in this new time though, that is the question. I think it can. In the 1st couple of episodes there were that many double crossings that I began scratching my head on numerous occasions. That is no bad thing though and it kinda lends itself well to the characters. In Christopher and John Ross we have two siblings to rival the greats of Bobby and J.R. In fact John Ross possibly has the ability to become an even bigger villain than his father and that would be some achievement. The show has evolved to the new era whilst still remaining true to it's roots and that is great. Alot of the old characters have already made brief appearances and mention keeps being made of Southforks past and J.R. and Bobbys history. Although the jury is out at the moment as it's still early days regarding this revival, I have reasonably high hopes for Dallas. If it continues along the same lines as it's strong first episodes, the future is pretty bright for Dallas and the Ewings.
