“This is not a reboot, not a remake,” promises “Dallas” executive producer Cynthia Cidre. “It’s a continuation of a show that’s been off the air for 20 years — and now let’s see those old friends.”
The series, one of the CBS nighttime soaps of the 1980s, launched with a mini-series about the Ewing family’s inner turmoil, but the drama eventually relied on more outlandish plots to compete with rivals like ABC’s “Dynasty.” The newest incarnation picks up from the finale, May 3, 1991, and mostly ignores the TV movies that aired in 1996 and 1998.
So where does that leave our Ewing clan?:
What happened to J.R.? The conniving Ewing patriarch (Larry Hagman) was last seen turning the gun on himself after losing Ewing Oil and being abandoned by Sue Ellen (Linda Grey) and John Ross (now played by Josh Henderson), who moved to Europe. The TV movies glossed over the suicide by claiming J.R. had shot a mirror instead, but the new series decided to go with the original ending, as J.R. is under psychiatric care in the opener.
Who owns Ewing Oil? The family company switched hands more times than J.R. changed mistresses, but by the end, longtime rival Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval) had finally tricked J.R. out of his empire. In the new series, John Ross is out wildcatting as he tries to re-create his grandfather’s success with Ewing Oil.
Who occupies Southfork? J.R. lost Southfork to Bobby (Patrick Duffy) in the original, and that doesn’t seem to have changed. But more importantly, there’s a new Miss Ellie. Brenda Strong’s Ann, Bobby’s new wife, is every bit as feisty as the matriarch, played by the late Barbara Bel Geddes, as evidenced by her reaction to a home invasion in the pilot.
Where’s Pam? The original love of Bobby’s life (Victoria Principal) was last seen telling brother Cliff that she had cancer and only a year left to live. Apparently, she wasn’t lying, because she’s nowhere to be seen — and not mentioned very often — in the new show.
The next generation of Ewings won’t ditch their history — good and bad — according to Cidre, who says she watched every episode of the first season and read “nearly every” synopsis of the series since she came aboard.
“When we’re writing it, we treat them as if they were a real family that had historic value,” Cidre notes, which prompts the question about Christopher’s fiancée, Rebecca, who happens to share the same name as Christopher’s adopted mother, Pam.
“Nothing is a coincidence,” Cidre hints.